Who qualifies as immediate relatives under immigration law?

Immediate relatives under immigration law are specifically defined as the spouse of a U.S. citizen (USC), the unmarried children under the age of 21 of a USC, and the parents of a USC who are at least 21 years old. This classification is significant because immediate relatives are given priority in the immigration process and are not subject to numerical limits that apply to other family-based immigration categories.

This designation facilitates a faster path to obtaining a green card, as immediate relatives can often avoid the lengthy waits that are common for other familial relationships. The focus of this category is to promote family unity by allowing close family members of U.S. citizens to reside in the United States without the barriers that might be encountered by other relatives.

Other options fail to encompass the full definition of immediate relatives as defined in immigration law. For example, "close relatives of LPRs" includes a wider range of relationships that may not necessarily qualify under the immediate relative category. Additionally, "unmarried children of LPRs" are not considered immediate relatives as they fall under a different family preference category, which may have longer processing times. Finally, the notion of "only spouses of USCs" is incorrect because it excludes the additional categories of children and parents that also