A lawful permanent resident can petition for a spouse and for unmarried children. What they cannot do is sponsor parents, according to USCIS. The other difference is timing: unlike Immediate relativeSpouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents of U.S. citizens. These categories are not subject to annual numerical limits.See it in the glossary of citizens, these relatives fall in a limited category with a waiting line.
The categories
Under the family preference system in section 203 of the INA, the relevant ones are F2A and F2B.
- F2A: the spouse and unmarried children under 21 of a permanent resident.
- F2B: unmarried sons and daughters age 21 or older of a permanent resident.
Married children of a permanent resident are not covered. See F2A versus F2B.
Why there is a wait
Each category has a yearly limit, so the PetitionerThe person or employer who files a petition on behalf of a beneficiary, such as a relative filing an I-130 or an employer filing an I-140.See it in the glossary gets a Priority dateThe date a petition was filed, or a labor certification was submitted, used to determine an applicant's place in line for a visa category with limited annual numbers.See it in the glossary and waits until it is current. The State Department publishes the timing in the monthly Visa BulletinA monthly State Department publication showing which family and employment visa categories currently have visas available.See it in the glossary. For instance, in the September 2026 bulletin, F2A numbers exempt from the Per-country limitThe cap, set at 7 percent of the combined family and employment totals, on how many preference visas may go to natives of any single country in a fiscal year.See it in the glossary were authorized for priority dates earlier than August 22, 2025. We reported the large family-line moves in our bulletin coverage. Dates can move forward or backward, so check the current bulletin.
Age matters
A child who turns 21 can shift from F2A to F2B, sometimes with protection under the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA)A federal law that changes how age is calculated for certain children in the green card process, so a child who turns 21 while a case is pending may still be treated as a child. The result is called the CSPA age. For adjustment of status applications filed on or after August 15, 2025, USCIS treats a visa as available based on the Final Action Dates chart in the Visa Bulletin.See it in the glossary. Read F2A aging out and conversion.
What if the sponsor becomes a citizen?
A spouse or unmarried child under 21 of a naturalized citizen becomes an immediate relative, which can end the queue. That can change the calculus for permanent residents deciding when to naturalize. Compare the categories in immediate relative versus family preference.
Waiting is not status
An approved petition does not give the relative a right to live or work in the United States. Check the State Department’s family immigration overview and our queue explainer before making plans.