US Immediate relative immigrant visas (IR)

Who it's for

Immediate relative visas are for the closest family members of a US citizen. Only a US citizen — not a lawful permanent resident — can petition in these categories.

• IR-1 / CR-1 — spouse of a US citizen (CR-1 applies when the marriage is under two years old at admission, giving conditional residence)
• IR-2 — unmarried child under 21 of a US citizen
• IR-5 — parent of a US citizen, where the citizen is at least 21 years old

Eligibility

The petitioner must be a US citizen and must document a genuine, qualifying family relationship. The relationship category cannot change after filing except as the law allows (for example, a child who marries or turns 21 may move into a family-preference category).

• Petitioner is a US citizen (by birth, derivation or naturalization)
• A qualifying relationship exists: spouse, unmarried child under 21, or parent of a citizen aged 21+
• The relationship is bona fide (for spouses, a genuine marriage, not one entered to obtain immigration benefits)
• The beneficiary is admissible to the United States or eligible for a waiver of any ground of inadmissibility
• A qualifying sponsor can file an Affidavit of Support (Form I-864) meeting the income requirement

How to apply

The route runs in two main stages: the petition, then either consular processing abroad or adjustment of status inside the US.

• US citizen files Form I-130 with USCIS to establish the family relationship
• After I-130 approval, choose the path: consular processing abroad, or adjustment of status if the relative is already in the US in a qualifying situation
• For consular processing, the National Visa Center collects fees, the DS-260 immigrant visa application, and civil and financial documents
• Complete the required medical examination and attend the immigrant visa interview at a US embassy or consulate
• In the US, an immediate relative may file Form I-485 concurrently with the I-130, while it is pending, or after approval
• On approval and admission (or on adjustment), the relative becomes a lawful permanent resident

No annual cap and no Visa Bulletin wait

Unlike the family-preference categories (F1 to F4), immediate relatives are not subject to annual numerical limits. A visa number is always immediately available, so there is no priority-date wait on the monthly Visa Bulletin. In practice the timeline is driven by USCIS petition processing and consular or adjustment workloads rather than by quota backlogs.

Conditional residence for recent marriages

If a marriage is less than two years old on the day the spouse is admitted or adjusts status, permanent residence is granted on a conditional basis (the CR-1 category). The couple must jointly file to remove the conditions in the 90 days before the two-year card expires; failing to do so can end the resident's status. This is a safeguard against marriage fraud, not a separate visa route.

Fees and financial support

Core government fees include the I-130 petition ($675 paper / $625 online), and, depending on route, either an immigrant visa application fee at a consulate or the I-485 adjustment fee ($1,440) in the US. Additional costs such as the medical examination and the USCIS Immigrant Fee are set separately. A financial sponsor normally files an Affidavit of Support (Form I-864) accepting legal responsibility to support the immigrant. Always confirm current amounts on the official USCIS and travel.state.gov fee pages before paying.