Immigrating to the United States is an important and complex decision. To be eligible to apply for an immigrant visa, i.e. permanently moving to the United States, a foreign citizen must be sponsored by a U.S. Citizen relative, U.S. lawful permanent resident relative, or a prospective employer, with a few exceptions. Most of the immigrant visa applications are either through a relative or an employer.

U.S. immigration law limits the number of visas offered each year for some of the immigrant visa categories. In these limited visa categories, whenever the number of qualified applicants exceed the available immigrant visas, there will be a waiting list. Please read below to determine which category offers unlimited visas and which categories have a limited number of visas available.