FB-1 for unmarried adult sons and daughters of U.S. citizens. Adult means 21 years of age or older

You may qualify for permanent resident status in the first preference category of family-based immigration if:

• You are an unmarried son or daughter of a U.S. citizen
• You are over the age of 21

YOU MUST HAVE AN APPROVED I-130 PETITION

Before you can apply for permanent resident status as the unmarried son or daughter of a U.S. citizen in the first preference category, USCIS must approve an immigrant visa petition, I-130 Petition for Alien Relative, for you. This petition is filed by your relative (sponsor) and must be accompanied by proof of your relationship to the requesting relative. In order for your relative to sponsor you, he or she

• Must be a U.S. citizen and be able to provide documentation proving citizenship
• Must prove that he or she can support you at 125% above the mandated poverty line

The I-130 Petition is filed with USCIS. If you are immigrant visa processing abroad (see below, "You May Apply for an Immigrant Visa or Adjust Status"), some U.S. consulates allow U.S. citizens to file the petition directly with the consulate.

An approved I-130 Petition does not grant you immigration benefits such as work authorization or lawful status in the United States.

AN IMMIGRANT VISA MUST BE IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE

Once your I-130 Petition is approved, the Department of State must determine if an immigrant visa number is immediately available to you even if you are already in the United States. When an immigrant visa number is available, it means you can apply to have one of the immigrant visa numbers assigned to you. You can check the status of a visa number in the Department of State's Visa Bulletin.

YOU MAY APPLY FOR AN IMMIGRANT VISA OR ADJUST STATUS

IMMIGRANT VISA ISSUANCE

If you are outside the United States at the time your immigrant visa petition is approved, you must apply for an immigrant visa before you may enter the U.S. as a lawful immigrant 

Upon approval of the immigrant petition filed by your U.S. relative, your case will be forwarded to the National Visa Center (NVC) for further processing. Your priority date must be current for an immigrant visa to issue. Your priority date is the date on which your U.S. relative filed the immigrant petition. Each month the U.S. Department of State issues the Visa Bulletin which gives information about immigrant visa availability and the current priority dates.

Upon receipt of your case from USCIS, NVC will contact you or your agent/attorney with processing instructions. Upon submission of an immigrant visa application and the required supporting documents to NVC, processing on your case will continue. 

When NVC has completed processing, it will forward your case to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in the jurisdiction where you reside abroad, and you will be notified of your immigrant visa interview appointment and what documents to bring to the interview. If approved, an immigrant visa will be issued in your name. You will have 120 days from the date of issue to enter the United States. Within a short period of time following your admission to the United States, a Permanent Resident Card (green card) will be mailed to you.
 

ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS

If you are inside the United States in lawful non-immigrant status, you may be eligible to adjust your status to that of a lawful permanent resident through a process known as adjustment of status.

If your priority date for the FB-1 classification is current at the time your immigrant petition is approved by USCIS, you may file your adjustment of status application with USCIS. If your priority date is not current at that time, you must wait until it becomes current.

You cannot file an adjustment application if you are outside the U.S, or if you are inside the U.S. but have violated your non-immigrant status, or if you are barred from filing based upon your non-immigrant status at the time or your particular circumstances.

If your application is approved, you will be mailed a Permanent Resident Card within a short period of time.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

All U.S. lawful permanent residents are required to report a change of address within 10 days of the change. The change of address may be reported on USCIS Form AR-11, by filing the AR-11 online at www