In order for a person living in the United States to sponsor a family member who would like to come to the United States to live, the sponsor must be:
• Be a United States citizen, or 
• Be a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR)
• Prove that he/she can support his/her relative at 125% of the poverty line (e.g. file an affidavit of support)

In order for a foreign national to be sponsored by someone who meets the above qualifications, the foreign national must not be ineligible for immigration and be one of the following in relation to the sponsor:
• A spouse of a U.S. citizen sponsor
• An unmarried minor child of a U.S. citizen sponsor
• A parent of a U.S. citizen sponsor
• An adult (married or unmarried) child of a U.S. citizen sponsor
• A sibling of a U.S. citizen sponsor
• A sponsor of an LPR sponsor
• An unmarried child (adult or minor) of an LPR sponsor

The person that fall into the categories under numbers 1, 2, and 3 above are considered to be immediate relatives of the sponsor. The persons that fall into the categories under numbers 4, 5, 6, and 7 are considered under the family preference system.