An immediate relative is a close family member of a U.S. citizen such as a spouse, unmarried child under 21, or parent who is eligible for a green card without being subject to annual visa limits. A preference relative, on the other hand, falls into a family-based preference category (e.g., adult children, siblings of U.S. citizens, or certain relatives of green card holders) and must wait for a visa number to become available, which can take months or years depending on the category and country of origin.

Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens are not restricted by annual visa caps and can typically obtain green cards more quickly. These include spouses, children under 21, and parents. Preference relatives are part of the family-based preference system, which includes relatives like adult children and siblings. These categories are subject to visa quotas and processing times vary by demand.

Immediate relatives include the spouse, unmarried children under 21, and parents of U.S. citizens. They benefit from faster processing because there is no numerical limit on the number of visas issued each year. In contrast, preference relatives fall into categories like F1 (unmarried adult children), F3 (married children), or F4 (siblings), which are subject to annual caps and long backlogs.