Here is what I just found :
What am I missing then ?
Immigration through a Family Member
Overview and Process
A lawful permanent resident is a foreign
national who has been granted the privilege
of permanently living and working in the
United States. If you want to become a lawful
permanent resident based on the fact that you
have a relative who is a citizen of the
United States,
or a relative who is a lawful
permanent resident, you must go through a
multi-step process.
The 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.
The Deparment of State must determine if an
immigrant visa number is immediately
available to you, the foreign national, 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.
If you are already in the United States, you
may apply to change your status to that of a
lawful permanent resident after a visa number
becomes available to you. This is one way you
can apply to secure an immigrant visa number.
If you are outside the United States when an
immigrant visa number becomes available, you
must then go to the U.S. consulate servicing
the area in which you reside to complete your
processing. This is the other way to secure
an immigrant visa number.
Eligibility
In order for a relative to sponsor you to
immigrate to the United States, they must
meet the following criteria:
They must be a citizen or lawful permanent
resident of the U.S. and be able to provide
documentation providing that status.
They must prove that they can support you at
125% above the mandated poverty line, by
filling out an Affidavit of Support
The relatives which may be sponsored as an
immigrant vary depending on whether the
sponsor is a U.S. Citizen or a lawful
permanent resident.
If the sponsor is a U.S. Citizen, they may
petition for the following foreign national
relatives to immigrate to the U.S:
Husband or wife
Unmarried child under 21 years of age
Unmarried son or daughter over 21
Married son or daughter of any age
Brother or sister, if the sponsor is at least
21 years old, or
Parent, if the sponsor is at least 21 years
old.
If the sponsor is a lawful permanent
resident, they may petition for the following
foreign national relatives to immigrate to
the U.S.:
Husband or wife, or
Unmarried son or daughter of any age.
In any case, the sponsor must be able to
provide proof of the relationship.
Preference Categories
If you wish to immigrate as a relative of a
U.S. Citizen or lawful permanent resident,
you must obtain an immigrant visa number
based on the preference category in which you
fall.
People who want to become immigrants are
classified into categories based on a
preference system. The immediate relatives of
U.S. citizens, which includes parents,
spouses and unmarried children under the age
of 21, do not have to wait for an immigrant
visa number to become available once the visa
petition filed for them is approved by USCIS.
An immigrant visa number will become
immediately available. The relatives in the
remaining categories must wait for an
immigrant visa number to become available
according to the following preferences:
First preference: Unmarried, adult sons and
daughters of U.S. citizens. Adult means 21
years of age or older.
Second Preference: Spouses of lawful
permanent residents, their unmarried children
(under twenty-one), and the unmarried sons
and daughters of lawful permanent residents.
Third Preference: Married sons and daughters
of U.S. Citizens.
Fourth Preference: Brothers and sisters of
adult U.S. Citizens.
Once USCIS receives your visa petition (Form
I-130, Petition for Alien Relative), it will
be approved or denied. USCIS notifies the
person who filed the visa petition of the
petition was approved. USCIS will then send
the approved visa petition to the Department
of State's National Visa Center, where
it will remain until an immigrant visa number
is available. The Center will notify the
foreign national when the visa petition is
received and again when an immigrant visa
number is available. You do not need to
contact the National Visa Center, unless you
change your address or there is a change in
your personal situation, or that of your
sponsor, that may affect eligibility for an
immigrant visa, such as reaching age 21,
marriage, divorce, or death of a spouse.
Found here (
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuit
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d=0775667706f7d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vg
nextchannel=4f719c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d
6a1RCRD)
