Two groups of family-based immigrant visa categories, immediate relatives and family preference, are provided under the provisions of United States immigration law, specifically the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).  You can learn more about these two categories of immigrant visas on usvisas.state.gov.

To apply for an immediate relative or family preference immigrant visas, follow the steps on the Immigrant Visa Process on usvisas.state.gov.  Once you have completed those steps, review the instructions given to you by the National Visa Center (NVC), along with the information presented on this website for further guidance and instructions. .

After Your Immigrant Petition Is Approved 

After your petition is approved and you have received instructions to proceed with your visa application, you must prepare and submit a packet of documents to the NVC (immigrant visa applicants) or the embassy in Riga (immigrant visa applicants with locally-filed petitions).