Anchor Babies

The term "Anchor Baby" refers to a US citizen born to a non-citizen.

Many Americans believe that such a child would give his or her relatives immigration benefits. The concern is that ultimately a single anchor baby could bring a large number of non-citizens into the USA (also known as "chain migration"), since most Americans assume that immigration law provides for easy family reunification.

However, in reality there is no such thing as an "anchor baby". Such a US citizen has to wait until age 21 before sponsoring even his or her own parents. The child could sponsor his or her own non-citizen siblings under the Family 4th category, with a quota backlog of, currently, 15 to 23 years. The child cannot sponsor any other relatives, since there are no immigration categories that would apply.