what is immediate family 
the term immediate family commonly applies to an individual s closest family members however the term has legal meanings for government or company policies how the term is defined can affect whether a person can use paid or unpaid leave to care for a sick family member attend a funeral or access financial resources criteria for immediate familyin general a person s immediate family is their smallest family unit however companies organizations and policy makers may define the term to meet their criteria parents spouses and minor children are almost always considered immediate family while siblings may or may not count adoptive parents or children are also considered immediate family although there is no blood relation half siblings step siblings and other near relatives may be legally ambiguous in some cases a long term relationship might qualify someone as a member of the immediate family if there are no blood or legal ties one example of this type of relationship is common law marriage legal aspectsif there is no identifiable next of kin a deceased family member s assets are passed on to the state close friends unmarried partners and unrecognized children may not be able to inherit even if they believe that the deceased would have wanted it protecting immediate family