CAMBRIDGE FAMILY IMMIGRATION LAWYER EXPLAINS HOW YOU CAN HELP FAMILY MEMBERS OBTAIN A GREEN CARD.
If you are a US citizen or permanent US resident, you may help your relatives obtain a green card. A green card gives an immigrant permanent residence in the United States. As a Cambridge family immigration lawyer will advise you, you will need to sponsor your relatives and be able to show that you have enough income or assets to support them when they come to the United States.
Immediate relatives of US citizens
Immediate relatives of US citizens are not subject to annual visa limitations. These relatives will be granted Immediate Relative Immigrant Visas regardless of how many of these type of visas have already been granted for the year.
Immediate relatives are:
- Spouses of a US citizen.
- Unmarried children under the age of 21 of a US citizen.
- Parents of a US citizen (you must be at least 21 years old to apply for your parents).
Non-immediate relatives of citizens and certain relatives of permanent residents
Other relatives have to wait for a visa to become available before they can apply for permanent residency. These categories of relatives include:
- First Preference: Unmarried, adult children of U.S. citizens.
- Second Preference: Spouses, minor children, and unmarried adult children of permanent residents. Most of the visas in this category go to spouses and minor children.
- Third Preference: Married children of U.S. citizens, their spouses and their children.
- Fourth Preference: Siblings of adult U.S. citizens, their spouses and their children.
To help these other relatives enter the U.S., you must first file a Form I-130. This gives your relative a place in line with others waiting to come to the U.S. from the same country based on the same type of relationship. When your relative reaches the front of the line, he or she may be eligible for a green card after passing background checks and meeting eligibility requirements. This may take several years.
General admissibility to the U.S.
Everyone applying for an immigrant visa (green card) must prove to the satisfaction of the USCIS that they are eligible for admission to the United States. Inadmissibility may be based on such grounds as having a communicable disease or an extensive criminal background, or national security issues.
For help with family immigration issues
A Cambridge family immigration lawyer at Ionson law can help you determine whether your relative qualifies for a green card through family sponsorship. For help sponsoring a relative for permanent residency, contact us today at (781) 674 – 2562 to schedule a free consultation.
