How To Obtain A Green Card For A Family Member

If you have a loved one that would like to enter the United States, there are several options you can employ to help them get a green card. Relatives of immigrants can be a helping hand into the country. The following petitions are available to help you get your family members or fiancé into the country legally.

Immediate Relative Petition

An immediate relative petition is one of the quickest routes to obtaining a green card through someone you are related to. If the beneficiary is a spouse, parent, or a child aged 21 and under of a United States citizen, the citizen relative has a right to file the petition in order to allow the beneficiary a green card. The process takes less than a year, on average.

Preference Category Petition

There are five preference categories that a beneficiary can fall under in order to receive a green card thorough a family member. The five categories are:

  1. Unmarried sons and daughters of United States citizens over age 21
  2. Spouses and children of permanent residents
  3. Unmarried sons and daughters of United States permanent residents over age 21
  4. Married sons and daughters of United States citizens over age 21
  5. Brothers and sisters of United States citizens

The beneficiary may not apply for the green card until the petition becomes finalized or current. He or she will have to refer to the visa bulletin to check the priority dates for each category.

Fiancé Visa Petition

A United States citizen may also file a petition for a fiancé visa for his or her betrothed who lives outside of the country. Once the fiancé enters the United States, they can get married within 90 days and apply for an adjustment of immigration status as an immediate relative spouse instead of fiancé. Couples must have also physically met one another within the past two years before the date in which the fiancé visa petition is filed.

If you are looking for a fairly easy way to get your loved ones into the country, these petitions are one way to do so. Be sure to consult an immigration attorney to ensure that the petition is correctly filled out and submitted on the proper timelines. Also, be patient. The process can be long and arduous, but it can have a very good outcome as long as all of the correct procedures are followed and guidelines are met. For more information, talk to someone like Carmen DiAmore-Siah Attorney At Law.


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