If you want to come to the U.S. to live and work permanently and you have a relative who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you may be able to obtain permanent residence through family-sponsored immigration.
If you want to come to the U.S. to live and work permanently and you have a relative who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you may be able to obtain permanent residence through family-sponsored immigration.
This is a multi-step process that both the foreign relative (known as the beneficiary) and the U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (known as the petitioner or sponsor) must go through to obtain an immigrant visa.
The following steps will guide you through the process of immigrating to the U.S. through family sponsorship.
Family-Sponsored Immigration - A Step-by-Step Immigration Guide
Are You Eligible for Family-Sponsored Immigration?
People who want to become immigrants are classified by category based on a preference system. Your category is determined by the type of relationship you have with your U.S. sponsor.
Immediate relatives do not have to wait for an immigrant visa number to become available once the visa petition filed for them is approved by USCIS. This category is unlimited, meaning there is no restriction placed on the number of people that may immigrate under this category. Other relatives may obtain an immigrant visa number according to a preference system determined by USCIS. This is a limited category, and only a certain number of visa numbers will be assigned each year in this category.
Unlimited Family-Sponsored
* Immediate Relatives of U.S. Citizens (IR): The spouse, widow(er) and unmarried children under 21 of a U.S. citizen, and the parent of a U.S. citizen who is 21 or older.
* Returning Residents (SB): Immigrants who lived in the United States previously as lawful permanent residents and are returning to live in the U.S. after a temporary visit of more than one year abroad.
Limited Family-Sponsored
* Family First Preference (F1): Unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, and their children, if any.
* Family Second Preference (F2): Spouses, minor children, and unmarried sons and daughters (over age 20) of lawful permanent residents. At least seventy-seven percent of all visas available for this category will go to the spouses and children; the remainder will be allocated to unmarried sons and daughters.
* Family Third Preference (F3): Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, and their spouses and children.
* Family Fourth Preference (F4): Brothers and sisters of United States citizens, and their spouses and children, provided the U.S. citizens are at least 21 years of age.
Family-Sponsored Immigration - A Step-by-Step Immigration Guide
Does Your U.S. Relative Meet the Criteria?
Your U.S. relative must meet the following criteria in order to sponsor you to immigrate to the United States:
* They must be a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the U.S. and be able to provide documentation providing that status.
* They must prove that they can support you at 125% above the mandated poverty line, by filling out an Affidavit of Support
While both U.S. citizens and lawful permanent relatives may petition for a foreign relative to immigrate to the U.S., there are differences between the type of relative each may sponsor.
If the sponsor is a U.S. citizen, they may petition for the following foreign national relatives to immigrate to the U.S:
* Husband or wife
* Unmarried child under 21 years of age
* Unmarried son or daughter over 21
* Married son or daughter of any age
* Brother or sister, if the sponsor is at least 21 years old
* Parent, if the sponsor is at least 21 years old.
If your sponsor is a lawful permanent resident, he or she may petition for the following foreign national relatives:
* Husband or wife
* Unmarried son or daughter of any age.
In any case, the sponsor must be able to provide proof of the relationship.
