Petitioners And Beneficiaries

Family-based immigration requires the participation of at least two family members, a petitioner and a beneficiary. The petitioner must be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident that wants to sponsor a foreign family member for a green card. The beneficiary is the foreign family member that wants to obtain a green card. In some categories, the beneficiary may have a spouse and children that qualify as derivative beneficiaries.

Immediate Relative And Family Preference Categories

All family-based immigrants fall into one of two major categories, immediate relative or family preference. Spouses, parents, and the unmarried children of U.S. citizens are classified as immediate relatives. There are an unlimited number of immigrant visas available each year for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens. All other qualified relationships are considered family preference categories. The number of family preference immigrant visas is limited. That’s because immigration law puts a numerical cap on the number of green cards that can be issued to family preference categories each year. As a result, there’s a backlog and long wait for many of the family preference categories.

List of Family Based Visa’s Priest Law Firms can do:

Naturalization & Citizenship Visas

You May Qualify for Naturalization if:

• You have been a permanent resident for at least 5 years and meet all other eligibility requirements,
• You have been a permanent resident for 3 years or more and meet all eligibility requirements to file as a spouse of a U.S. citizen, You have qualifying service in the U.S. armed forces and meet all other eligibility requirements.
• Your child may qualify for naturalization if you are a U.S. citizen, the child was born outside the U.S., the child is currently residing outside the U.S., and all other eligibility requirements are met.

Permanent Resident Card Renewal

Green Card Eligibility Categories

• 1. Immediate Relative of a U.S. Citizen
• 2. Other Relative of a U.S. Citizen

Family member of a U.S. citizen, meaning you are the:

• Unmarried son or daughter of a U.S. citizen and you are 21 years old or older;
• Married son or daughter of a U.S. citizen;
• Brother or sister of a U.S. citizen who is at least 21 years old
• Family member of a lawful permanent resident, meaning you are the:
• Spouse of a lawful permanent resident
• Unmarried child under the age of 21 of a lawful permanent resident
• Unmarried son or daughter of a lawful permanent resident 21 years old or older;

Fiancee Visas

• Person admitted to the U.S. as a fiancé(e) of a U.S. citizen (K-1 nonimmigrant)
• Person admitted to the U.S. as the child of a fiancé(e) of a U.S. citizen (K-2 nonimmigrant)

Helpful Resources For Family Visas

Infopass
USCIS Case Status Service Online
USCIS Processing Times
Visa Bulletin