Green Card Through Family

Applying for permanent residency (green card) through a family member is one of the most common ways to become a legal permanent resident. In order to keep families united, the United States allows U.S. citizens or permanent residents to sponsor certain family members for a green card. How long those family members actually have to wait to apply depends on how their relationship with the sponsor is categorized by immigration.

Immediate relatives have priority in the application process and green cards are always available for people who qualify as an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen. Immediate relatives are children (unmarried and under 21 years old), spouse and parents of U.S. citizens.

Preference categories are categories of people who qualify to apply for a green card through a family member, but whose priority level is lower because there are limited numbers of preference category visas available each year. Family members of a U.S. citizen in a preference category include: children of U.S. citizens who are 21 years old or older and unmarried; married children of any age and siblings of U.S. citizens. Preference categories also apply for family members of permanent residents: spouse and unmarried children of permanent residents qualify as a preference category.

People who have been granted asylum within the last 2 years and refugees admitted within the last 2 years can also apply for their family members to become permanent residents.

Future relatives such as fiancé(e) or prospective adoptive children may also be eligible to receive permanent residency.

In order to apply for a green card through a family member one must prove the family member status as a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, the qualifying relationship and provide supporting documentation for the application.

At Cohen & Forman, our goal is to make your application process as easy and stress free as it can be. We have an online system that allows you to communicate with your attorney 24 hours a day, 7 days a week regarding your immigration process and our client-first approach strives to keep you educated and informed on the progress of your case.

Schedule a consultation for your immigration case today!