07/29/10

Family Based Immigration

Close family members may sponsor their foreign born relatives for Permanent Resident Status in the United States.  Whom you may sponsor depends upon your status in the U.S. 

Citizens may sponsor their:

  • Spouse
  • Sons and daughters of any age
  • Brothers and sisters (if the sponsor is at least 21)
  • Parents (if sponsor is at least 21)
Permanent Residents may sponsor:
  • Spouse
  • Unmarried sons and daughters of any age.
Spouses, Parents and Children (under age 21) of U.S. Citizens are eligible to immigrate immediately, with no quota backlog.

K-1 Visas are available for fiancées of U.S. Citizens to permit the immigrant fiancée to enter the U.S. to get married. The couple must have met in person within two years of filing the petition. After the couple is married, the U.S. Citizen may petition his or her spouse for immediate Permanent Resident status.