As a permanent resident of the United States can help relatives get a green card

Permanent resident residents of the United States can help their relatives get a green card. To do this, they need to sponsor their relatives and prove that their income will be enough to support relatives when they arrive in the United States. This is the official website Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

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To start the process, you need to fill Form І-130 - Petition for a foreign relative. This form is on Citizenship and Immigration Services website.

Who of the relatives can apply?

Permanent residents of the United States can petition for their:

• husband or wife and
• unmarried children, regardless of age.

Regarding married children, only citizens of the United States can apply.

When you file a petition, you will be required to prove your relationship to the person you are asking for.

How can a petition help a relative?

Filling out an I-130 form and providing proof of your relationship gives your relative a place in the queue for a visa along with other people who wish to emigrate from the same country for the same kindred ties. When the turn comes to your relative or relative, he or she will be able to emigrate.

For example: you are petitioning for your husband or wife. If approved, your petition gives him or her a place in the queue of people from the same country, also the husbands and wives of permanent residents of the United States.

Your relative's place in the queue will depend on the date of the petition. The sooner you file a petition, the better. For most of the close relatives of American citizens, there is no queue, but for sons and daughters older than 21, there is. So, if you accept citizenship while your relatives are waiting for a visa, they will be able to immigrate to the USA more quickly.

What are the opportunities for a relative's family?

When it is the turn to get a visa for your spouse, his or her unmarried Children up to 21 can apply for the same application. If an unmarried child reaches the 21 age, waiting in line, you will have to submit a new separate petition for each child indicated in the initial filing. They should also be submitted with a copy of the confirmation of receipt of the previous, first petition.

What to do if the child enters into marriage?

If a unmarried child marries, the petition regarding him or her becomes invalid, since there are no visa categories for a married son or a married daughter of a permanent resident. But if you get American citizenship beforeAs your child marries, you can continue the immigration process by submitting a new I-130 application for your child.

How long does it take to file a petition to immigrate a relative?

In most cases, it will take several years to wait - this is due to the high demand for such applications and the legal limit on the number of immigrants accepted in the United States annually. When it comes to your relative, the US Department of State will contact him or her and invite you to apply for an immigration visa. To see the current wait time, go to the Visa Bulletins section of the US Department of State website.

Note: In the case of immigration to the United States and obtaining permanent resident status, you will need to pay an immigration fee to the US Citizenship and Immigration Service in the amount of $ 165. This fee is paid online through the Electronic Immigration System of the Service (USCIS ELIS). It is highly recommended to pay this fee. after receiving your immigration visa package at a US embassy or consulate abroad (including in Canada and Mexico) and until departure in America. Payment before leaving for the United States will be a guarantee for obtaining a permanent resident card (also called a green card) without delay. Information about fees is also on the website. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Can a relative wait to receive a permanent resident card in the States?

Not. Accepting an application regarding your relative gives him a place in line for people waiting for immigration. This does not give your relative the right to live or work in the United States while waiting to receive documents. If he or she enters and remains in the country without legal status, this will affect his or her right to become a permanent resident when his or her turn to receive a visa comes up.

Does the applicant in any way have to file a petition for a relative?

Yes. By law, everyone who comes to the United States to ask for a relative should have financial support. If you agree to support your relative financially by submitting a petition, you must sponsor him when his or her immigration time comes. For this you fill form I-864 - Proof of financial support. If you do not meet the financial requirements, other persons will have to undertake this obligation. More information can be found in Customer Guide F3, General Information ... How Do I ... Financially Sponsor Someone Who Wants to Immigrate?

How to apply?

Read the application instructions. I-130 and look at the Immigration Service website - there is information about updates to the rules and fees. Your petition must be completed, signed and filed with the fees paid correctly. You will need to provide proof of your permanent residence - for example, a copy of your permanent resident card (on both sides) - as well as proof of your relationship with the people you are applying for.

What happens after filing a petition?

You will receive by mail a document confirming receipt of your petition by the State Department. If there is not enough information in it, you will be asked to supplement it, which may delay the process of processing the application. Please send all the documents and copies listed in the instructions together and immediately to avoid delays.

You will be informed about the decision. Requests with long waiting times may not be accepted immediately. The Immigration Service website has data on the processing times of I-130 applications. As a rule, if the application is approved, it is sent to the National Visa Center (NVC) of the State Department. When your relative’s turn comes in to receive a visa number, the National Visa Center will inform you and your relative. His or hers, as well as dependents will be invited to apply for an immigration visa. You can read more about the process of obtaining an immigrant visa at US State Department website.

What if the petition was filed by a permanent resident who then received American citizenship?

If you receive US citizenship while your relative is waiting for a visa, you can change the classification of the visa for your relative and speed up the processing of the application by notifying your naturalization to the appropriate authority. Wives / husbands of US citizens and their unmarried children before 21 can obtain a visa immediately.

• If you receive US citizenship after your I-130 application has been approved and submitted to the National Visa Application Center, you need to notify the center of your citizenship. Requests to change the status of the petition in connection with the naturalization of the applicant should be sent to:

National visa center
31 Rochester Avenue, Suite 200
Portsmouth, NH 03801-2915

Include in your letter information about your relative, a copy of the certificate of citizenship and a copy of the acceptance of your application. As soon as they receive your letter in the center, they will immediately send visa information regarding your relative to the appropriate US embassy or consulate abroad. To receive confirmation that your petition has already been transferred to the National Visa Center, dial their automatic line: 1-603-334-0700 and in tone mode, enter the receipt number from the Immigration Service.

• If you get US citizenship before approval of your application by the Immigration Service, you will need to send a notification to the Service Center, the address of which is indicated on the receipt that you were given when you accepted the I-130 form. Include in your letter information about your relative, a copy of the certificate of citizenship and a copy of the acceptance of your application. If you do not know where to send the notification, call the customer service line: 1-800-375-5283.
• If your relative is your spouse and he / she has children who are biological, adoptive or adopted children, and you did not petition for each of them, you will need to submit separate petitions for each of the children and include they confirm your US citizenship, as well as a copy of the receipt of acceptance of your documents on the initial application.

How long will the US Citizenship and Immigration Service take to process my application?

The processing time of the petition depends on several factors, therefore it is difficult to name a specific period of time. The current waiting time can be found on the Service website. After submitting your application, the information on the approximate timing will be regularly updated on the Immigration Service website.

brief information

The site www.uscis.gov you can download forms, submit some applications electronically, check application status and more. If you did not find what you were looking for, call Support service by number: 1-800-375-5283 (number for the hearing impaired: 1-800-767-1833).

Immigration lawyers held a webinar for readers ForumDaily, during which they answered all their questions concerning the process of helping relatives when moving to the USA, highlighting its main nuances.

A webinar with lawyers answers is available at the link:

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