A question often asked by immigrants to the United States is how they can help their family come and join them. Fortunately, the U.S. government and the USCIS place great value on keeping families together in the United States. A great majority of permanent resident cards (Green Cards) are granted to family members of citizens and permanent residents every year, many more than those granted to employment-based immigrants.
Image Credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permanent_residence_%28United_States%29
But how does one go about helping their family members into the U.S.?
The family-based Green Card process is the primary method for helping family members into the United States and operates as follows:
- A U.S. citizen or permanent resident (Green Card holder) files an immigration petition on behalf of their family member.
- Once the petition is approved, the immigrating family member waits until a visa number becomes available.
- When a visa number becomes available, the immigrating family member then applies for their permanent residency through one of two processes: Adjustment of Status (for family-members already in the U.S. on temporary visas) or Consular Processing (for family members living outside of the United States.
How long does it take to get a Green Card?
The amount of time that an immigrating family member will have to wait until they become a permanent resident of the U.S. varies depending on a number of factors, including how closely related they are to their sponsor and if there are any difficulties in their applications to the USCIS.
For immediate relatives of Citizens (spouses and children) the wait time is very short because visas become immediately available to these applicants. However, the relatives of permanent residents and more distant relatives of Citizens (parents or siblings) will have to wait for visa numbers to become available, which can take much more time. This is why it is very important to apply for petitions as early as possible.
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