FAMILY IMMIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES: PERMANENT RESIDENCE

Our firm has over 25 years experience in representing families from around the world in applying for permanent resident status for their relatives. We have represented people from over 150 different countries. We offer services globally, both inside the U.S. with all of the local and regional Immigration authorities as well as at the U.S. Consulates in the relatives’ home countries.

The Immigration and Nationality Act provides for the admission to the United States of certain relatives of persons who themselves are either U.S. citizens or U.S. lawful permanent residents. A U.S. citizen is a person who was born in the U.S. or who applied for citizenship and was naturalized. A U.S. lawful permanent resident is a person who was granted resident status by the U.S. Government. Sometimes these residents are called immigrants or ‘Green Card” holders.

The citizen or resident relative is the sponsor for the foreign relative. The U.S. citizen relative can sponsor their parents, spouses, children of any age, whether married or unmarried, and brothers and sisters (siblings). To sponsor parents or siblings, the sponsoring U.S. citizen must be 21 years of age or older. U.S. residents can sponsor spouses and unmarried children of any age. U.S. residents cannot sponsor parents, siblings or married children unless the resident becomes a U.S. citizen. Residents can remain residents of the U.S. for their lives or they can apply for citizenship after 5 years of residence (after 3 years if married to a U.S. citizen).

With rigidly few exceptions, no person other than a U.S. citizen or a U.S. resident can sponsor relatives to get a Green Card. No person can sponsor grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews or in-laws. In certain instances, widow(er)s of U.S. citizens and abused spouses and children of U.S. citizens can self-sponsor for resident status. Also, asylees and refugees can sponsor spouses and children. Orphans and adopted children can be sponsored up to age 16. Currently, U.S. citizen and resident “permanent partners”, in same-sex relationships, cannot sponsor their partners, although there is legislation pending in the U.S. House of Representatives which would amend the Act to provide permanent resident status for such partners.

We offer a full range of services to those seeking to sponsor family members for residence in the United States. If you believe that your case fits into one of the applicable situations above, or if you would like to learn more about your case or the immigration process, please call our firm and speak to an attorney about arranging a consultation.