Immigration - Family Based Immigration

Family-Based Immigration

Many U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents can use family-based immigration to bring close family members to live in the country legally. Still, the U.S. immigration system can be tough to navigate. The experienced attorneys at Seltzer Mayberg, LLC can help you through the process.

Filing an Immigrant Visa Petition

Filing an immigrant visa petition is the first step in bringing a relative to the U.S. This requires the following two individuals:

• • The petitioner, who must be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident
• • The beneficiary, who must be a spouse, parent, child or sibling of the petitioner

Classifying the beneficiary

With some types of family-based immigration, there is an unlimited number of immigrant visas available. If the beneficiary falls into one of the following categories, he or she does not have to wait for a visa to become available before proceeding with the green card process:

• • A spouse of a U.S. citizen
• • A minor, unmarried child of a U.S. citizen
• • A parent of an adult U.S. citizen

For other beneficiaries, there is a limited number of visas available in any given year. If the beneficiary belongs to one of these family preference categories, he or she may have to wait for a visa to become available before applying for legal permanent residency:

• • An adult, unmarried child of a U.S. citizen
• • A married child of a U.S. citizen
• • A sibling of a U.S. citizen
• • A spouse of a legal permanent resident
• • An adult, unmarried child of a legal permanent resident