US Green Card for Family

Though journey of getting a green card for family seems to be easy, figuring out the exact steps and process becomes very tedious. Getting a green card and immigrating into the US to achieve citizenship has become a hot topic these days as many of the people aspire to live and work in the US. So is uniting with the family also becoming essential for many of those who prefer to live together with their family folks. Generally a person who is already a US citizen will be eligible to sponsor a green card, family unity being important to them. .

Getting green card for family:

One of the initial thoughts of getting a green card can be by using the relationship with a family member to apply. The path in obtaining the green card through family is possible if that family member is a citizen or a lawful permanent resident of the United States.

To petition for a green card, family member has to first file an immigration petition. There should be enough proof that the petitioner who is a US citizen or permanent resident has qualifying relationship with the applicant. There are two conditions in which an applicant can apply for a green card. If the family member is in the US while filing the petition, the applicant can change his/her status to permanent residency or if the family member is outside the US while filing the petition, he/she is eligible for consular processing through the consulate or Embassy in their native country.

The green card for family member can be obtained for immediate relatives of the US citizen or a permanent resident. Generally, Form I-130, which is the Petition for Alien Relative, is used to file for the relative by the US citizen family member. The immediate relative refers to the spouse or child of the US citizen or the permanent resident. The applicant can be an immediate relative if the he/she is a child and is under the age of 21 years of age and is unmarried and it can be spouse or the parent of the US citizen. The family member can be either the child or the siblings and in particular child can be married/unmarried. The immediate relatives of U.S citizens generally the spouses, parents and unmarried children under 21) go to the front of the line and are also exempt from having to wait for a visa number. Instead, once the visa petition is approved the visa number becomes available to them automatically.

The U.S. State Department will determine the availability of the visa number once the petition is filed. If available, you can apply for a green card. The availability of the visa number can be tracked through the Visa bulletin. Getting the residence card or becoming a U.S. immigrant with the help of family members requires a whole different process and formalities as well. The most important thing in this case is that the application is not considered valid unless and until the supporting documents are valid and establish the requirements set forth by the USCIS.