Family based Immigration Attorney

IMMEDIATE RELATIVE IMMIGRANT VISAS

If you’re a citizen who’s closely related to people living outside of the U.S., successful applications for immediate relative immigrant visas can permit you to bring everyone over without concern for competing with other immigrant families for a limited number of visas.

Immediate relative immigrant visas apply to the following relations to a U.S. citizen:

• Spouse
• Parent
• Unmarried children younger than 21 years of age
• Orphan adopted abroad
• An orphan who will be adopted in the U.S.

FAMILY PREFERENCE IMMIGRANT VISAS

A family-based immigration attorney in Evanston can also help you apply for family preference immigrant visas. This type of visa is used by U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents – with valid Green Cards – to bring over family members who may have a more distant relationship with them.

Importantly, the number of people who can be admitted for each preference level is limited to a certain annual amount.

The following is how preference is broken down:

• First Preference: Unmarried children older than 21 and their own minor children, if any (limited to 23,400 visas per year)
• Second Preference: Spouses, minor children, and unmarried children older than 21 of Green Card holders (limited to 114,200 visas per year, of which at least 77-percent are allocated to spouses and minor children)
• Third Preference: A U.S. citizen’s married adult children, their children’s spouses, and their adult children’s minor children (limited to 23,400 visas per year)
• Fourth Preference: A U.S. citizen’s sibling as well as their sibling’s spouse and minor children (limited to 65,000 visas per year)

Unfortunately, if you are a U.S. citizen but are a grandparent, uncle, aunt, cousin, or in-law to a family member living abroad, you cannot qualify as a sponsor for your loved one’s visa.