INFORMATION CENTER

  Immigrant Visas

• Parent, spouse or minor single child or US citizen (IR)
• Single adult child (over 21 years age) of US citizen (F-1)
• Married child of US citizen (F-3)
• Spouse or minor single child of Permanent Resident (F-2A)
• Single adult child (over 21 years age) of Permanent Resident (F-3)
• Brother/Sister of US citizen (F-4)

Due to a large number of visa applicants, the U.S. immigration system institutes a priority date system to govern the priority of applicants to receive immigrant visa. Not all family relationships are treated equally. For example, immediate relatives of a US citizen such as spouse, parents or children, are not subject to visa quota limitation. However, brother/sister of a U.S. citizen often has to wait for 12 to 13 years before they are eligible to receive an immigrant visa. The priority date guideline is published monthly by the State Department. Click here to find out the latest visa bulletin.

• I-130 Relative Visa Petition
• G-325A for petitioner and family member, if this is a marriage based sponsorship
• Green card style photos, if this is a marriage based sponsorship
• Birth certificates to establish familial relationship, if applicable
• Marriage and divorce certificate to establish marital relationship, if applicable
• Evidence of cohabitation in a marriage case

The above list is general information only. For each specific relationship, the requested documents/information may be different. Family-based sponsorship can get very complicated and difficult, in light of the fact that a permanent resident petitioner may later become a US citizen. Furthermore, the immigration regulations are inconsistent with respect to the treatment of priority date assignment whenever family relationship changes. Please consult with an experienced immigration attorney in preparing your family based sponsorship cases.