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Eligibility
To be eligible to sponsor a relative to immigrate to the
United States you must meet the following criteria:
- You must be a citizen or a lawful permanent resident of the
United States and be able to provide documentation proving your
status.
- You must prove that you can support your relative at 125%
above the mandated poverty line. Click here to find out more
information about meeting this criteria and filing the Affidavit
of Support.
- If you are a US Citizen you may petition for the following
foreign national relatives to immigrate to the United States;
however you must be able to provide proof of the relationships:
- Husband or wife;
- Unmarried child under 21 years old;
- Unmarried son or daughter over 21;
- Married son or daughter of any age;
- Brother or sister, if you are at least 21 years old; or
- Parent, if you are at least 21 years old.
- If you are a lawful permanent resident you may petition for
the following foreign national relatives to immigrate to the
United States; however you must be able to provide proof of the
relationships:
- Husband or wife; or
- Unmarried son or daughter of any age.
To be eligible for lawful permanent residence based on a family
relationship you must meet the following criteria:
- You must have a relative who is a United States citizen or
a lawful permanent resident of the United States who can provide
documentation proving their status and is willing to sponsor
you for lawful permanent residency by filing the I-130,
Petition for Alien Relative.
- Your relative must prove they can support you by providing
documentation that their income is 125% above the mandated poverty
line for their family, including you and all other sponsored
family members. Click here to find out more information about
meeting this criteria and filing the Affidavit of Support.
- If your relative is a US Citizen and they can legally prove
you share one of the following relationships, you may be eligible
for lawful permanent residency, please see below for preference
category information.
- Husband or wife;
- child under 21 years old;
- Unmarried son or daughter over 21;
- Married son or daughter of any age;
- Brother or sister if you are at least 21 years old; or
- Parents if you are at least 21 years old.
- If your relative is a lawful permanent resident and they
can legally prove you share one of the following relationships,
you may be eligible for lawful permanent residence, please see
below for preference category information:
- Husband or wife; or
- Unmarried son or daughter of any age.
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Preference Categories
The relative you wish to immigrate must obtain an immigrant visa number that
is based on the preference category in which they fall.
People who want to become immigrants are classified into categories
based on a preference system. The immediate relatives of U.S.
citizens, which includes parents, spouses and unmarried children
under the age of 21, do not have to wait for an immigrant visa
number to become available once the visa petition filed for them
is approved by the USCIS. An immigrant visa number will be
immediately available for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens.
Click here for information
on obtaining an immigrant visa number if you are an immediate
relative of a U.S. citizen. The relatives in the remaining
categories must wait for an immigrant visa number to become available according
to the following preferences:
- First Preference: Unmarried, adult sons and daughters of
U.S. citizens. Adult means 21 years of age or older.
- Second Preference: Spouses of lawful permanent residents,
their unmarried children (under twenty-one), and the unmarried
sons and daughters of lawful permanent residents.
- Third Preference: Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens.
- Fourth Preference: Brothers and sisters of adult U.S.
citizens.
Once USCIS receives your visa petition, I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, it will be approved
or denied. USCIS will notify the person who filed the visa petition
if the visa petition is approved. USCIS will then send the approved
visa petition to the Department of State's National Visa Center,
where it will remain until an immigrant visa number is available.
The Center will notify you, the foreign national, when the visa
petition is received and again when an immigrant visa number is
available. You do not need to contact the National Visa Center,
unless you change your address or there is a change in your personal
situation, or that of your alien relative, that may affect eligibility
for an immigrant visa, such as reaching age 21, marriage, divorce,
or death of a spouse.
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Visa Information
The Department of State is responsible for providing visa numbers
to foreign nationals interested in immigrating to the United States.
To find out more about the Department of State's visa process
visit the Department
of State or click here for specific information on how
to get an immigrant visa number.
To check the status of a visa number you can review the Department of
States Visa bulletin.
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How Do I?
Choose one of the following to obtain information on sponsoring
a foreign national relative for family based lawful permanent
residency:
Click here for general information on application
procedures for foreign nationals, residing in the United States.
If you are outside of the United States and need information regarding
immigrating to the United States contact your local consulate
office.
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Where do I apply
If you are applying for lawful permanent residence from inside
the borders of the United States, click to help
you find the USCIS field office(s) serving your area.
If you are applying for lawful permanent residence outside the
United States contact the consulate
office serving the area in which you live for application
filing instructions.
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FAQs
Additional information related to Lawful Permanent Residence
that you might need to review.
Other helpful sites to visit if you:
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