Practice areas
Family immigration: bringing a spouse, parent or child to the U.S.
Petitions for spouses, parents, children and siblings, filed from inside the U.S. or through a consulate abroad.
Consultations by phone, Zoom or WhatsApp, in English, Spanish or Portuguese.
Short answer
U.S. citizens can petition for a spouse, parent, child or sibling; green card holders can petition for a spouse or unmarried child. Spouses, parents and minor children of citizens have visas available immediately, so those cases usually finish in 12 to 20 months. Every other category waits in a queue that is currently measured in years.
Bring a spouse or parent to the U.S., start to green card.
Consular processing
Family-based immigration is the primary basis for legal immigration to the United States. The majority of legal permanent residents obtained their green card through a spouse or other family member. US citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents may petition for their family members in the US or abroad for an immigrant visa and a green card. US citizens are allowed to petition for their parents, spouses, children and siblings. Lawful permanent residents may petition for their spouses and unmarried children.
Since there are so many different ways to apply, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS, or "immigration" as they're simply known to immigrants) provide certain processing times that vary by preference category.
Take the first step
You're here for a reason - your family is important to you.
You want to help them become permanent residents.
It seems like the law is changing every day - you're not sure how to handle this on your own.
With so much at stake, guessing is not the way to find the best solution.
Your efforts to bring or keep your family and loved ones together can be broken before they really get off the ground. Misfilings, mishaps, and missteps on immigrant relative petitions can lead to long delays, increased costs, or worse. What if it leads to a denial?
Naturally, you're concerned about the possible consequences.
You're afraid to make mistakes that might harm your family members or loved ones.
Making immigration decisions that impact your family based on fear is the worst thing you can do.
That's where our experience in handling family-based immigration petitions comes in. Our firm is fully aware of the fact that every case is someone's life. We are an office of immigrants, and because we've been in your shoes, we treat each client and their case as if they were part of our family.
We can help you figure out which relatives you can help - and which ones you cannot help.
There are two categories of family visa petitioners. Some sponsors are U. S. citizens. Others are lawful permanent residents.
A U.S. CITIZEN CAN "OPEN THE DOOR," OR APPLY, FOR FOUR DIFFERENT TYPES OF RELATIVES:
- Spouse;
- Children;
- Parents;
- Brothers/Sisters.
On the other hand, a lawful resident can only help two different sets of relatives:
- Spouse;
- Children, Unmarried.
Importantly, what family members you can sponsor for green cards affects which applications to submit, and how fast their applications will move through the immigration process.
Who qualifies?
You are a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident
Citizens can petition for more categories of relative than green card holders can.
You can prove the relationship
Marriage certificate, birth certificate or adoption decree, plus evidence the marriage is genuine if it is a spousal case.
Your relative is admissible, or a waiver is available
Prior overstays, removal orders and certain criminal history can be waived, but the waiver has to be planned before filing.
You can support the relative financially
The petitioner signs an affidavit of support at 125% of the poverty guideline, or finds a joint sponsor who can.
Schedule a case evaluation
Tell us your situation. We will tell you honestly whether you have a case.
Schedule Free Case EvaluationWe reply within 1 business day, in English, Spanish or Portuguese.
Do you qualify? A four-question check
Do you qualify? A four-question check
Four questions. Nothing you answer is stored or sent to us.
What does the process look like?
File the I-130 petition
Filing within 2 weeks of retainer
We assemble the relationship evidence and file the petition that establishes the family tie.
Wait for a visa to be available
0 months to several years
Immediate relatives of citizens skip this wait. Everyone else waits for their priority date.
Adjust status or process at the consulate
8 to 14 months
Inside the U.S., we file the I-485 with work and travel authorization. Abroad, the case moves to the National Visa Center.
Interview and decision
1 to 3 months after scheduling
We prepare you question by question and, where permitted, appear with you.
How long does it take?
A spouse of a U.S. citizen adjusting status inside the country typically takes 12 to 20 months from filing to green card. Consular cases run 14 to 24 months. Preference categories, siblings, adult children, and relatives of green card holders, depend on the monthly visa bulletin and can take several years.
What does it cost?
Flat fee for the petition and the adjustment package.
Straightforward family cases are quoted as a flat legal fee before you hire us, separate from government filing fees. Cases involving prior overstays, removal orders or criminal history are quoted individually because a waiver adds real work.
Government filing fees are set by USCIS and are not part of our fee.
Frequently asked questions
For the spouse of a U.S. citizen already in the United States, most cases finish in 12 to 20 months. Consular cases run 14 to 24 months.
Contact
Tell us about your case
Send us the basics and we'll reply within one business day in English, Spanish or Portuguese.
- We reply within one business day, in English, Spanish or Portuguese.
- Consultations by phone, Zoom or WhatsApp.
- Attorney input is part of our case evaluation process from the start. The information you share is carefully reviewed with an attorney.
Take the Next Step Today
Whether you need help with a visa, a green card, or deportation defense, we're ready to help.
Reach out to our trusted immigration law attorneys in Coral Springs and South Florida.