Family immigration has long been a foremost principle of United States immigration law.
The process of bringing family members together enables United States citizens and permanent residents to sponsor certain relatives for green card status.
At Batara Immigration Services in Hemet, we’re here to ensure your Permanent Residence application and documents are prepared properly and correctly at an affordable price.
Here is a brief summary of the steps involved.
Step 1: Immigrant Relative Visa Petitions (Form I-130)
Your first step is to file an I-130 immigrant family petition for your relative. Once the I-130 is approved, your relative must wait for a visa to become available, at which time he or she can move forward to the next step.
Step 2: Permanent Residence (Form I-485 or DS-260)
The second step happens when your immigrant relative can file an application for permanent residency. Sometimes the wait for a visa to become available can take many years.
Not all immigrants, even though they live in the U.S., can attend an interview in the United States, Some have to return to their home country for their green card interview.
In addition, other immigrants live outside the United States. They, too, attend interviews in their home country.
This graph shows how the process works.
For those who can attend their interview at a local USCIS office will need to file Form I-485 along with supporting evidence. This is called Adjustment of Status.
Immigrants who must return home need to submit Form DS-260, along with supporting documents. This is known as Consular Processing.
Step 3: Citizenship And Naturalization (Form N-400)
In many cases, the third and final step is when your family member applies for naturalization – after having lived in the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident for the required number of years.
