FAMILY MEMBERS
United States citizens and Legal Permanent Residents can petition certain family members for immigration to the United States. Be aware that many of the family based immigration categories have long wait times that often depend on the country of birth of the foreign national. In many cases, the foreign national can also bring their spouse and children with them as green card holders. Therefore, many of these categories can permit entire families to immigrate.
However, there are some important nuances to be aware of when applying for immigration though a family based petition. Some family based categories have specific rules that can cause you problems if you are not aware of them. For example, if your parent is a Legal Permanent Resident and files a petition on your behalf you must remain unmarried in order to immigrate through that petition. Many people in that category do not realize that if they get married, their petition will be automatically terminated and they will need to start over with their immigration process. Therefore, it is important to have an experienced immigration attorney assist you with your immigration process so that you do not inadvertently do something that causes your case to be denied.
