Family Petitions - FAQs

Can my 18-year-old son petition for me?

No. To petition for your parents you must a US citizen and be at least 21 years old.

My father is an American citizen and he has applied for me. Is there a way to expedite this process?

First, its important to note there are different categories for children of an American citizens. Every category has different processing times due to the visa bulletin. The first category would be an unmarried child under the age of 21. This child is considered an immediate relative, and is not subject to the visa bulletin. It takes anywhere 10-18 months, start to finish. The next category is if you are over 21 years old. You will go into the Visa Bulletin categories. Basically, if you are over 21 we have to check the categories to see when the visas are available and you can check this at the Department of State website. There is also a category for married children. This is going to be a different category with a long waiting time. The answer to this question is there is not really a way to truly expedite this process. You can make a humanitarian request, but we rarely see this approved and this cannot affect the visa date just the processing of the paperwork.

I Recently Became A U.S. Citizen. My Only Brother Lives In The Country I Came From. I Want To Bring Him With A Green card. According To The Visa Bulletin, He Has To Wait On Some Kind Of Line For About 11 Years (To Be "current"). I Was Shocked! Is This Understanding Of The Bulletin The Right One? If It Is Right, Is There Any Way To Shorten This Long Period?

There is no way to speed up the process. Please keep in mind there are other visa options such as employment, investor, etc., which may be applicable to your brother. You would want to consult with an attorney to verify if there is any other option. Although he will not be an immediate relative upon entry, he may be able to obtain some other status while he awaits your petition.

My Mom Has A Tourist Visa, She Visited Me Several Times. I'm A Citizen. Should I Wait For Her To Visit Me And Apply For A Green Card? Or Should I Start Applying From Here First? Which Option Is Better?

As a U.S. citizen, your mother is considered an immediate relative. This means she can pursue adjustment of status within the United States or an immigrant visa through consular processing. PLEASE NOTE, your mother cannot enter the U.S. on her tourist visa solely to pursue adjustment of status within the United States. This would mean she has entered with immigrant intent on a nonimmigrant visa, which can lead to accusations of fraud. If you are to pursue adjustment within the U.S. for your mother, I would suggest consulting with an attorney.

Family Petitions Attorney in Orlando

Family petition applications should be handled by a highly experienced immigration attorney to make sure that they are complete and free of errors. There are many steps in the process and an attorney can prevent you from making costly mistakes. If you are considering petitioning for a family member, please contact our experienced Family Petitions Attorneys today. The advice of a highly experience immigration attorney may be the difference between a denied and an approved visa application. We understand how important these cases are to our clients, so they are important to us! We have helped many clients in the past and will be happy to help you too. Call us at 407-502-3000 to setup a consultation. You may also fill out our online form located on this page and we will get back to you shortly. We have a 24-hour emergency service. Your privacy is very important to us and we will keep your information confidential.
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