As you are surely aware, immigrating to the United States is no easy feat. The amount of tedious paperwork, arduous amounts of evidence that needs to be gathered, and requirements for people looking to apply is enough to overwhelm many people, but especially if you feel the pressure of helping a family member. Among the many important aspects to family preference visas in Aurora, the first and most important is to choose to work with a dedicated family visa attorney. Legal professionals know what USCIS looks for and could help you gather the relevant evidence and file on your loved one’s behalf.
If a non-immediate family member is visiting the states and decides that they would like to stay, since the person needs to stay in the United States in legal status, you could meet with an immigration attorney to see whether there is a visa status that the person could change to. Filing a change of status form should help determine what would be the best viable option. While filing, you want to make sure that your family member does not drop out of legal status. If they do, they would not be able to adjust their status in the United States in the future should you file for that immigrant visa. In addition, they would be staying in the United States against the law and could face deportation.
Included in Family Preference Category 1 is unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens. Category 2 is for spouses and children under the age of 21 and unmarried sons and daughters of permanent residents, like F2A, that second category for spouses and children of permanent residents. F2B is going to be unmarried sons and daughters of permanent residents, which would include children that are 21 years of age or older under that category. Category F3, also known as the third category, is for married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens. Category 4 would be brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens.
A family member applies to be entered into a family preference category by having the U.S. citizen or permanent resident file Form I-130 on their behalf. Then, the family member would become the beneficiary of that. As long as they are within one of those four categories, they would be automatically entered into the preference system.
Family-sponsored preference visas and family preference visas are immigrant visas that are made available for certain family members of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents. They would cover:
Any time someone is not an immediate family member, they would fall into one of these categories and have to wait in line for a visa to become available. An Aurora attorney can help relatives assess their eligibility and other important aspects to family preference visas.
Yes, there is a quota for these kinds of visas. It is about 226,000 per year. While many attorneys would love to a see a change in the number of available visas, many do not think that the quota or the amount of visas is likely to change soon. Everyone has to work within those constraints. As of 2020, the federal government is trying to curtail the ability of certain family members to be included within this quota system. For example, brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens may not be able to apply. Speak to an Aurora attorney to prepare and understand other important aspects to family preference visas.
With the sheer number of important aspects to family preference visas in Aurora, it is important that you work with someone who has experience obtaining the results that many immigrants look for when applying. Call today to see what could be done to help you.
