Green Card for Immediate Relative of U.S. Citizen
The USCIS are keen to keep families together, so they make special provision for immediate family members of U.S. Citizens that can give them easier access to permanent residency through family green card visas.
The major advantage of this green card is that there is a special immigration priority for immediate relatives, making available is an unlimited number of visas for immediate relative categories. This means applicants do not have to wait in line for a visa number.
Key Considerations for Immediate Relative Green Card
“Immediate family members” are defined as:
- spouses,
- parents,
- and unmarried children under the age of 21.
While this is one of the more straightforward green card visas to secure, because of the higher level of attempted fraud, U.S. Immigration can often be very diligent and go to lengths to get applicants to prove the family relationship beyond doubt.
Immediate Relative Green Card Visa Requirements
The most basic requirements are met by submitting the standard documents, i.e. birth certificates or marriage certificates, and passing a medical examination.
We recommend that applicants present as much additional documentation as they can manage, particularly for establishing the veracity of a marriage. These can include joint mortgage or lease documents, loans, bank accounts, car ownership, etcetera.
It may also be helpful to get letters of recommendation from members of your community, such as church or religious leaders or work colleagues. Additionally, any informal evidence of your shared history that you can present may help your application, for example past love letters, other communications, or photos of family occasions.
Further, you should expect to go through an interview process in order to prove that the relationship is bona fide. In these interviews, the authorities will be looking for any indicators of possible fraud. This may include dividing the couple (usually in the case of a married couple’s application) to verify that each other’s responses match up.
Widows and Widowers
Widows or widowers of U.S. citizens may be eligible for Immediate Family Member Green Card if…
- the U.S. citizen filed a petition before his or her death
- or if the widow(er) files a petition within 2 years of the citizen’s death.
Trust Velie Law With Your Green Card Application
If your Immediate Relative Green Card Application is important to you, here are four great reasons why you should speak to Velie Law Firm today.
- The care we put into all our applications gives us the highest success rates in the industry.
- Plus you get our “Success Guarantee” — if your first application is not successful, we’ll review and resubmit at no cost.
- You’ll deal directly with our in-house attorneys (no affiliates).
- Our services are flat-rate. You won’t pay one penny more!
* Our approval rate displayed is the average for calendar year 2014. Any result Velie Law Firm might have achieved on behalf of one client in one matter does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.