The immediate relative green card category permits citizens of the US to file a petition for green card on behalf of their close relatives. Immediate relatives include children, parents or spouse of the US citizen. A child born in the US can only file the petition only if he / she is 21 years of age or above. The green card for immediate relative of a US citizen can be applied from either outside or inside the country and while applying the applicant should enter the country lawfully with a valid non immigrant visa. If the candidate applies while staying out of US the candidate has to wait until the green card is issued.
Who is Eligible to Sponsor the Immediate Relative Green Card?
In order to be eligible to sponsor a relative to immigrate to the US the following requirements have to be met:
• The sponsor should be a citizen of the US or a lawful permanent resident of the US and he/she should be able to provide documentation that proves the status.
• Enough evidence should be given to demonstrate that the applicant can support their close relatives and fulfill all the requirements of the affidavit of support.
• If the applicant is a citizen of the US, they can file a petition for the relatives like husband or wife, unmarried and married child of any age, siblings and parents if they are 21 years of age, who can immigrate to the US, but in this case valid documents have to be given to proof the relationship.
• If an applicant is a lawful permanent resident then they may file a petition for their husband, wife or unmarried son or daughter of any age, who can immigrate to the US, with provided proof of a relationship with them.
Various Categories if Immediate Relative Green Cards
Spouse: Marriage to a US citizen just to get the green card is illegal. Only a couple having no hidden intentions behind the marriage is valid to acquire this visa. The marriage must still remain in existence even after physical separation and execution of a legal separation tends to create obstacles to the immigration process.
Parents: If in case the citizen child is 21 years of age or above, then he/she can sponsor his/her parents for immigration. The applicant must be the child of the parent who wants permanent residence. Separate petitions are needed for each parent.
Children: A child under 21 years and the one who is not married comes under this category. A child of a US citizen can be sponsored even if she is born before the sponsor’s marriage to the partner. But in this case the mother has to be the sponsor. In case the father sponsors the child, then he has to qualify the requirements and provide enough evidence that he is supporting and living with the child.
Time Taken to Complete the Process
This depends upon the relationship of the sponsor to his/her close relative. The process for applying and attaining a US green card can take nearly 8 months and even last up to 16 years to complete. It is advised to understand the various options before applying for the family based immigration as this will help you to get the visa quickly without any hassles.
