If you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident planning to petition for one of your family members to immigrate to the United States, you've probably got lots of questions. Who can you petition for or sponsor? How much will this cost? What are the application procedures? What could go wrong? Find answers here.
Can We Get the Green-Card (Adjustment of Status) Application Fees Waived in a Marriage Case?
Be careful -- claiming financial need could trigger a finding that your immigrating family members are inadmissible as likely public charges.
As a U.S. Citizen, Can I Petition for My Daughter and Granddaughter (Her Daughter)?
U.S. citizen petitioners face limitations on sponsoring derivatives of relatives who qualify through them.
Who Counts as a Child When Getting an Immigrant Visa or Green Card?
Not only natural-born children, but also adopted and stepchildren can immigrate through their parents if certain conditions are met.
When Children Can Immigrate to the U.S. With Their Parents as "Derivatives"
Here is when you can take this route to immigrate and when you cannot.
Can More Than One U.S. Family Member Petition for the Same Immigrant?
Having more than one person file a visa petition for an intending immigrant provides a potentially crucial backup plan.
When an I-130 Can Be Filed at the Same Time as a Green Card Application
Before you mail in Form I-130, find out whether your relative is, if living in the U.S., allowed to also submit the remainder of the green card application.
Your Relative Had Children After I-130 Approved - Can They Immigrate Too?
In most cases, children who arrive after the I-130 visa petition is filed can immigrate along with other derivative children.
Will USCIS accept a late-registered birth certificate?
Dealing with situations where the immigrant beneficiary does not have a birth certificate from around the time of birth.
What If I Die Before the Immigrant I'm Sponsoring Gets a Green Card?
Planning for the worst, given long waits in immigrant processing.
What If I Change My Mind About Petitioning for My Family Member to Immigrate?
With the passage of time or changes in life circumstances, family petitioners sometimes realize that they're no longer able or comfortable sponsoring an immigrant. Find out what to do next.
What Should I Do If I Believe I'm a Victim of Marriage Fraud?
Possibilities for revoking the green card of an immigrant who conned someone into a sham marriage.
Can I sponsor my same-sex partner for a green card?
Limitations on, and possibilities for, obtaining U.S. residence for a gay or lesbian partner.
Will the I-601A provisional waiver help my undocumented husband from Mexico get a green card?
New possibilities created by the I-601A waiver.
Under the Adam-Walsh Act, U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (LPRs) who have criminal convictions for sex offenses against a minor cannot petition for family members to receive U.S. residence (green cards).