Family Immigration
Sponsoring relatives: family-based petitions and priority dates, marriage-based green cards and the interview, the affidavit of support, and bringing parents, children, and siblings.
All Family Immigration guides
- Petitioning for a Relative Who Is Out of Status or Entered Without Inspection
How a relative's entry type and unlawful presence affect adjustment vs. consular processing, the 3/10-year bars, waivers, and 245(i).
- Immediate Relatives vs. Family-Preference Categories
Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens face no visa cap or wait; other relatives wait years in F1-F4 preference categories.
- Green Cards for Widows and Widowers of U.S. Citizens
If your U.S. citizen spouse died, you may still qualify for a green card by self-petitioning with Form I-360 - but a strict deadline applies.
- The Affidavit of Support (Form I-864)
What Form I-864 is, why it's a binding financial promise, the income rule tied to poverty guidelines, joint sponsors, and when the obligation ends.
- Bringing a Spouse or Child as a Green-Card Holder (the F2A Category)
How lawful permanent residents petition for a spouse or unmarried child under 21 through F2A, and what happens if you naturalize.
- Family-Based Immigration Explained
Immediate relatives face no annual visa cap; other family categories are capped and can mean years of waiting. Here's how the system works.
- Continuing a Family Petition After the Petitioner Dies (INA 204(l))
If your petitioner died, INA 204(l) may let your family petition continue if you lived in the U.S. at the time — here's how it differs from other paths.
- Bringing Parents, Children, and Siblings to the U.S.
Who can sponsor parents, children, and siblings for a green card, how long the wait really is, and what "aging out" means.
- Consular Processing for Family Members (the NVC and Form DS-260)
How the National Visa Center processes a family-based case after I-130 approval: fees, DS-260, Affidavit of Support, medical exam, and interview.
- The I-130 Petition and Priority Dates
How Form I-130 starts a family green card case, how priority dates work, and why the Visa Bulletin queue can mean years of waiting.
- Immigration for Adopted Children: Hague, Orphan, and Relative Adoption
U.S. law has three routes to immigrate an adopted child: Hague Convention, orphan (I-600), and two-year custody. Route decides the forms and visa type.
- When Your Immigration Sponsor Dies, Withdraws, or Can't Afford the Affidavit
If your U.S. petitioner dies or your sponsor's income falls short, you may still have options: the surviving-relative provision, humanitarian reinstatement, a widow(er) petition, or a substitute or joint sponsor.
- Adjusting Status After a K-1 Fiance Visa
After marrying on a K-1 visa, you file Form I-485 for a green card - often conditional if the marriage is under two years old.
- How Marrying or Turning 21 Changes a Family Petition
Marriage or turning 21 can shift a family immigration petition to a new category or, in one case, end eligibility entirely. Here's how it works.
- The K-3 and K-4 Visas for Spouses and Children
K-3/K-4 visas let a U.S. citizen's spouse and stepchildren wait together in the U.S., but they're rarely issued today. Here's why, and what to file instead.
- Stepchildren, Adopted Children, and Half-Siblings: Who Counts as Family
Who counts as family under U.S. immigration law: the marriage-before-18 stepchild rule, adoption age/custody rules, legitimation, and sibling petitions.
- When Does a Sponsor's Affidavit of Support Obligation End?
A sponsor's I-864 duty survives divorce. Only five events end it: citizenship, 40 work quarters, permanent departure, or death.
- Same-Sex Couples and Immigration
Same-sex marriages are treated equally under U.S. immigration law since Windsor (2013): the place-of-celebration rule, filing steps, and deadlines.
- K-1 Fiancé Visa vs. CR-1 Spouse Visa: Which Path Is Right?
K-1 fiancé visa vs. CR-1/IR-1 spouse visa compared: marital status, entry status, work permits, travel, cost structure, and conditional residence.
- The Domicile Requirement for a U.S. Sponsor Living Abroad
Living overseas doesn't disqualify a sponsor, but the I-864 requires a U.S. domicile. Here's how to show it or fix it.
- The Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) and Aging Out
How the CSPA can freeze a child's immigration age below 21 so they don't lose eligibility while waiting for a green card, and the deadlines that apply.
- Marriage-Based Green Cards: The Process
How a marriage to a U.S. citizen or green-card holder leads to a green card: petition, adjustment or consular interview, and the I-751 deadline.
- Following to Join: Bringing Derivative Spouses and Children
How a spouse or child can immigrate with or after a principal immigrant through "following to join," without a separate family petition.
- The Marriage Green-Card Interview and Marriage Fraud
What USCIS checks at a marriage green-card interview, why a second "Stokes" interview happens, and the real penalties for marriage fraud.