Helping Family Members Immigrate to the U.S.
The goal of many U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents is to help their family members obtain green cards for permanent residency. One way to do that is to sponsor your family member in a family-based immigration petition.
At the Law Offices of Chad M.Hayward, P.C., in Chicago, our lawyers offer a free initial consultation to discuss your family-based immigration goals and help you find the best approach for uniting your family in the United States.
In addition to family-based immigration, our lawyers also handle adoption-based immigration, asylum-based immigration, student visas, fiancée visas, adjustment of status petitions, deportation/removal defense, employment-based immigration, and citizenship/naturalization. We serve clients in the Chicago area and throughout northern Illinois.
Who Can Sponsor a Family Member for U.S. Immigration?
You can sponsor a relative for permanent immigration if you are a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident (green card holder).
Relatives include parents, spouses, children and siblings. While you cannot sponsor grandparents, aunts, uncles, in-laws, cousins or grandchildren, you can act as a co-sponsor to meet support requirements.
Which Family Members Have Preference for Immigration?
Except for minor children, spouses and parents of U.S. citizens, family-based immigration to the United States is limited to a certain number of visas every year.
The following preference categories exist for the categories that are limited:
- First preference: unmarried sons and daughters over the age of 21 of U.S. citizens, along with their children
- Second preference: children and spouses of lawful permanent residents
- Third preference: married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, along with their spouses and children
- Fourth preference: brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens over age 21, along with their spouses and children
Talk to Our Immigration Lawyers
To schedule a free initial consultation about family-based immigration with an attorney at our Chicago law office, call 888-804-8641 or fill out the contact form on this Web site. We have staff members who speak Spanish.
