Once you solidify your standing as a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident, you may want your relatives to be given the same opportunity. Personally going through the application process with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) may allow you to understand just how complex and time-consuming it may be. This is why, understandably so, you may want to do everything in your power to help simplify it for your loved ones. Continue reading to learn what steps you should take for your relative’s visa and how an experienced family immigration lawyer in Milwaukee, WI, at Sesini Law Group, S.C., can guide you through it all.
How can I help my relative become a United States citizen?
Namely, you may file Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, on behalf of your loved one so long as you are a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident. Further, the USCIS only views the following individuals as eligible relatives under Form I-130:
- Your spouse.
- Your married children who are of any age.
- Your unmarried children who are under the age of 21.
- Your unmarried children who are 21 years of age or older.
- Your siblings who are 21 years of age or older.
- Your parents who are 21 years of age or older.
It is worth mentioning that, as a lawful permanent resident, you may only file on behalf of your spouse or unmarried children.
What steps should I follow for filing a relative’s visa?
It should go without saying that you must be very meticulous when filling out Form I-130 on behalf of your loved one. Without further ado, to strengthen your relative’s chances of retaining a United States visa, it is in your best interest to follow the below steps:
- Provide an answer to each question posed throughout the form.
- Provide your signature wherever it is asked throughout the form.
- Provide your USCIS Online Account Number, if you have one.
- Offer your biographic information (i.e., ethnicity/race, height, weight, eye color, hair color, etc).
- Offer the beneficiary’s personal information (i.e., legal name, date of birth, residential address, marital status, etc).
- Supply documents that show that you are a United States citizen (i.e., your unexpired United States passport) or lawful permanent resident (i.e., your permanent resident card).
- Supply documents that show the relationship between you and the beneficiary (i.e., if it is your spouse, supply your marriage certificate).
- Supply a full English translation for documents written in a foreign language, alongside a translator’s signature.
- Pay the filing fee of $535 via check or money order made payable to the United States Department of Homeland Security.
- Drop off the form at the USCIS’s Chicago, Dallas, or Phoenix lockbox; or at the USCIS’s international office in your current country.
All in all, to successfully earn your relative a visa, you must turn to a skilled Milwaukee, WI family immigration lawyer. So please get in touch with us at Sesini Law Group, S.C. as soon as you get a free chance.