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How do I process a family petition and apply with immigration? An immigration attorney can show you the way


The process to obtain a family-based petition approval with US immigration can be difficult and stressful. That is why it is highly recommended to work with an immigration attorney that you trust to help you prepare all of your documentation and information correctly and to make sure the process runs as smoothly and quickly as possible.

Lawful permanent residents and citizens of the United States have the right to file a family petition for certain family members. US citizens can apply for their spouses, parents, children, and siblings. Lawful permanent residents can apply for their spouses, and unmarried children. Unfortunately, there is no direct family petition for grandparents or aunts and uncles, even though this is a common misconception.

How long the family petition process takes depends on the status of the petitioner (US citizen or lawful permanent resident) and his or her relationship to the applicant. A US citizen family petition for a spouse will be much faster than a US citizen family petition for a sibling. Further, a US citizen family petition for a spouse will be faster than a lawful permanent resident family petition for a spouse.

Each month, the US Department of States prepares the Visa Bulletin. This bulletin explains which date is being processed for each type of family petition. To read the Visa Bulletin, you must know when the applicant filed the petition (the priority date), which country the applicant is from, and the category
of family petition the applicant belongs to. The Visa Bulletin will tell you what priority date is being processed for each family petition category for each country. If you have all of these pieces of information, you can tell approximately how much longer the applicant will have to wait before they can move forward in their family based petition.

Hiring a knowledgeable and trustworthy immigration attorney who understands the family petition process is important. A good immigration attorney will help you to file all of the proper documents for a family petition and help you communicate with immigration to process the petition in a timely manner.

The immigration attorney can also keep you notified of your place in the waiting list and help you finish the process for a green card once the family petition has been approved and your waiting time is over. The immigration attorneys at Vanderwall Immigration have years of experience helping US citizens and lawful permanent residents apply for their loved ones through family petitions. Contact us today at 503-206-8414 to set up a consultation with one of our immigration attorneys to discuss how we can help you united with your family.