Family Visas - USA

Obtaining a US visa based on family ties is a common and certain family relationships may qualify for a US Green Card or Permanent Residence Card. There are benefits attached to these visas and visa holders enjoy many rights enjoyed by United States natives. The Green card is the only visa that allows its holders the right to vote and Green Card holders' status can not be revoked. Those who hold the Permanent Residence visa are not permitted to vote or run for office and may have time limits on their visas.

There are different ways to attain a US Green card; the most common is through receiving an offer of employment from an American company. However, many people have relatives in the US and relatives of US permanent residents and US citizens; have the right to apply for a range of visas leading to permanent settlement in the USA. Applicants and their relatives will have to demonstrate their family ties through official documentations.

Parents and Siblings US Visas

if an applicant has family or relatives in the US and they wish to enter the US visa the parent and sibling's route they must prove that the relative/family member meets certain requirements. The relatives/family member must prove that they are citizens or at least have been neutralized as citizens. Permanent Residents who have not yet naturalised may not apply on behalf of any relative they will need to go through the process of naturalisation as a US citizen before they can apply to do so.

There are advantages of family visas for the sponsored relative, applicants under this scheme may work and find work in areas of their interests without adhering to specific requirements imposed on other Green Card application requirement.

US Green Card - Sponsor Requirements

To become a permanent resident based on the fact that you have a relative who is a citizen of the United States, or a relative who is a lawful permanent resident, you must go through a multi-step process. The relative/family member must agree to be legally responsible for you and they have to sign an affidavit or financial support. This signed document will remain valid until the sponsored relative has either completed ten years of work in the United States of America or has become a US citizen in their own right. The sponsor will also be legally responsible for the repayment of any public benefits which the relative may have used.

Green Card for Spouse Immigration

The process used for sponsoring a spouse is a little different from the parents and siblings application process. The decision to sponsor a spouse or fiancé to relocate to the USA is open to both US citizens and US permanent residents and the application can be made outside the United States or within the US.

IR-1 visa and CR-1 visa

The IR-1 visa or a CR-1 visa will be awarded to applicants who successfully meet the requirement for the spouse visa and if their application was handled outside the US, this is also dependent on the circumstances. A US IR-1 visa, or immediate Relative Visa, is granted where the marriage has been in existence for two years or more and permits the applicant to immigrate to the USA unconditionally. For marriages which are less than two years old at the time of application a US CR-1 visa, will be granted which imposes a conditional period of two years.

US Spouse Visa (K-3 Visa)

Spouses of U.S. citizens, and the spouse's children, can come to the United States on non immigrant visas which are known as the K-3 and K-4 and in most cases they are allowed to stay in the United States to complete the immigration process. The K-3 visa for spouses and their children will in some cases begin to process the application for the visas in the country where the marriage took place but the process can be completed within the US. Parties have to be legally married, and over the age of eighteen. Official documents will be requested in order to process the application, they may include, marriage certificate, police clearances and medical examinations. In the case of the marriages being in existence for less than two years, a restrictive USA Green Card will be issued for duration of two years. If after this initial grant the marriage is still in place, the parties involved can apply for a Green card for lawful permanent residency.

If the applicant and spouse have dependent children, the K4 visa will be issued to allow them to immigrate to the US.

US Fiancé Visas (K-1 visa)

The K-1 visa is a temporary visa granted for ninety days (90) to the fiancé of a sponsoring US permanent resident or citizen. During this period the couple must marry, and the US visa status will be converted to a K3 spouse visa. A K1 visa does not permit the sponsored fiance to begin working in the USA, however, once the marriage has taken place the applicant can apply for Adjustment of Status (AOD) and will be allowed to look and take up work within the US.

US Visas for dependent children

The dependent children of a K3 spouse visa holder will be issued with a K4 visa allowing them to study in the USA and to pursue work authorisation. Equally a dependent child of an applicant in possession of a K1 fiance visa will be issued with a K2 visa. The IR-3 visa and IR-4 visa are visas that provide legal entrance for foreign-born or adopted orphans and allow them to be brought to the USA. The IR3 and IR-4 also known as "immediate relative" visas are only valid for children under the age of 16 and the sponsors must be US Citizens aged 25 or more. In all cases concerning adoptive families, all documentations and procedures will need to be carefully examined by the United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

If you have any questions, queries concerning the United States and its immigration and visa system, do not hesitate to contact Global Visas today. If you have would like to help you with your application for any of the family visas visit our online assessment area now and set your application in motion. Our consultants are eagerly waiting to take help make your immigration dream come true.