The Best and Fastest Category To Qualify for a Green Card
By Julie Sparks in Visas and Green Cards | on 2022-01-21 13:52:12
To qualify for the fastest category to get a Green Card, an applicant must meet eligibility requirements under the following categories through which most people obtain their green cards. To discuss your specific situation, reach out to a Green Card law firm today.
A Green Card is an identification card that gives the holder status as a lawful United States permanent resident (LPR). As an LPR, a Green Card holder is allowed to permanently live and work in the United States. The LPR status also places the holder a step closer to becoming a United States citizen if they desire to become one.
Fastest Category To Qualify for a Green Card
Immediate Relatives of U.S. Citizens is one of the best and fastest categories through which you can obtain a Green Card. To obtain a Green Card under this category, the applicant must show that they have a family relationship with a qualifying relative who is either a U.S. citizen or LPR. These relatives include the following:
- spouses of U.S. citizens (and these include same-sex spouses) if their marriage is legally recognized in the state or country where the marriage took place
- unmarried children under the age of 21 with at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen
- parents of U.S. citizens, if their sponsoring son or daughter is at least 21 years old
This category is desirable and quick in obtaining Green Card status because, unlike other family-based immigration visa categories, there is no limit as to how many Green Cards can be granted under this category. At J. Sparks Law Firm, we are experienced lawyers who make sure that accurately completed petitions and applications for our clients are properly filed to avoid any unnecessary delay in processing at the immigration office.
Preference Family-Based Immigration
Other qualified close family members of U.S. citizens or permanent residents are also eligible for Green Cards. The family members can apply under a preference category that classifies family-based immigration. Family-based immigration category has several sub-categories:
- First Family Preference (F1). Unmarried children of a U.S. citizen who are 21 years or older
- Second Family Preference (F2): Spouses and unmarried children of Green Card holders who are not over 21 years old (F2A) or unmarried children of a Green Card holder who are over 21 years old (F2B)
- Third Family Preference (F3). Married individuals who are of any age who have at least one U.S. citizen parent.
- Fourth Family Preference (F4). Brothers and sisters of a U.S. citizen who is over 21 years old.
All these family-based preference subcategories have long waiting times because there is an annual limit to how many Green Cards can be issued under this category.
Preferred Employees and Workers
A Green Card can also be obtained through employment if both the employer and prospective employee meet certain qualifications. Employment typically qualifies when there is a shortage of U.S. workers for a company. The employer must provide proof that they have tried but failed to find any qualified U.S. worker.
Foreign-born workers with exceptional or extraordinary abilities may also qualify to obtain an employment-based Green Card.
Consult with an Austin Green Card Lawyer
If you would like to obtain a Green Card, contact J. Sparks Law, PLLC, today and schedule a consultation to discuss your options with our lawyers. We assist with all types of matters regarding Green Cards.
Julie Sparks is Board-certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Immigration and Nationality Law, one of a few such attorneys in Texas. After 15 years of practice in this field, she has represented immigrants from more than 70 countries.
Ms. Sparks is a member of the Texas Bar Association and the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). Julie has also been a featured speaker at Southwestern Law School and at the national 2015 AILA Fundamentals Conference.
- 15 years of practice in this field.
- She also founded and managed a non-profit organization representing indigent immigrants seeking asylum.
- Julie is a former immigration law instructor at the Pepperdine School of Law in Malibu, California, and California State University – Los Angeles.
