How to Help Immigrant Families in Austin?
By Julie Sparks in Citizenship & Naturalization | on 2023-04-28 20:56:22
U.S. immigration law allows United States citizens and green card holders to petition the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to give their relatives green cards based on their family relationships.
At J. Sparks Law, we have experienced family immigration lawyers who help clients in the Austin area successfully navigate the complex U.S. immigration process to obtain family-based green cards.
The immigration process you must go through to obtain a family-based green card and the time it takes to get one depends on the category your application is filed under. There are two broad family-based immigration categories under which most family members apply for green cards, and these are the “immediate relatives” and “family preference” categories.
Green Card for Immediate Relatives of U.S. Citizens
Someone is an immediate relative of a United States citizen if they are in any of the following family relationships with a U.S. citizen:
- Spouse of a U.S. citizen
- An unmarried child of a U.S. citizen who is 21 years old or younger
- A parent of a U.S. citizen, provided the U.S. citizen is 21 years old or older
If any of these relationships exist, then they can apply for a green card, and the application will be processed much faster than anyone who applies for a green card under any of the other family categories or other avenues of applying to become a green card holder.
Preference Family Members
A family member of a U.S. citizen who is not an immediate relative as described above or who is a relative of green card holders is eligible to apply for a green card if they fall in any of the following preference categories:
- First preference (F1) – unmarried children of U.S. citizens who are over the age of 21 years old
- Second preference (F2A) – spouses and unmarried children of green card holders who are under the age of 21
- Second preference (F2B) – unmarried children of green card holders over the age of 21 years
- Third preference (F3) – married children of U.S. citizens; and
- Fourth preference (F4) – siblings of U.S. citizens provided the U.S. citizen is at least 21 years of age or older
Green Card Application Process
A U.S. citizen or green card holder must first file a petition with USCIS for their qualifying family member. If the family member is an immediate relative, the petition can be filed together with an application for a green card for the immediate relative.
At J. Sparks Law, we help U.S. citizens and green card holders seamlessly navigate the complex immigration process for obtaining green cards for their relatives. This includes making sure all the necessary petitions, applications, and supporting documents are properly filed with USCIS.
Seek Help from an Austin, TX Family Immigration Attorney Today
If you are applying for a family-based green card for yourself or for a family member, contact J. Sparks Law today to schedule your initial consultation to discuss your situation and the way forward. Do not risk the unnecessary delay or denial of your application by trying to handle the process yourself.
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.
