New Jersey Family Immigration Lawyer
Family-based Immigration Law Firm in Morris County, NJ
Many US citizens and legal permanent residents have families abroad. They may file a Green Card or Visa Petition in order to bring a relative or spouse to the United States. Although the US immigration system is quite complex, there are several options available to keep families together. Immigration attorney Ifeoma Odunlami will guide you through the process to find the best option for you and your loved ones.
Family-based Petition
US Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents can sponsor certain family members with a family-based petition. If the petition is approved, their family member can immigrate to the United States with a Green Card.
There are two categories of family-based petitions: immediate relatives and family preference. There is no limit to the number of Green Cards available to immediate relatives, making the immigration process easier and faster. Those in the family preference category have to wait for a visa number to be available in order to immigrate.
Immediate relatives are:
- Spouses of US citizens
- Unmarried children of US citizens under the age of 21
- Parents of US citizens (if the citizen is 21 or older)
Immediate relatives are:
- First Preference (F1): Unmarried sons and daughters (21 or older) of US citizens
- Second Preference (F2A): Spouses and unmarried children (younger than 21) of lawful permanent residents
- Second Preference (F2B): Unmarried sons and daughters (21 or older) of lawful permanent residents
- Third Preference (F3): Married sons and daughters of US citizens
- Fourth preference (F4): Brothers and sisters of US citizens (if the citizen is 21 or older)
Widows and widowers of US citizens can also apply for a Green Card with a pending family petition, or they may file a petition themselves.
K1 Visa or Fiancé(e) Visa
Foreign significant others of US citizens can immigrate to the United States in order to get married. The K1 non-immigrant visa allows a foreign fiancé(e) to enter the United States for 90 days to celebrate your marriage, after which they may apply for lawful permanent resident status (Green Card).
If you plan to marry outside of the United States or are already married, the K1 Visa is not available and the foreign fiancé(e) or spouse has to apply for a Green Card through a family-based petition.
K2 Visas for children of foreign fiancé(e)s
A foreign fiancé(e) of a US Citizen with a K1 Visa can request a K2 Visa for their unmarried child under the age of 21. The K2 Visa is a nonimmigrant Visa; if you wish to apply for a Green Card for the child, a family-based petition must be filed together with or after the petition for the foreign fiancé(e).
A wedding is a happy occasion, and the last thing you want to worry about is the visa paperwork. The Law Firm of Ifeoma Odunlami will take care of the legal procedures and stay on top of the visa petition while you plan the chapter of your life together with your loved ones.
K3 and K4 Visas for foreign spouses of US citizens and their children
Foreign spouses of US citizens can apply for the K3 Visa if they are abroad and their Green Card Petition is yet to be approved. The K3 Visa allows them to enter the country and stay until USCIS processes their Family-based Green Card Petition.
K4 Visas are available to children of foreign spouses of US citizens. If you are unmarried, under the age of 21 and the child of a K3 visa applicant, you may be eligible for a K4 Visa. You may request the K4 Visa as a means of entering the country until your family-based Green Card Petition is approved.
