Evanston Immigration Attorneys
Evanston Immigration Attorneys
Immigration lawyers help their clients with a wide range of issues relating to visiting and relocating to the United States. They may work with employment visas and asylum claims. But among the more emotionally significant cases, they help with family-based immigration claims.
What Is Family-Based Immigration?
Family-based immigration is the most commonly used basis for legal immigration to the United States. Under current US law, US citizens and lawful permanent residents (LPRs) can sponsor certain family members for a visa that permits permanent residence – what most people call a green card.
Today’s family-based immigration comes from the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which established that family relationships would be the primary way people immigrate to the United States. Today nearly two of every three legal immigrants to the US does so through family-based immigration. The primary criticism of this type of immigration is its potential to create a chain of migration as each new immigrant can sponsor more immigrants.
Who Is Eligible for a Family Visa?
Citizens and LPRs can only sponsor certain relatives for family visas: Citizens and LPRs may sponsorÂ
- Spouses of US citizens
- Unmarried children under 21 of US citizens
- Orphans adopted abroad
- Orphans to be adopted in the USE by a US citizen
- Parents of US citizens who are at least 21 years old
Family preference categories can also support a family visa. These include:
- Unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens, their spouses, and their children
- Spouses, minor children, and unmarried sons and daughters over 21 of LPRs
- Married sons and daughters of US citizens and their spouses and minor children
- Brothers and sisters of US citizens and their spouses and minor children, provided the US citizens are at least 21 years old
Note that US citizens and LPRs cannot sponsor any family members not listed here, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, in-laws, and cousins, for immigration.
How Many Relatives Does an Immigrant Typically Sponsor?
Over the past few decades, each immigrant has sponsored an average of approximately 3.5 relatives, including their own spouse and children.Â
How Many Family Preference Visas Are Issued Each Year?
The government issues a maximum of 480,000 family preference visas each fiscal year. This limit was set in 1990 by Congress. Immediate relative visas have no limits, but the number issued gets subtracted from the 480,000.Â
Family-Based Immigration Backlog
Family-based applications have experienced a heavy backlog for decades, with some applications pending since 2001. As of last year, nearly 4 million people were stuck in this backlog. As one goes down the list of preferences, the backlog increases, with some married adult children (F-3) waits increasing by 900 percent. It can be worse for F-1s, some of whom have been waiting for a green card for over two decades.Â
Contact an Immigration Attorney Today
No immigration attorney can, of course, guarantee the speed or success of your family-based immigration application. However, the complexities of immigration law and regulation mean that using an attorney increases the likelihood of success and speed. If you face a family-based immigration issue, contact us to schedule an initial consultation and review your matter. See how we can assist you in handling your immigration matter.
Meet The Attorneys
What Our Clients Say
5-Star Rating | Based on 200+ Satisfied Customer Google Reviews
Matthew Kriezelman, first of all, thank you very much; you and your team are the best immigration lawyers in Chicago. I had a great experience—your professionalism was outstanding, and you were always there whenever needed. I give you five stars for the wonderful work you and your team did. Thanks again.
We would like to take a moment to sincerely thank Khiabett for her exceptional work and dedication in handling my husband’s removal proceedings case. We also want to thank Agata for her great communication during the gathering of all documents. Khiabett, we are incredibly grateful for your expertise, guidance, and persistence throughout the entire process. I can't thank you enough for your empathy and for standing by me during such…
I used their services for my case, and everything went smoothly. Rafael and Matthew are very knowledgeable and helpful, and answered all my questions. I highly recommend them!
I have used their services since 2022, and my experience was great. My own case was successfully finished this year. I want to say Matt and Raf were of great help throughout, and also Jennifer, who attended the interview with me. I would highly recommend their services.
Mr. Jeffery and Mr. Kevin Racia were the attorneys handling a complex immigration case of mine. On the assurance of both attorneys that the case is going to be presented in a systematic way, I went ahead with confidence. I was able to become a legal permanent resident. I highly recommend Kriezelman Burton & Associates, LLC for all your immigration needs.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to the remarkable team of Khiabett Osuna, Brittani Rivera, and Rafael Rodriguez, who were responsible for the successful release from detention of one of our parishioners, husband and father of four, after over 10 weeks of incarceration. From his detention to the payment of his bail and from Immigration Court to his reunion with his family, there were blessings aplenty made possible through the…
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my attorney, Brittni Rivera, for her professionalism and support during a very difficult time. I was in detention for 6 months, and thanks to her hard work and filing a habeas corpus petition, I was finally released. In addition, when I was released, ICE did not return my documents. Brittni did not ignore this issue — she took action and successfully…
My aunt was recently detained by ICE and sent to El Paso, Texas to the East Montana Detention Facility. This place is essentially a prison in the middle of the desert, and the majority of the detainees here get deported. My family and I interviewed a dozen immigration attorneys around the country to help my aunt, and we decided to hire Kevin Raica, an attorney with Kriezelman Burton and Associates.…
Our case was very difficult, and at times it felt like there was no way out. My wife was detained for a long period of time, and it was an extremely challenging experience for our family. Kriezelman Burton & Associates, LLC truly changed our situation. I would especially like to thank our attorney, Brittni Rivera, as well as Natalia. They were attentive, honest, and always ready to help. It was…
I cannot recommend Kevin Raica highly enough. He helped me successfully obtain my U.S. green card, and the entire process was smooth and stress-free because of his expertise and dedication. From start to finish, Kevin was professional, organized, and extremely knowledgeable about immigration law. He made sure every document was prepared correctly and took the time to explain each step clearly. Anytime I had questions, he responded promptly and made…
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