Family Immigration Lawyer Chicago

Family Immigration Lawyer Chicago

U.S. immigration law permits U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents to sponsor their relatives for green cards by filing the required paperwork with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). At Kriezelman Burton & Associates, LLC, our experienced family immigration lawyers help clients in the Chicago area to navigate the complex U.S. immigration system and obtain green cards for their relatives. We are based in Chicago but also take cases in Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

Overview of Family-Based Immigration

All family-based immigration is divided into two major categories: immediate relative or family preference. Immediate relatives are spouses, parents, and unmarried children (under age 21) of U.S. citizens. One of the biggest advantages of being in this category is there is no limit as to how many people can migrate under this category. This is significant because all other categories of immigration, be it family or employment-based, have limits as to how many people can immigrate under those categories.

Because of these limits, there are huge backlogs in all these other categories where applicants must wait for a long time, often years, before they can obtain their green cards. That’s not the case with immediate relatives because they don’t have to wait beyond normal processing time as there is no backlog in this category.

The other major category of family-based immigration is the “family preference” category, which is comprised of everyone else who is not an immediate relative but falls in any of the following subcategories:

• First preference (F1) – unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens over 21
• Second preference(F2A) – spouses and children of green card holders who are unmarried and under 21 years of age.
• Second preference (F2B) – unmarried daughters and sons of green card holders who are over 21 years of age.
• Third preference (F3) – married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens; and
• Fourth preference (F4) – siblings of U.S. citizens if the U.S. citizen is 21 years of age and older.

As noted above, a disadvantage of being in this family preference category is the number of green cards available for this category is limited. Because of this, there is a backlog of filed applications for green cards in this category, which has caused a long wait for many in this category to obtain their green cards.

The Family-Based Immigration Process

The process for family-based immigration begins with the U.S. citizen or green card holder filing an I-130 Petition for Alien Relative with the USCIS and paying a fee for it. If the person filing the petition is a U.S. citizen, then their qualifying relative can file their application for a green card at the same time the petition is filed. If the person filing the petition is a green card holder, then the qualifying relative must wait for the petition to be processed and approved first before they can submit their application for a green card.

Call an Experienced Family Immigration Lawyer in Chicago

Obtaining a family-based green card is not easy, so having an experienced immigration lawyer from Kriezelman Burton & Associates, LLC to help you can make a difference in successfully going through the process. Contact us today and schedule an appointment to discuss your situation.