U.S. green card for your family

Permanent US residents are those individuals who have been legally given the consent of residing and working permanently in the country. However, many people also get a USA green card on the basis of the fact that they have family residing in the United States, with one of the members who is a permanent resident petitioning the immigrant's citizenship claim.

The first step in the procedure to getting a USA green card for your family is to file a Family Immigration Petition, where the applicant needs to prove a qualifying relationship between him/herself and the petitioner (US permanent resident/citizen). The applicant can get a green card in two conditions; first, if the family member is residing in the US at the time of the petition being filed, in which case the applicant can have his/her status modified to a Permanent Resident, otherwise, if the member is not in the US at that time, he/she is eligible for Consular processing via a consulate or the US embassy in their native place.

If the family member is a US citizen or a permanent resident, the immigrant can get a USA green card in case he/she is an immediate relative, like a spouse or a child of the citizen. For this to take place, the citizen family member has to file a Form I-130, which is the petition for an alien relative.

The definition of an immediate relative and family member is as follows: If the applicant is a child (under 21 years of age and unmarried) or the spouse, or the parent (of a US citizen at least 21 years of age), they come in the category of immediate relatives. The applicant is referred to as a family member of the US citizen if he/she is an unmarried/married child or a brother/sister of the US citizen.

Another of getting family immigration is via Special Categories. The applicant can get a USA green card if he/she is a battered spouse/child of a US citizen, or has entered the USA with a K1/K3 visa, or is born to a foreign diplomat in the USA, or is a widow/widower of a US citizen. However, relevant proof is needed to back this up.