3 Steps to Get Your Family a Green Card
U.S. citizens and permanent residents (green card holders) can sponsor their relatives to help them get U.S. green cards. With a green card, your relative can permanently live and work in the U.S.
This article is for U.S. citizens and green card holders who wish to sponsor their relatives who already live in the U.S. on temporary visas. If your relative lives outside the U.S., they will need to apply for citizenship through consular processing.
Sponsoring a Relative as a U.S. Citizen
U.S. citizens over the age of 21 can sponsor their immediate relatives — their husband or wife, unmarried children under age 21, and parents — for a U.S. green card. These relatives have special priorities and do not have to wait in line for a visa number. This shortens the waiting time for a green card significantly.
When U.S. citizens sponsor other family members, including their unmarried children over age 21, married children, or brothers and sisters, there is a waiting period before an immigrant visa becomes available.
Sponsoring a Relative as a Green Card Holder
Green card holders can also sponsor their relatives. Green card holders can only petition for their husbands or wives and unmarried children. A limited number of immigrant visas are available for these relatives, so there is a significant waiting period before the relative can get a green card.
Here are the common steps to sponsor a relative.
Step 1: The Immigrant Petition
To begin this process, you need to complete and file Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative. Once the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) approves your I-130 petition, the relative you’re sponsoring can file Form I-485, Application for Adjustment of Status. (When U.S. citizen petitions for an immediate relative who is currently in the U.S., Forms I-130, and I-485 can be concurrently filed.) After the USCIS approves the I-485 application, they will give your relative a green card.
If you are looking to sponsor your relative for a green card, File-Right will set you on the right track. Starting with a free questionnaire to check your eligibility, the online software will then lead you through completing your paperwork by asking a series of straightforward questions. The program checks your answers, so you won’t forget anything or submit incorrect information.
The I-130 petition requires the following documents:
Completed Form I-130 with signatures
Proof of your U.S. citizenship or green card status:
Birth certificate
U.S. passport
Green card
Certificate of Naturalization
Proof of family relationship:
Parents petitioning for a child should provide a copy of the child’s birth certificate that shows they are the parent of the child.
Someone petitioning for their brother or sister should send in a copy of a birth certificate that shows they have at least one common parent.
Sons or daughters petitioning for a parent should send in a copy of their birth certificate that shows they are the child of their parent.
Stepparents should send in a copy of the marriage certificate that shows their marriage to the child’s natural parent took place before the stepchild turned 18 years old.
Parents of an adopted child should submit a copy of the adoption decree that shows the adoption took place before the child turned 16 years old.
Completed Form G-325A, Biographic Information, from both you and the relative you’re sponsoring
Passport-size photos. Send in one passport-sized photo for each person. They should be recent photos that show how you and your relative look now.
Filing fee. Send a money order or check for $535 USD to the “U.S. Department of Homeland Security.” Do NOT send cash.
File the I-130 visa petition with a USCIS Lockbox. Where to file depends on where you live and whether you are filing Form I-130 and Form I-485 together.
If you are using FileRight we provide all the custom filing instructions, another form’s that you may need to file along with the application, print and mail service, and more. You can easily prepare your petition using FileRight.
The USCIS will let you know when it gets your I-130 visa petition.
If the USCIS Needs More Information or Denies the I-130 Visa Petition
If USCIS needs additional documents, it will ask for more evidence. You won’t have to pay extra fees to send additional documents to the USCIS.
If the USCIS denies the visa petition, the USCIS will explain why it was denied. You can try to fix the problem and file again. Do this by repeating all the steps we discussed, including sending in Form I-130 with the signatures, all of the supporting documents, and another $535 USD filing fee.
Step 2: The Green Card Application, Form I-485
The USCIS will let you know if they approve the immigrant petition. The approval notice will show a “priority date” that determines when your relative’s immigrant visa number will become available. Once the immigrant visa number is available, your relative can file Form I-485 to adjust their status and receive a green card.
When the relative you’re sponsoring is ready to file Form I-485, they will need to send in the following:
Completed Form I-485
Documents about their criminal history (if any)
Birth certificate
A copy of their passport
Their approval notice for Form I-130
Two identical passport photos
A sealed medical examination report on Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record
Completed Form G-325A
Completed Form I-864, Affidavit of Support
Filing fee. They can send a check or money order to the “U.S. Department of Homeland Security” for $1,225 USD. Do NOT send cash.
Step 3: The USCIS’s Decision
The USCIS will let your relative know when they receive their application. The USCIS will also tell them when and where to go to have their biometrics (fingerprints, photo, and signature) taken.
The USCIS will also contact your relative if they need any additional documents. They will send your relative their decision by mail. Your relative will receive their green card in the mail if the USCIS approves the petition.
