Lawful permanent residents who live in California are allowed to petition on behalf of their family members so that they can secure green cards. They are allowed to petition for their spouses, children who are under the age of 21, and unmarried children of any age.
To petition on behalf of a family member, the lawful permanent resident must file the Form I-130 and provide proof of his or her status as a permanent resident. The petitioner must also submit proof of the family relationship, including a marriage or birth certificate. If a family member has had a legal name change, proof of that change will also need to be submitted.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services processes family-based immigration petitions in order of preference. The first preference is given to unmarried adult children of U.S. citizens. The spouses and minor children of lawful permanent residents have a 2A preference, while the unmarried adult sons and daughters of the lawful permanent residents have a 2B preference. Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens have the third preference, and the siblings of U.S. citizens have the fourth preference.
Visas are issued in order of the preference categories. People who want to petition on behalf of their family members so that they can become green card holders may want to get help from experienced immigration law attorneys. The petitioning process can be complex, and a lawyer might guide his or her clients through it. An attorney may also help his or her clients understand the legal obligations that they will have when they petition on behalf of their family members to sponsor them for green cards. The attorney might help his or her clients to complete the petitions so that they might make sure that they have included all of the supporting documents and have not made mistakes.
