Key Steps for DFW Families
You’ve come to the United States seeking a better life, but circumstances required you to leave some loved ones behind. You’ve been able to get lawful permanent residency, and now you’re ready to bring your family members here. What are the essential steps for using the family-based immigration process to get a visa for a spouse, child, parent, or other family member, so that you can be reunited in the Dallas-Fort Worth area?
To maximize your chances of successfully having family members join you in the United States, your first course of action should be to hire an experienced immigration attorney. American immigration law can be complex and confusing. You want a lawyer with a thorough knowledge of the law and procedures, someone with a track record of successfully helping others through the immigration process. Once you have legal representation, you’re ready to start the family-based immigration process.
Step #1—Determine Eligibility for Immigration
To obtain lawful permanent residency, your loved one must first qualify for a visa, whether based on a family relationship, employment, status as a student, or qualification under an asylum or refugee program. To be eligible for a family-based visa, you must be sponsored by someone with the legal right to do so. Under U.S. immigration law, an American citizen may sponsor a spouse, parent, child, or sibling to come to the United States and apply for a green card. In addition, individuals who have already been granted lawful permanent resident status (i.e., who have a green card of their own) may sponsor a spouse or an unmarried child.
Step #2—Compile the Required Documentation
If you have confirmed your eligibility to file the petition, as well as the immigrant’s qualification as a family member, you want to carefully gather all evidence to verify the relationship. That will typically include birth certificates, marriage licenses, financial documentation, and police clearances, if necessary. It’s also a good idea to have picture identification for all parties.
Step #3—File Your Petition
After you’ve gathered the necessary documentation to support your application for a visa, it’s time to file your petition. If you’re seeking a visa for a family member, you’ll file Form I-130, known as the Petition for Alien Relative. Your attorney can help you prepare this form and ensure that it’s properly submitted to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Step #4—The Visa Interview
Your interview typically won’t take place immediately after you file your petition. It may be scheduled in a few months, but it might also take years, based on the type of visa you seek, as well as other factors.
Apart from your initial application, your visa interview is likely the most important part of the process. It’s typically scheduled in an embassy or consulate building in your home country, and the objective is to both determine your eligibility for emigration and confirm the accuracy of your application for a visa. Be sure to bring all requested documents with you, and give honest answers to all questions.
Step #5—The Medical Exam
You may meet all other qualifications for entry into the United States yet still have your application denied if you have certain types of health problems. To confirm your medical status, you must be examined by a physician approved by USCIS.
Step #6—Issuance of Your Visa
If you make it successfully through your visa interview and pass your medical examination, you will be issued a visa that will be placed in your passport.
Contact the Proven Immigration Attorneys at Bailey & Galyen
At the law offices of Bailey & Galyen, we bring more than 40 years of experience to families in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and across Texas who have legal concerns related to any immigration matter. To learn how we can help protect your rights, contact us by e-mail or call our offices at one of the convenient locations listed below. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
