If you want to file for residency for someone who is outside the United States, they will require an immigrant visa in their passport to enter the country. After they enter the country with the immigrant visa, they will become residents in the United States. To complete this legal process, you may need assistance from an attorney who practices family immigration law. Fortunately, a Boston immigrant visa lawyer is ready to help.
A U.S. citizen can file for their spouse, parent, or child and receive an immigrant visa that is “immediately available.” A U.S. citizen can also file for an “adult child” who has already turned 21. Someone with a green card can apply for their spouse or child, but the visa will not be immediately available. They will have to wait in the visa backlog before a visa can be issued.
Businesses can also sponsor someone for an immigrant visa, through employment-based immigration.
Some immigrant visas are distributed through the Diversity Lottery Program.
The first step is to file a visa petition with USCIS. The approved visa petition from USCIS is sent to the National Visa Center, where the case will be processed to get the case ready to be scheduled for an interview. When the National Visa Center has processed the case, they will send the file to the consulate so it can be scheduled for the visa interview.
The applicant will have to bring supporting documents and a medical exam with them to the interview. If the U.S. Consulate decides to issue the visa, they will put the visa in the person’s passport so the person can enter the United States and be admitted as a resident upon arrival.
There is a delay between each of these steps, which can be a time-consuming process. A consultation with one of the immigration attorneys at our Malden firm would be the best way to learn more about the different steps in obtaining an immigrant visa. We are experienced and will offer honest, straightforward insight.
There are several benefits to having an immigration lawyer represent you:
