The main requirements for Family Based Green Cards are:
- The person in the US must have a valid US address and their status must be verified which means that they must have valid documents which prove that they are either US citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents.
- Additionally, the applicants must have no criminal records and prove that they have family relations with the person in the US. If the person in the US is the spouse, then they must present a valid marriage certificate. If the relation is between children and parents or for siblings, then they must present a valid birth certificate.
Eligibility criteria for a Family Based Green Card are:
- The sponsor must be able to establish that you have a close family relationship with the visa beneficiary. The relationship must be in one of the categories listed above under immediate relatives or family preference.
- The sponsor should have maintained principal residence in the United States.
- As a green card sponsor, one must prove their readiness and capability to support the sponsored family member financially after arriving in the United States. They will need to sign an affidavit of support, which must show that the sponsor’s annual income can take care of them, the sponsored beneficiary, and every other dependent member of the household.
To check your ability the Family Based Green Card Categories are listed below:
- Family First Preference (F1): This is for unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens and their minor children. 23,400 visas are issued annually to applicants in this category.
- Family Second Preference (F2): This is for spouses, minor children, and unmarried sons and daughters (21 years and above) of lawful permanent residents. 114,200 visas are issued annually and up to 77% of the family-based green cards for the category usually go to the spouses and children. The remainder in the subcategory will be allocated to unmarried sons and daughters.
- Family Third Preference (F3): This category is for married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens as well as their spouses and minor children. The annual limit is 23,400.
- Family Fourth Preference (F4): This is for brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens, and their spouses and minor children. The U.S. citizen (petitioner) must be 21 years and above. This category has an annual limit of 65,000 visas.
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Green Card for Family Preference Immigrants | USCIS