Family Immigration Lawyers Lombard

Family Immigration Lawyers Lombard

US immigration laws allow United States citizens or lawful permanent residents (green card holders) to petition the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to give green cards to their qualifying relatives. At Minsky, McCormick & Hallagan, we have experienced family immigration attorneys who help clients in Lombard to successfully navigate the immigration system and obtain green cards for their qualifying family members.

Going through the immigration process can be a tedious exercise and often frustrating because of the many rules and bureaucratic procedures one must follow to successfully obtain a green card or another immigration benefit. The process also takes a long time in many cases, making it imperative that one knows exactly what needs to be done to avoid further or unnecessary delays. This is what we do for our clients at Minsky, McCormick & Hallagan. We make sure our client petitions and applications are properly prepared and filed in a manner that makes it easy for the immigration office to approve them.

Family Based Immigration

One can obtain a family-based green card under one of two broad immigration categories, and these are “immediate relatives” and “family preference” based categories. Although the steps needed to obtain a green card under either of these categories are generally the same, there is a big difference in the time it takes to process under either category. 

Immediate Relatives of U.S. Citizens

An individual is an immediate relative of a United States citizen if they fall into any of the following relationships with a U.S. citizen:

• Spouse of a U.S. citizen
• An unmarried child of a U.S. citizen who is not over 21 years of age
• Parent of a U.S. citizen, provided the U.S. citizen is at least 21 years old

If you are in any one of these relationships, you can apply for a green card based on that relationship. This is the best category to apply for a family-based green card because an application for relatives under this category is processed much faster than an application for a green card in any other category. 

Preference Family Members

A family member of a U.S. citizen who is not classifiable as an immediate relative, or who is a relative of lawful permanent resident (Green Card holder), is eligible to apply for a green card under what is known as the “preference” category. This is subdivided into several subcategories as follows:

• First preference (F1) – children of U.S. citizens who are unmarried and over the age of 21
• Second preference (F2A) – spouses and unmarried children of Green Card holders who are over the age of 21
• Second preference (F2B) – unmarried children of Green Card holders who are over the age of 21
• Third preference (F3) – married children of U.S. citizens; and
• Fourth preference (F4) – brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens, provided the U.S. citizen is over the age of 21

If you seek a green card based on any of the family relationships or categories above, you can avoid unnecessary denial of your application by having a competent and experienced family immigration lawyer in the Lombard area assist you in navigating the complex immigration system. Contact us today and request a consultation.