How Do I Get a Green Card for My Sibling?

Though you may enjoy your new life in the United States, you may still experience an unwavering sense of homesickness. Specifically, you may yearn for the comfort of knowing that your sibling lives close by and can be reached at a moment’s notice. So what may help relieve some of these aching feelings is if you petition to bring your sibling to the United States. That is, if you sponsor their green card application. Well, please continue reading to learn how to get a green card for your sibling and how one of the experienced green card lawyers at Lupton Law LLC can help you take on the very important role of their sponsor.

How do I become a green card sponsor for my sibling?

Namely, you may have yourself assume sponsorship over your sibling’s green card application by filing Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, on their behalf. With this, it is worth mentioning that you need not complete separate forms for your sibling’s spouse and children, if applicable. But the important thing to remember is to supplement your claim with evidence of your United States citizenship status (i.e., passport, birth certificate, naturalization certificate, etc). to prove that you qualify to serve as their sponsor in the first place.

What’s more, you may need to confirm your sibling-type relationship. This may be simply accomplished by supplying a copy of your sibling’s birth certificate to demonstrate that you share the same mother. However, additional proof may be needed if this is your sibling through adoption (i.e., adoption certificate) or a paternal half-sibling (i.e., marriage certificates of father to each mother).

What is the waiting period for my sibling to get a green card?

We are sad to report that siblings are considered low-preference family members when obtaining green cards. This may make the waiting period for approval quite significant for them, ranging from 10 to 25 years. What’s worse, your sibling may not be allowed to come to the United States while waiting for this green card petition to be approved.

For this reason alone, you may encourage your sibling to pursue other immigration avenues to get to the U.S. sooner. For example, your sibling may apply for a work authorization visa and build a credible career in the country. Or, they may petition for a student visa and take advantage of the U.S.’s rather impressive education system. With either path, your sibling may qualify to naturalize as a U.S. citizen eventually. All the while, they may be by your side in your new home country.

You and your sibling may just benefit from the services of one of the skilled family-based immigration lawyers from Lupton Law LLC. So please do not hesitate to schedule your free initial consultation with our firm today.