Family Green Card: Top Six FAQs and Their Answers

A Family Green Card is a type of visa that covers all the members of a family. According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the card is issued based on familial relationships between foreign citizens and qualifying U.S. citizens.

This popular way of obtaining permanent residency can benefit the immediate family members or the citizen’s preference for relatives. U.S. citizens must sponsor the chosen family members for this method to get a green card. It requires proving you have sufficient resources to support the relatives when they enter the United States.

Frequently Asked Questions About Family Green Cards

There are many ways foreigners can obtain green cards, but none of them are easier than a Family Green Card. Frequently asked questions about how to apply for a Family-Based Green Card include the following six questions:

1. Who Qualifies for a Family Green Card?

Essentially, immediate family members like spouses, unmarried children, and parents qualify. That is all for immediate family members who may apply. Choosing the family preference option makes things a bit more complicated.

The waiting time for approval of your application takes longer than Family Green Cards for immediate family. The following relatives of the U.S.citizen can be selected under the family preference option:

• Parents
• Unmarried sons and daughters
• Spouses
• Married children
• Brothers and sisters
• Other familial relationships

Fiances, widows, and widowers do not qualify for this program, but they have other options for obtaining a green card.

2. Who Is Eligible for Sponsoring a Family Green Card?

The sponsoring person must be at least 18 years of age and have U.S. citizenship or permanent legal resident status. The sponsor must live within the United States or its possessions or territories. You can still apply if you are temporarily living abroad as long as your permanent residence is in the United States.

3. What Must I Do as a Sponsor?

Sponsors must sign a legally binding document that guarantees the support of each member included under the Family Green Card. You must have sufficient resources to cover each family member’s expenses to at least 125% of the national poverty level. Your responsibility continues until the green card holder becomes a U.S. citizen or has lived in the United States for about 10 years.

4. My Child Is About to Turn 21, so Do I Have to Wait Until Then to File for an Available Visa?

The age of your child is based on the original filing date, so you can apply for a Family Green Card if the child is under 21 on the date you file your petition. The Child Status Protection Act guarantees that bureaucratic delays don’t jeopardize your original requests.

5. What About Adopted Siblings? Do They Qualify for a Family Green Card?

As a U.S. citizen, you can sponsor step-brothers, step-sisters, and adopted siblings for a green card. The child must have at least one parent in common with you, and adopted siblings must have been adopted by one of your parents before the child turned 16. None of these cases qualify for the Family Green Card, but getting a green card for them is relatively easy.

6. What Documents Do I Need to Start the Process of Obtaining a Family Green Card?

The required documents for Family Green Cards include the following:

• Birth certificate
• Marriage certificate if applicable
• Passport valid beyond planned U.S. entry date
• Affidavit of support
• Marriage dissolution document if applicable
• Immigration medical examination form

You need copies of these documents for each family member sponsored and relevant copies of your own documentation as a sponsor.

Getting Assistance and Support

Contact an immigration expert for help and answers to any further questions you might have. They will be able to provide all the information you need and will make sure that the process goes smoothly.