Family Immigration to America
The coveted US Green Card, officially known as a Permanent Residence Card grants its holder permanent residency in the USA and many of the same rights as a US citizen. USA Green Card holders may seek employment as they choose and may live and work in America without the need to apply for further visas or visa extensions. Whilst many Green Card applications are made through one of the employment based routes, a Green Card for the USA may also be obtained through sponsorship from a settled US citizen or permanent resident, which allows US immigration without the need to have an offer of employment or the ability to invest.
Start Your Free Visa Assessment
Whether you’re planning immigration to America, or you’d like to act as a sponsor to bring a relative to join you, find out what Global Visas can do you for you today by visiting the online USA visa assessment area.
US Marriage Visa – Applying for a K-3 Visa
The K3 marriage visa or spouse visa is a permanent immigration route through which the spouse of a US citizen or US permanent resident may sponsor their spouse, and any dependent children to join them in the USA. The process of applying for K3 US visas is begun in the applicant’s country of residence but is completed in the USA. Applicants must be aged 18 or over and will need to provide a range of supporting documentation including their marriage certificate. The key requirement of the US spouse visa is that parties must be legally married to one another. Where a marriage has been in place for less than two years US immigration will issue a conditional Green Card for two years, after which, subject to the marriage still existing, a full Green Card application may be submitted.
US Fiance Visas– K-1 Visa
Where a US citizen or permanent resident wishes to bring their partner to the United States in order to get married they may apply for a US K-1 visa. K-1 visas are issued for ninety days and the applicant and sponsor must marry within this time. Unlike a US marriage visa, the fiance visa does not permit the applicant to work in the USA. However, once the marriage has taken place a candidate will be awarded a K3 visa and may apply for Adjustment of Status (AOS) in order to begin working in the USA.
US Family Visas – Parents and Siblings
Unlike spouse visas and fiance visas, parents and siblings may only be sponsored to immigrate to the USA by a US citizen. Permanent residents may not sponsor relatives in these categories and must obtain US Citizenship if they wish to do so. A sponsoring US citizen must sign an affidavit of support by which they agree to take legal and financial responsibility for their relative. This will stay in force until the sponsored relative has either become a US citizen or has been living and working in the USA in a position of employment for ten years.
US Visas for Dependent Children
Dependent children of a K3 spouse holder will be issued with a derivative K4 visa, and in the same manner the dependent children of a K1 fiance visa holder will receive a K2 visa. In both cases the derivative visas match the privileges afforded to the main applicant. In addition, the IR3 and IR4 visas are available which allow a US citizen aged 25 or older to bring a foreign born adopted child to the USA. All adoptive families in the USA must be screened by the United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Find out further information on our US Visas page.
You can begin your US Green Card application by visiting the Global Visas online assessment area now. Whether you’re sponsoring a relative or you’ wish to relocate yourself, just take a few moments to complete one of our online assessment forms and a specialist US immigration consultant will contact you.
Start Your Free Visa Assessment
