Petitions based on families allow residents of the USA to sponsor the relatives closest to them, to assist them in obtaining an immigration visa. United States citizens and LPR (legal permanent residents) are allowed to sponsor their relatives to the USA. However, it is important to remember that citizens of the U.S. are allowed to sponsor more relatives as compared to LPR.
Families staying apart due to certain reasons wish to get back together as soon as possible. They usually ask questions about how many relatives one person can sponsor to assist them in immigration.
Our experienced immigration lawyers US have compiled a list of some of the frequently asked questions and their answers in this article. Read further to find out more about how many relatives can be petitioned for a U.S. Visa.
How many individuals can be sponsored?
Well, there is not a specific number mentioned in law for how many relatives you can sponsor to the USA as a United States citizen or LPR but the cases of sponsorship are restricted to close relatives. For example, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service allows opening multiple cases to sponsor two close relatives. As USCIS has no limitation on the number of petitions you can make for sponsoring your family members in the USA, you just need to speak to your immigration lawyer to get your multiple petitions approved.
What family members can I sponsor?
According to law LPR are only allowed to sponsor their spouses and children who are not married yet including children over the age of 21 who are unmarried. However, United States citizens have more leniency in who they can sponsor. United States citizens are allowed to sponsor spouses along with both unmarried and married children, children and spouses of the married children and also their adult children. They are allowed to offer sponsorship to their siblings and parents as well.
How to figure out that I would need to file multiple petitions?
The ideal way to get things right when filing petitions for sponsorship of your relative is to consult an experienced London immigration lawyer. The documentation regarding sponsoring your family can be very complex and things can change according to the unique scenario of each person. A well-versed immigration lawyer can assist you to get through the complete process easily without making unwanted errors unknowingly and get you the results that you desire.
Process Of Sponsoring More Than One Relative
In case you sponsor any of your relatives through “family preference” then the individual you will sponsor will be allowed to come to the USA along with his spouse and children who are not married and are under the age of 21 without the need to file a petition separately for them. The person you sponsored will be filed as your “beneficiary” by the law and the extended family member they are allowed to bring are known as “derivative beneficiaries.”
In the case of sponsoring an “immediate relative”, the person you sponsored might not be able to bring his extended family (spouse, children). You might need to apply a separate petition for every person you want to sponsor which lies under the category.
Examples:
- You filed a petition to sponsor your spouse through “family preference” as an LPR then your spouse will be allowed by USCIS to bring her unmarried children younger than the age of 21 once granted a visa.
- You file a petition to sponsor your spouse as an immediate relative while you are a US citizen then your spouse may not be able to bring her unmarried children younger than the age of 21 and you might need to file a separate petition U.S visa petitions so each child can be granted a visa to the US.
- You sponsor your married child under the category of family preference then your child will be allowed to come to the USA along with his spouse and children as they would be considered derivative beneficiaries by the law.
- You try sponsoring your parents to the USA as a US citizen above the age of 21 under category immediate relatives, you will be required to file a separate petition for each of your parents and they would not be allowed to bring any relative under the category “derivative beneficiaries”.
That was all regarding the sponsorship of relatives in the USA. If you have any more queries feel free to contact our experienced visa petition immigration lawyers and they will gladly help you through the process of getting an immigration lawyer U.S and getting desired results on your sponsor petition without any delays.