FAMILY BASED
RESIDENCE
There are few things more rewarding for an immigration lawyer than helping unite or create a new family. Our experienced lawyers and staff will carefully answer your questions and help you through your USA family immigration matters.
Types of USA Family Immigration
K-1 fiancé visas allow you to stay in the United States for 90 days to marry your fiancé and apply for permanent residency (a.k.a. a “Green Card”). K-2 visas are available for children of people who get K1 visas.
A K-3 visa holder has concluded a valid marriage with a citizen of the United States; has a relative petition (Form I-130) filed by the U.S. citizen spouse for the person; seeks to enter the United States to await the approval of the petition and subsequent lawful permanent resident status, and, has an approved Form I-129F. A K-4 visa holder, is a person under 21 years of age and is the unmarried child of an alien eligible to be a K-3.
Many other types of visas are reserved for spouses and children of people who enter the United States on special visas. For example, F-2 visas are for the spouses and children of students in academic or language training programs. The students themselves enter on F-1 visas.
Similarly, J-2 visas are reserved for spouses and children of exchange visitors, who come in on J-1 visas. L-2 visas are given to the immediate family members of L-1 visa holders, who are people transferred to the United States branch of an international company. An E-2 visa holder may bring his or her spouse and minor unmarried children to the U.S. as dependents in the E-2 category as well. Similarly, for those principal holder’s of H-1B visas, an immediate family member may accompany that H-1B holder under the H-4 visa.
Marriage to a US Citizen
It is well-known that marrying a U.S. citizen can get you a green card, but it is often a complex and challenging process. For example, we had one client who made mistakes on her fiancé petition that seemed to doom her application. But our attorneys helped her file a waiver of excludability based on her troubled marriage, and got a successful ending.
Once married, whether you married in the U.S. or abroad, you will need to undergo a marriage interview with a representative of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The job of the interviewer is to determine if your marriage is “real” or if it is simply a marriage of convenience.
Our immigration law office provides culturally sensitive legal advice to couples facing the marriage interview process. Allow us to help you approach this important interview with confidence.
An employment visa can help an individual work in the United States. It is a powerful tool for those from outside countries to tap into the many opportunities in the United States and for our economy to tap some of the most talented people in the world. If you are an employer who needs more information about employee visas or a talented individual that needs help through the process, our firm is ready to help. For additional information about the scope of our employment immigration practice.