Fort Lauderdale Immediate Relative Visas Attorney

Reuniting Spouses, Children & Parents

If you’re a United States citizen, there’s hope that your spouse, children, and parents can live together in the U.S. Fortunately, U.S. immigration policy recognizes an immediate relative immigrant as sort of a special kind of immigrant because of their close relationship to you. While other visas limit the number of people who can enter the U.S. on that type of visa in a given year, immediate relatives of U.S. citizens are not subject to any such quota and should almost automatically have a visa number become available.

An experienced immediate relative visa attorney in Fort Lauderdale can help you sponsor a visa for your close family members abroad and put them one step closer toward achieving U.S. citizenship.

At The Law Offices of Nishan C. Mahendran, P.A., Mr. Mahendran has helped families in communities such as Pembroke Pines, Weston, and Miramar reunite on U.S. soil by offering a variety of immigration law services. Because any visa application process can be long and complicated, having assistance from an attorney like Mr. Mahendran throughout the process can offer peace of mind that immigration authorities are treating your family members appropriately according to the laws and policies that apply to their situation.

Contact The Law Offices of Nishan C. Mahendran, P.A. for help today or call (800) 716-4990 to schedule a complimentary in-person or over-the-phone consultation.

Immediate Relative Categories

While “immediate relatives” broadly covers spouses, children, and parents, of U.S. citizens, it’s important to understand that there’s some nuance to how the U.S. government defines these relationships.

The following are immediate relative categories laid out by the U.S. government:

• Spouses of U.S. citizens
• Children (younger than 21 years of age) of U.S. citizens
• Parents of a U.S. citizen who is at least 21 years of age
• Orphans adopted by a U.S. citizen in the orphan’s country of origin
• Orphans who were adopted by a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil

Relatives of a U.S. citizen, or any of those of a lawful permanent resident possessing a Green Card, may fit into a family preference category. Although wait times for these visas can last months or years, they still present a possibility of achieving entry and permanent residency in the U.S., especially if you work with an immediate relatives attorney near Fort Lauderdale like Mr. Mahendran.

Family Preference Categories

Family Preference Categories are visa categories that account for family members of U.S. citizens or those of permanent residents. Importantly, these categories differ from immediate relatives because each has a quota attached to it that limits the number of visas that can be issued.

Family Preference Categories are outlined by the U.S. government as follows:

• First Preference: U.S. citizen’s sons or daughters older than 21 and their minor children (23,400 annual visas).
• Second Preference: Lawful permanent resident’s spouse, minor children, unmarried sons and daughters older than 21 (114,200 annual visas; at least 77 percent of which are granted to spouses and minor children, the remaining visas are granted to adult sons and daughters).
• Third Preference: U.S. citizen’s adult sons and daughters, their spouse, and their minor children (23,400 annual visas).
• Fourth Preference: U.S. citizen’s siblings as well as their sibling’s spouses and minor children, as long as the citizen is 21 or older (65,000 annual visas).

If you’re a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident with loved ones living abroad, contact an immediate relatives attorney in Fort Lauderdale like Mr. Mahendran. At The Law Offices of Nishan C. Mahendran, P.A., we offer a complimentary consultation to help you understand what we can do for you.