Sheridan, CO Immigration Law Firms & Lawyers

Generally, a U.S. Citizen who is at least age 21 may sponsor a parent to adjust status to become a Lawful Permanent Resident (to get a "Green Card") if the parent entered the U.S. lawfully and with inspection, even if she may have overstayed her visa. Becoming a Permanent Resident for 5 years (3 years in the case of some people married to U.S. citizens) is a prerequisite for applying to become a naturalized citizen. The analysis is different for a sibling. Generally a U.S. Citizen may apply for a sibling who entered the U.S. lawfully and with inspection in the Family-Based Fourth Preference Category. The waiting list for a visa in this category is very long - by some estimates it may be 15 years or even longer - and so this rarely is a worthwhile immigration strategy and other alternatives need to be explored. Note also that if the sibling is out of status, she will need to go outside the U.S. for consular processing (instead of "adjustment of status" inside the U.S.), and if as an adult the sibling has been unlawfully present for more than a year she may become subject to a very harsh 10-year bar to re-entering the U.S. Some immigration law firms, including mine, offer legal services on a "flat fee" basis so that a client will know the total expense from the very beginning, and a few immigration law firms, including mine, offer an initial consultation free of charge.

If a) your boyfriend entered the U.S. legally, with a visa, b) you are a citizen of the U.S.; and c) you marry him, - then you can file an petition with US Citizenship & Immigration Services asking that your husband be permitted to remain in the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident. USCIS will consider your petition, check your boyfriend's background, and call you both for an interview. If you convince the USCIS officer at the interview that you two got married because you love each other and want to be a family (not just to get a green card for your boyfriend), the petition will be approved, and your husband will receive a green card for 2 years, conditioned on his marriage to you: if your marriage does not survive 2 years, your husband will lose his green card. 18 months later, you both will ask the USCIS to remove the conditions on your husband's green card. At the second interview, you will have to convince USCIS officer, again, that your marriage is real; if you succeed, your husband will receive a permanent green card (one that he will keep even if you divorce him); otherwise, USCIS will ask him to leave the U.S. 33 months after getting his first green card, if he will still be married to you, your husband will be able to apply for U.S. citizenship. This is the procedure. Difficulties can arise if your fiance has criminal convictions, a history of immigration law violations in the U.S., or some other disqualification that would bar his becoming a permanent resident. Another problem that you might face is that you would have to show financial ability to support him in the U.S.; for a family of 2, you would have to show income of over $19388 a year. If you don't have that kind of income, and don't have significant assets, you would have to find a co-sponsor. Finally, you might want to know that the government filing fees on the first stage (up to the getting a 2-year green card) are $1490.

The USCIS fees are $1490. You can apply while you are here on a tourist visa. You are eligible to get a work permit and travel permit while you are waiting for the green card. And the entire process only takes about 3 to 4 months.