Family Sponsorship (I-130 Petitions)

Bring your family members to the United States and give them the foundation for a permanent life here. We prepare your petition carefully so the government has everything it needs to say yes.

Understanding Family-Based Immigration and Form I-130

A family sponsorship petition is the first legal step you take when you want to help a relative earn the right to live in the United States permanently. The government calls this filing a Form I-130, and it is the document that officially tells USCIS that a qualifying relationship exists between you and the person you want to sponsor. If you live in the United States and want to bring a parent, sibling, adult child, or married child to the country, an experienced family immigration lawyer can help you file this petition without errors that slow everything down.

Not every family relationship opens the same door at the same speed. Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, which includes spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents, move through the process without waiting in a visa line. All other family relationships fall into preference categories with annual caps on the number of visas issued, and wait times in those categories can stretch from a few years to more than a decade depending on the country of birth of the person you are sponsoring.

Who Can Sponsor a Family Member

The government sets clear rules about who is allowed to file a family petition. You can submit Form I-130 if your situation matches these conditions:

You are a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident (green card holder)
The person you want to sponsor is a qualifying relative under immigration law
You can document your family relationship with official government records
You meet the financial support requirements based on household size and income
You are filing on behalf of one specific person, not a group of relatives at once
You understand that approval of the petition does not immediately grant a visa or green card

Important Note: for permanent residents: green card holders can only file I-130 petitions for a spouse and unmarried children. If you want to sponsor a parent, sibling, or married child, you must first become a U.S. citizen. Justin explains which relationships you can petition for right now versus which ones become available after naturalization.

How a Family Sponsorship Petition Moves Forward

The I-130 is the opening move in a longer process. This is the path your case follows after Justin files the petition:

1

Prepare and submit Form I-130

Justin gathers your relationship documents, fills out the form correctly, and files it with the appropriate USCIS office along with the filing fee.

2

Wait for USCIS to accept and process the petition

The government reviews the paperwork, confirms the relationship, and runs background checks. Immediate relative petitions typically move faster than preference category cases.

3

Receive the priority date

USCIS assigns your relative a priority date, which is the date they entered the visa queue. For immediate relatives of citizens, this matters less because visas are always available.

4

Monitor the visa bulletin

For preference categories, Justin tracks the monthly visa bulletin to watch when your relative's priority date becomes current and a visa number opens up.

5

Transfer to the National Visa Center

Once a visa is available, the case moves to the NVC, which collects additional documents and fees before scheduling the consular interview abroad.

6

Complete the consular process or adjust status

Your relative either attends an interview at a U.S. embassy in their home country or, if already in the United States lawfully, files to adjust status here.

Staying on Top of Long Wait Times

Priority Date Tracking

For preference category relatives, the gap between petition approval and an available visa can last years. Justin monitors the monthly visa bulletin and updates you when your relative's date is getting close so you are ready to move quickly.

Keeping the Petition Current

Life changes between filing and visa availability. If your relative gets married, divorces, or turns 21, those events can affect whether the original petition still covers them. Justin watches for these changes and advises on how to handle them.

Aging Out Protection

Children who are the subject of a petition could age out of a preference category before a visa becomes available. The Child Status Protection Act offers some relief, and Justin calculates whether your child qualifies for protection under those rules.

Petitioner Changes

If the U.S. citizen or permanent resident who filed the petition passes away or loses status before the case is complete, the petition may still survive under certain legal protections. Justin reviews these situations individually.

After the Petition Is Approved

An approved I-130 petition does not immediately mean your relative can travel to the United States. For immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, an immigrant visa or adjustment of status filing follows quickly after approval. For preference category cases, the petition sits in the queue until a visa number becomes available, which is tracked through the monthly visa bulletin.

Once a visa number is current, your relative either attends an interview at a U.S. embassy in their home country through consular processing or, if they are already inside the United States in lawful status, files Form I-485 to adjust status without leaving. Justin prepares both paths and recommends the right one based on your relative’s current location and history.

Form I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative)
Priority Date Monitoring and Visa Bulletin Tracking
National Visa Center Document Preparation
Consular Processing Coordination
Form I-485 (Adjustment of Status) Filing

Your Attorney

Working Directly With Justin

Justin Kadich personally handles every family sponsorship case at American Dream Immigration. You will speak with the attorney directly when you call, and Justin builds the strategy for your case himself rather than delegating it to office staff. Family petitions look simple on the surface but carry real consequences if filed incorrectly. A wrong relationship category, a missing document, or an overlooked filing deadline can delay your family member’s case by months or force you to start over. Justin has handled the full range of family relationships under immigration law and knows what documentation USCIS expects to see for each one.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does an I-130 petition take to get approved?

For immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, petition processing typically takes between 6 and 12 months. For preference category relatives, approval comes within a similar window, but the wait for an available visa number adds years on top of that depending on the category and the person’s country of birth.

Can my relative come visit the United States while waiting for the petition?

Having a pending I-130 petition does not prevent your relative from applying for a visitor visa, but it does create what the government calls immigrant intent, which can lead to a denial. Justin advises on how to handle this situation before your relative attempts any travel to the United States.

What happens if my relative gets married after I file the petition?

An unmarried adult child in a preference category who marries after the petition is filed moves to a different preference category with a longer wait. For some families, it may make more sense to hold off on marriage until the process is further along. Justin walks through the timing implications before you decide.

Can I file for more than one family member at the same time?

You must file a separate Form I-130 for each individual relative you want to sponsor. Each petition has its own fee, its own priority date, and its own processing timeline. Justin manages multiple petitions for the same family when needed.

Does sponsoring a family member affect my own immigration status?

Filing an I-130 does not affect your status as a citizen or permanent resident. However, sponsoring a relative does require you to sign an Affidavit of Support, which is a legally binding promise to financially support that person if they need assistance after arriving in the United States.

Reunite Your Family the Right Way

Watching a parent, sibling, or child stay in another country year after year is one of the harder parts of building a life in a new place. Justin Kadich helps families in Arlington and nearby communities get the petition filed correctly so the process moves as smoothly as the law allows. Schedule a consultation with Justin to review your family relationships, understand the wait times involved, and put together a filing plan that fits your goals. You will work with an attorney who handles your case personally and keeps you informed at every stage.