On Behalf of Palacios Law Group
You may be a citizen of the United States but that does not mean that every member of your family is a citizen of the U.S. If you have brothers or sisters who hold citizenship in other countries and you wish them to join you in the United States, you will want to understand the preference levels for family immigration in this country.
U.S. Customs and Immigration Services outlines five levels of relatives with associated preference for receiving a green card based on their relationship to you.
Sibling green cards for U.S. citizens
While you may have the ability to bring your sister or brother to the U.S. with a legal green card, you should know that these green cards fall into the last category for family preference. You should also know that you must be at least 21 years of age before requesting this green card for your siblings.
Preference levels ahead of siblings
The first preference level for a family green card focuses on single children of U.S. citizens. The sons or daughters must also be 21 years of age or older. If your son or daughter is married, they fall into the second-to-last preference category just above a sibling green card.
The middle categories provide some preference for relatives of lawful permanent residents of the United States.
This information is not intended to provide legal advice but is instead meant to give people in New York an overview of how family immigration may work and what levels of preference different family members may receive in attempting to legally bring a relative into the United States.
