Family services
I-130 petitions for the people you love, with an honest explanation of where they stand in line.
You want to sponsor a parent, a son or daughter, or a brother or sister.
U.S. citizens can petition for parents (once the citizen is 21), children of any age, and brothers and sisters (once the citizen is 21). Green card holders can petition for a spouse and unmarried children, but not for parents or siblings.
Some relatives are "immediate relatives" with no yearly limit: spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents of adult citizens. Everyone else waits in a "preference category" with a yearly cap. The State Department's monthly Visa Bulletin shows where each line stands, by category and country.
That is why your sister's case can take far longer than your mother's. The wait in some categories runs for years, and for some countries more than twenty. We file it right, protect the priority date, and tell you what to do (and what not to do) while the line moves.
Every step has an owner. You always know whether we are waiting on you, on us, or on the government.
Our team
We confirm the category, read the current Visa Bulletin with you, and explain the honest range.
Our team
The petition sets the priority date, your place in line. We file it with proof of the family relationship.
USCIS
Approval means the relationship is accepted. It is not the visa yet.
National Visa Center
For preference categories, the case waits until the priority date is current. We check it every month.
National Visa Center
The National Visa Center collects civil documents, the visa application and the sponsor's affidavit of support.
U.S. embassy
Your relative attends the interview abroad, or files for the green card here if they qualify.
Immediate relatives: often about 1 to 2 years. Preference categories: several years to more than 20.
The Visa Bulletin sets the preference wait by category and country, and it moves forward, stalls and sometimes moves back. We check it with you monthly. We never promise a date.
Why cases waitDo not have everything? That is normal. Luis, our senior paralegal, helps you find or replace missing records.
None of these means your case is over. They mean it needs a plan before anything is filed.
Example outcome
Sibling petition
Situation: A U.S. citizen petitioning for her brother in a high-demand country.
What happened: The petition was approved years ago. Her brother is still waiting for his priority date in the Visa Bulletin. We check it every month and keep the file current.
Example outcomes describe past matters in general terms, with details changed to protect privacy. Every case is different. They are not a promise or prediction of your result.
More example outcomesUsually not. The line is set by law and by the yearly cap. What we can do is file it correctly, keep your contact details current with the agencies, and make sure nothing you do during the wait sets the case back.
It is the date USCIS received your petition. It marks your relative's place in line. When the Visa Bulletin shows that date as current for their category and country, the case can move forward.
It can change your child's category, sometimes to a faster line and sometimes not. Tell us before you take the oath so we can look at your child's case first.
A 45-minute consultation with an attorney, in English or Spanish. We tell you the route, the flat fee and the honest range.
1820 S Blue Island Ave, Suite 300, Chicago. Near the 18th Street Pink Line stop.
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