Bring Your Family to the United States

U.S. Citizens May Sponsor their Immediate Relatives (Spouses, Parents, and Minor Children) for a Green Card.  The application process takes anywhere from 8 months to about a year.

For relatives of Green Card Holder and non-immediate relatives of U.S. Citizens, the process can take substantially longer.  For example, in June 2010, the U.S. Government was processing the application of a Philippino brother of a U.S. citizen (4th preference category) who applied in April 1988.  The Guatemalan husband of a Green Card Holder (preference category 2A) was doing much better because the U.S. Government was processing his application from January 2008 in June 2010.  So, the waiting period can be anywhere from about 2 to 22 years!