Family-based immigration is the most common path to a U.S. green card. Hasan Legal PC files Form I-130 Petitions for Alien Relative for U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents living in Washington DC, Northern Virginia, and Maryland — covering spousal petitions, parent and child petitions, sibling petitions, and consular processing through U.S. embassies abroad.
U.S. citizens may petition for spouses, unmarried children of any age, married children, parents (if the petitioner is at least 21), and brothers and sisters (if the petitioner is at least 21). Lawful Permanent Residents may petition for spouses and unmarried children of any age. The petitioner must demonstrate the qualifying relationship and meet the financial sponsorship requirements of the Form I-864 Affidavit of Support.
Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens — spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents — have no annual visa cap and no Visa Bulletin wait. They may file the I-130 and the I-485 (if in the U.S.) concurrently. All other family categories are subject to annual numerical limits and the monthly Visa Bulletin: F1 (adult unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens), F2A (LPR spouses and minor children), F2B (LPR adult unmarried sons and daughters), F3 (married children of U.S. citizens), and F4 (siblings of U.S. citizens).
Most I-130 petitions are taking 16 to 32 months at the National Benefits Center for preference categories, while immediate-relative I-130 petitions filed by U.S. citizens often process in 8 to 12 months. After I-130 approval, applicants either adjust status inside the U.S. (Form I-485) or pursue consular processing through the National Visa Center and a U.S. embassy abroad.
For preference-category I-130s, your priority date is the day USCIS receives your petition. Each month the Department of State publishes a Visa Bulletin showing which priority dates are 'current' for each category and country. F4 (sibling) petitions can take well over a decade for high-demand countries like Mexico, the Philippines, India, and China.
When the beneficiary is outside the United States, after the I-130 is approved and a visa is available, the National Visa Center collects civil documents and the I-864 Affidavit of Support, and then forwards the case to the U.S. embassy or consulate where the beneficiary will be interviewed. Common DMV-area cases involve U.S. Embassy Dhaka, U.S. Embassy Mumbai, U.S. Embassy Manila, U.S. Embassy Mexico City, and U.S. Embassy Lagos.
If the marriage is less than two years old when the green card is approved, the spouse receives conditional permanent residence valid for two years. Form I-751 must be filed jointly within the 90 days before the conditional card expires to remove the condition and receive the standard 10-year green card.