How Does a Family Preference Visa Work in Florida?
Once you have a green card in the US, some of your family members can apply for a family preference visa. The spouse and any unmarried child of the green card holder can apply to enter the country on a family preference visa. A US citizen’s family may also apply for this type of visa, including the individual’s siblings and married children.
This type of visa limits entry to the US until the final approval of the visa application. The approval process ranges from months to years, depending on how you are related to a green card holder or US citizen.
The visa applications use preference levels including:
- F1 – first preference refers to an unmarried daughter or son of a US citizen or green card holder above the age of 21.
- F2 – second preference refers to an unmarried daughter or son of a US citizen or green card holder under the age of 21 and their spouse.
- F2B – also second preference, refers to unmarried daughters and songs of US permanent residents at least age 21.
- F3 – third preference refers to the married daughters and sons of US citizens.
- F4 – fourth preference refers to the siblings of US citizens of at least age 21.
The family preference visa may take longer to obtain, but you can bring nearly your entire family with you to the US by using it. The versatility of this visa type is that you can apply for it and essentially re-establish it over the long term in the US.
Your parents also have an opportunity to enter the US on a long-term visa. That would use the immediate relative visa.
Immediate Relative Visa in Brief
The spouse, parents, and unmarried children of a green card holder or US citizen can apply for an immediate relative visa. Your relatives may be able to visit before the final approval of the visa application. This doesn’t include siblings though.
Either visa from these programs can provide your family with entry into the US, but which could each family member obtain more quickly? That depends on many factors which the immigration lawyers Lakeland FL trusts can help you understand.
At Espinoza Law Offices, P.A. we’ve practiced immigration and business law exclusively, honing our skills. Our attorneys earned their law degrees and went right to work helping others to legally enter the US. Espinoza Law Offices serves Lakeland Haven and Tampa with dependable, reliable, talented immigration attorneys Tampa FL residents can count on to help them re-establish their family in the US.
As soon as you arrive in the US, whether for school or work, if you know you want to remain in the US, contact our offices. We will assign a family immigration lawyer who can assist you in obtaining your green card or citizenship. As soon as you have your legal status taken care of, you can begin the process of bringing your spouse, children, and siblings to the US, also.
Immigration law proves complex. Having an immigration lawyer near Tampa Bay who can and will take the time to sit down with you and discuss your options, then work diligently to bring your family to you makes all the difference.
We’re a member of the Lakeland Florida Chamber of Commerce, and we pride ourselves on helping the community of Tampa Bay. Our diverse community in Florida keeps growing, and we appreciate our place in helping it grow.
Contact Espinoza Law Offices, P.A. to determine which of the many types of visas would most effectively work to bring your family to the US. We devoted this blog to the family preference visa, but many other options exist, including the K-1, K-3, and immediate relative visa. Let us help you move through the right application process for each of your family members, so you can reunite in the US.