How to Sponsor your Relative in the United States

In order to get a family-based green card, a foreign born national must be sponsored by his or her U.S. citizen or U.S. lawful permanent resident relative. In order to help a family member immigrate to the United States, a U.S. sponsor has to file a family-based immigrant petition on behalf of his or her foreign born relative with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). If the foreign relative resides outside the United States, all the paperwork will be forwarded to the U.S. consulate or embassy in the foreign relative’s country of residence. In case the immigrant is already in the United States, he or she can adjust his or her status to a permanent resident in the United States. In order to sponsor a family member , the U.S. relative must meet sponsor’s eligibility requirements, such as:

• The sponsor must be either a U.S. citizen (by birth or through naturalization) or a U.S. lawful permanent resident. The sponsor will be required to provide supporting evidence to prove his or her U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident status in the United States.

• The sponsor will also be required to provide proof of his or her relationship with the immigrant.

• The sponsor should establish that he or she is financially stable and is able to support the immigrant in the United States. The U.S. relative has to show that his or her earnings are at-least 125% above the poverty line.

If the sponsor meets the eligibility requirements, he or she can sponsor his or her spouse, children parents, and siblings if he or she is a U.S. citizen. U.S. legal permanent residents can only sponsor their spouses and minor children.