Chattanooga Family Immigration Lawyer
Family Immigration Lawyers Serving Clients in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Family immigration cases are central to the work of most Tennessee immigration attorneys. When you have a family member living abroad, it can be complicated but extremely important to ensure that your family member can come to live with you in the United States in order to build a life here. In most family immigration cases, the family member who is currently living in the United States will be responsible for handling an immigration petition on behalf of the family member who is seeking to enter the United States, but the petitioner’s own immigration status in the U.S. will determine how the process may need to move forward. If you have questions or need assistance with your case, a Chattanooga family immigration lawyer at our firm is here to help.
Requirements for Helping Your Family Member to Immigrate to Chattanooga
If you want to bring a family member to the United States so that the person can begin working toward lawful permanent resident status and citizenship, one of the following must be true:
- You are a U.S. citizen;
- You have a Green Card (i.e., you are a lawful permanent resident of the United States); or
- You are a refugee who was admitted to the United States within the last two years as a refugee or you were granted asylum within the last two years.
Your current status will affect the type of family member for whom you can file an immigrant visa petition. If you are currently a U.S. citizen, you may be able to file an immigrant visa petition for a spouse, a child, a parent, or a sibling. If you are a lawful permanent resident or Green Card holder, you are only permitted to file an immigrant visa petition for your spouse, or for your unmarried child.
Types of Family Immigration Visas in Chattanooga, Tennessee
When you are planning to help a family member immigrate to the United States, it is important to understand that there are two general types of family-based immigration visas, as the U.S. Department of State explains. Those two types of visas include:
- Immediate relative visas, which require a close familial relationship with the family member currently in the United States, and are typically reserved for a spouse, a parent, or a child; and
- Family preference visas, which are for more distant relatives who have a specified relationship with a current lawful permanent resident of the United States.
Types of Family Immigration Visas in Chattanooga
There are many types of visas for family members in Chattanooga, and it is important to seek advice from an immigration lawyer in Tennessee about the specific type of visa you should be seeking in order to bring a family member over to the United States, based on both your status and their relationship to you. The types of family visas include Immediate Relative Immigrant Visas (IR visas), Family Preference Immigrant Visas (F visas), and fiancée visas (K1 visas).
Contact a Chattanooga Family Immigration Lawyer
Do you need assistance with your family immigration case? Our Chattanooga family immigration lawyers can assist you with the visa application process and determining your eligibility. Contact a Chattanooga Family Immigration Lawyer at Shirazi Immigration Law, Inc. today for more information.