Located in Los Angeles, California, and serving immigrants and their families around the world, Swanson & Swanson has earned a reputation as one of the leading immigration law firms in the United States.
We have decades of experience handling immigration matters. Our team of dedicated attorneys and our exclusive focus on immigration has made us a successful immigration law firm.
For additional information about our team or the benefits of retaining our services, please visit those pages or contact us.
To speak to a knowledgeable immigration attorney about a family immigration matter, or to discuss your particular situation, call 310-694-5914.
United States citizens and permanent resident aliens are entitled to immigrate their immediate family. A citizen can secure United States resident status on behalf of a spouse, child, son or daughter, parents, or siblings. Permanent residents can secure resident status on behalf of a spouse, children, or unmarried sons or daughters.
The speed with which an alien relative is entitled to immigrant is dependent upon their age, their marital status, the nature of the relationship to the United States citizen or permanent resident, the "status" of the United States relative, i.e. United States citizen or permanent resident, and the alien relatives country of birth.
Alien relatives who are spouses, parents, or children of United States citizens are entitled to immediate relative immigrant classification. Immediate relatives are entitled to immigrate as soon as the necessary petition and application for the immigrant visa are filed and approved.
There are two special visas available to a spouse or a fiancée or fiancé of a United States citizen which can facilitate the spouse's or intended arrival in the United States in advance of full immigrant processing. The K-1 visa is for the fiancée or fiancé of a United States citizen and the K-3 is for those who could not wait and jumped right into marriage.
All other alien relatives, i.e. spouses, children, sons and daughters of permanent residents and sons and daughters and siblings of United States citizens are entitled to preference immigrant classification. Preference classification entitles the alien relative to immigrate in the order of the date the petition is filed (the priority date) and as soon as an immigrant visa is available.
The preference classifications for family based immigration include:
- F-1 (Unmarried Sons and Daughters of United States Citizens)
- F-2A (Spouses and Unmarried Children of Permanent Residents)
- F-2B (Unmarried Sons and Daughters of Permanent Residents)
- F-3 (Married Sons and Daughters of United States Citizens)
- F-4 (Brothers and Sisters of United States Citizens)
Immigrant visa availability is a function of the number of visas available in any given year, the number of petitions already on file for the particular preference classification, and the country of birth of the alien relative or in some instances the country of birth of the United States relative.
Note: In the vast majority of cases family relationships are established through birth records. On occasion, however, the United States Department of State or the Citizenship and Immigration Service will require DNA testing as a pre-condition to granting the benefit of immigration through family. However, DNA testing should only be done on request of the State Department or the Citizenship and Immigration Service. DNA testing services are widely available and a service provider can be found through a simple web search or you can call us and we can help you locate a DNA tester.
For additional information about family based immigration (obtaining permanent residency or a green card through family ties), please contact us. We have helped generations of families with their immigration matters, and we want to help you.
Helping generations of families with green cards, work permits and other immigration matters since 1972...
- Family Based Immigration and the Child
- Family Based Immigration and the Adopted Child
- Family Based Immigration and the Orphaned Child
- Immigration as a Fiancée or Fiancé (K-1 Visa)
