Please help - I would like to bring my fiance and siblings to the USA

[Colbert Report 5]

I'm have PR status in the USA, have been living and working here for a year or so. I am not eligible for citizenship until March of 2020.

I would like to be able to bring my girlfriend down to the USA, or at least have the option of her living and working down here.

In addition, I have four sisters and one brother who have expressed some interest in coming to live and work in the USA.

May I sponsor any of them in with only my current PR status, or must I wait and become a citizen first? I'm not sure if I am able to sponsor siblings and my fiancé in or if that a privilege afforded to only a wife or husband and parents.

Thanks!

[milimelo 4,191]

No you may not. You need to be a citizen to petition siblings or a fiancée.

You can marry your girlfriend now and file I-130 petition for your spouse. She'll need to wait around two years to get a visa in F2A category.

[p-ana 933]

I'm have PR status in the USA, have been living and working here for a year or so. I am not eligible for citizenship until March of 2020.

I would like to be able to bring my girlfriend down to the USA, or at least have the option of her living and working down here.

In addition, I have four sisters and one brother who have expressed some interest in coming to live and work in the USA.

May I sponsor any of them in with only my current PR status, or must I wait and become a citizen first? I'm not sure if I am able to sponsor siblings and my fiancé in or if that a privilege afforded to only a wife or husband and parents.

Thanks!

Legal permanent residents can only file for spouses or their children.

Only us citizens can apply for siblings and fiancé. Note that the wait for siblings is very long

[Colbert Report 5]

Thanks for the responses. Just to be clear - I would have to marry her now in order for her to be eligible to come here? There are no visas given for fiancés of permanent residents?

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

As stated you can only petition a wife or child and you have to wait about 2 years for a visa. Depending on where you are from sibling that are currently getting visas have waited 13 to 23 years. The wait is expected to continue to increase in the coming years.

[Colbert Report 5]

My father is also PR and sponsored me in, so I'm assuming my adult siblings would also qualify for an F2B visa. It looks like in September they will be processing F2B applications made in February of 2010, so I'm assuming it will be about 6-7 years for them to get PR status if they were to apply immediately, although that could obviously change.

Does anyone know what would happen were my father to pass away before that 6-7 year waiting period is up? Would his wife (who is a US citizen but is not the mother of his children) be able to become their sponsor and would they retain their original application date?

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

THere is a concept of reinstating a petition , it woud depend on what point the petitioner dies.

[JFH 12,189]

One of the requirements for a petition to be re-instated is that at least one beneficiary or derivative is currently living in the USA at the time of the petitioner's death. Otherwise the case is closed.

I wouldn't worry about this unless it's something that is a very real possibility (is your father terminally ill?)

Note that the wait times increase each year. So although the people receiving their F2B visas now waited around 7 years, people who file today will be waiting probably more than 10 years. For siblings, those receiving visas now waited 13 years or so, but people filing today can expect waits upwards of 20 years (closer to 40 for Philippines). Every year there are more applications received than there are visa numbers available so the line gets longer.

Edited August 25, 2016 by JFH

[Colbert Report 5]

No, my father is not terminally ill, just overweight and almost sixty. There is a possibility he may not be around by the time a F2B visa that is applied for today comes due.

Were he to pass away during the process, would his wife (a US citizen but not the mother of any of his five other children) be able to assume the role of visa sponsor?

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

How old were your siblings when they married

[Colbert Report 5]

They are all unmarried.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

Sorry I meant your father and his wife. Were you siblings younger than 18 when they married

[Colbert Report 5]

One of them was 21, the others were all under the age of eighteen.

[Boiler 43,425]

Sounds like his wife could petition the younger ones.