As a Green Card holder (permanent resident of the United States), you can petition for certain family members to immigrate to the United States as permanent residents.

Which Family Members Can You Petition For?

You may petition for the following family members:

• Spouse (husband or wife)
• Unmarried children under 21
• Unmarried son or daughter of any age

What is the process for lawful permanent residents to petition for their family members?

To obtain a Green Card for a family members, the green card holder must:

• File Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative.
• Provide proof of your status to demonstrate that you are a permanent resident of the United States.
• Submit evidence of the qualifying relationship such as a birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce decree, etc.
• Submit proof of any legal name change for you or your family member

What happens after I file the petition?

Wait for a Decision on Your Petition

USCIS notifies the petitioner of a decision. If USCIS denies the petition, the notice will include the reasons for denying the petition and whether you may appeal the decision. If the petition is approved and you live outside the United States (or live in the United States but want to apply for your immigrant visa abroad), USCIS will then send the approved petition to the Department of State’s National Visa Center. The petition will remain there until an immigrant visa number is available for you. See our Visa Availability and Priority Dates pages for more information.

Wait for Notification from the National Visa Center:

The National Visa Center (NVC) is responsible for collecting visa application fees and supporting documentation. The NVC will notify the petitioner when the visa petition is received and again when an immigrant visa number is about to become available. They will also notify you when you must submit immigrant visa processing fees and supporting documentation.

National Visa Center Processing:

After USCIS approves your petition, they will transfer your case to the Department of State's
National Visa Center (NVC) for pre-processing. The first step in this processing is the creation of your case in their system. Once this is complete, NVC will send you a Welcome Letter by e-mail or physical mail. With the information in this letter, you can log in to our Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) to check your status, receive messages, and manage your case. Once you submit your fees, forms, and supporting documents to NVC, they will review your case to ensure you provided all the documentation required to schedule the immigrant visa interview. Interviews are based on the availability of appointments offered at the Embassy/Consulate.