Shall I sponsor 3 relatives (spouse, mom, sister) at the same time for immigrant visas

Attorney answers (3)

1. 

   Andrew Wilson

   Buffalo Immigration Attorney

   Contributor Level 9

   Answered March 17, 2010 08:08. You may certainly start the permanent resident process for all three individuals at the same time. There will be different processing times for your spouse/mom and your sister, but you may start the process for everyone at the same time.
   
   If you are a US citizen and over 21, your spouse and mother should qualify as immediate relatives. This means their cases do not fall under the preference system and there should not be any priority date backlog issue. You can file I-130s for them now and once approved they may immediately begin their immigrant visa processing through the National Visa Center (NVC) and eventually the U.S. Consulate.
   
   Your sister falls under the family-based 4th preference, and depending on nationality, her case may take 10 years before her priroity date is current and she is eligible to process for her immigrant visa. You may file the first stage for her now though, the I-130 filing, and this will establish her priority date, but she will need to wait multiple years before proceeding with the immigrant visa processing satge.
   
   One consideration about processing your spouse and mother at the same time is your income and making sure you meet the affidavit of support requirements. There is a question on the affidavit of support form about whether you have sponsored other foreign nationals.
   
   You can find some general info on the family-based prefernce system and priority dates at:
   
   http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/...
   
   Regards,
   
   Andrew M. Wilson, Esq.
   Serotte Reich Wilson, LLP
   www.srwlawyers.com
   awilson@srwlawyers.com

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2. 

   Ekaette Eddings

   Atlanta Immigration Attorney

   Contributor Level 20

   Answered March 19, 2010 21:56. You may file petitions for your relatives if they are eligible, the number of petitions does not affect the processing times of the petitions as each is considered on its merits.
   You do not state if you are a US citizen. If you are you may file for your spouse and your mother who will have visa immediately available.
   As already stated your sister will take a while.
   The challenge you may face is in terms of having sufficient income to meet the poverty guideline for your mother and wife as they have to immigrate first.
   It is advisable to consult with an immigration lawyer for your particular case.
   You may utilize the link below if you so wish.
   Good luck.

   • ekaettelaw

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3. 

   Karen-Lee PollakPro

   Dallas Immigration Attorney

   Contributor Level 18

   

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   Answered March 22, 2010 10:26. In order to sponsor three relatives, you will have to show that you earn 125% above the poverty guidelines for the number of people in your home. Provided you are earning that amount, there is no problem in you sponsoring all three simultaneously.

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