Family-Based Petitions

Family-based immigration law issues include temporary statuses (e.g. fiancé visas) and permanent residency. At the Law Offices of Ryutaro Hirota, we strive to help our clients reunite with their families as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Under the United States’ immigration law, there are two categories of family-based petitions: those for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, and those who are in what are called “preference categories.”

Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens include spouses of U.S. citizens, parents of U.S. citizen children who are 21 years old or older, and U.S. citizens’ unmarried children who are under 21.

“Preference categories” are used for immigrant petitions filed on behalf of certain other relatives of U.S. citizens, as well as relatives of lawful permanent residents (green card holders). These include U.S. citizens’ married children, unmarried children over the age of 21, and brothers and sisters, as well as the spouses and unmarried children of lawful permanent residents.

U.S. immigration law is complex and frequently changing. If you need help filing a family-based petition for your relative, please contact our office for a free, thirty-minute consultation.