IMMIGRATION HELP PHILADELPHIA

Brother and Sisters as immigrants
If you are currently living in the United States and you want to petition to bring your sibling to live here permanently as a green card holder, you can only do so if you are a United States citizen.  You must also be at least 21 years old.  A permanent resident is not entitled to bring siblings to live permanently in the United States.  If you are a permanent resident and you want to petition to bring your sibling to live in the United States, consider becoming a citizen through the naturalization process to obtain this benefit.

            To successfully petition to bring your sibling to live in the United States, you must complete the I-130, Petition for Alien Relative.  You must also submit a copy of your birth certificate, a copy of your sibling’s birth certificate, and evidence that you are a United States citizen (this means that United States citizens are permitted to petition for their half siblings as well).  Examples of evidence that you are a United States citizen include the following; a copy of your valid United States passport, a copy of your United States birth certificate, a copy of your Consular Report of Birth abroad, a copy of your naturalization certificate, or a copy of your certificate of citizenship. 
        Additionally, you can petition to bring an adopted sibling or a step-sibling to live permanently in the United States.  For adopted siblings, you will also need to provide a copy of the adoption decree, evidencing that the adoption took place before you or your adopted sibling became 16 years of age.  For a step-sibling, you will need to provide additional documentation.  Please contact us and we can help you figure out what paperwork needs to be filed in this situation.  The paperwork you will have to submit is also different and slightly more complicated if you are petitioning to bring a half sibling to the United States, and you and your half sibling share a father, not a mother.  This is also something we can help you with so please contact us for more information on how to proceed in this situation.
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        When you are petitioning for your sibling to enter the United States and live here permanently, there is no standard avenue that will allow your sibling to come to the United States while the application is pending.  This means your sibling will have to wait abroad until their application is approved and everything is fully processed.  In certain circumstances, some exceptions may apply. 
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         If your petition was denied, you will receive a letter notifying you of the denial, and also informing you of the appeals process.  It should tell you when and how you must file the appeal.  In the meantime, you can always check the status of your case on the USCIS website once you receive a case number.  The process can be lengthy, as there are only a limited number of visas available.  We are very familiar with all of the above-mentioned situations, and can help answer any questions you may have about the process.