How long does it take to get a Green Card in San Antonio, Texas?

San Antonio, TX – If you want to bring a relative in the United States or if your family member is already on US soil and you want to help them get their papers in order, you need to sponsor them to obtain a Green Card. The fact that you live in San Antonio or anywhere else in the state of Texas bears little relevance for this process. It all depends on the relationship between you and the undocumented immigrant. The whole process goes through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and they have a limited number of visas available each year. If your petitioning for a Green Card for an immediate family member, they might get it in less than a year. However, if you’re petitioning for a sibling or an adult child it might take several years.

If you want to speed up the process it would be best to talk to an immigration lawyer in San Antonio. Lawyers are not known to perform miracles, but they can be of great help in preparing the documents and helping you fill in the forms. There’s a lot of paperwork involved and if you make any mistake you will have to start all over again. Or the USCIS might put your file on hold if they need to ask for additional documents.

Who can petition for a Green Card?

If you are a US citizen you can sponsor a spouse, son or daughter, parent or sibling.

Legal permanent residents who are not US citizens can only file a petition to get a Green Card for a spouse or an unmarried child.

This is what forms you’ll need to fill in:

Form I-130 (“Petition for Alien Relative”), proving the family relationship
Form I-485 (“Application for Adjustment of Status”), if the beneficiary is in the US already (This can be used even if your relative has been arrested by the ICE and is threatened with deportation)
Form DS-260 (“Immigrant Visa Application”), if the beneficiary is outside the United States

How long will it take?

Close relatives have priority when it comes to obtaining a Green Card. For spouses or minor children of US children there is no limit to the number of Green Cards available. However, spouses and children of legal permanent residents will have to wait until a visa becomes available.

Spouse of a US citizen – If you live in Texas and you just married an undocumented immigrant, they may be able to get a Green card within 10-13 months. If you got married abroad and your spouse is not in the US, it will probably take 11-17 months to get a Green Card.
Spouse of a Green Card holder – This may take longer, usually between 2 and 3 years, whether your spouse lives in the US or not.
Minor children of US citizens – It only takes 10 – 13 months to get a Green Card if the child is under the age of 21.
Minor children of Green Card holders – 2 or 3 years.
Parents of US citizens – 10 to 13 months.

For adult children, married or unmarried, as well as for siblings, the waiting time varies between 7 and 14 years.

If you live in San Antonio and want to help a family member get a Green Card, seek legal advice from a local lawyer with many years of expertise in this field at the Law Office of J. Joseph Cohen

Contact info: Law Office of J. Joseph Cohen

San Antonio, TX

206 East Locust Street

San Antonio, TX 78212

Phone: (210) 769-3273