"Chain immigration" is now a common topic of discussion. How does it work?
Claim: Well, anyone in America can just bring their random relative over.
Fact: The family-based visa program is limited to nuclear family: parents, children, sibling, spouse.
Fact: The family-based visa program is limited to sponsors who are already US Citizens.
Fact: The family-based visa program allows a US Citizen to _petition_ for a visa for a close family member. The applicant must be background checked, interviewed, etc. There is no guarantee they will be granted a visa.
Fact: Once approved, the family member receives a green card and can stay permanently in the USA.
https://travel.state.gov/…/family-based-immigrant-visas.htm…
Fact: The family-based visa program is limited to nuclear family: parents, children, sibling, spouse.
Fact: The family-based visa program is limited to sponsors who are already US Citizens.
Fact: The family-based visa program allows a US Citizen to _petition_ for a visa for a close family member. The applicant must be background checked, interviewed, etc. There is no guarantee they will be granted a visa.
Fact: Once approved, the family member receives a green card and can stay permanently in the USA.
https://travel.state.gov/…/family-based-immigrant-visas.htm…
Claim: Ok fine, it's limited, but then people arrive and just repeat the process.
Fact: Remember, sponsors must be US Citizens. It takes a minimum of 3 years to receive citizenship after arriving and getting a green card.
Fact: Family-based visas are limited in number (currently about 200k are given out in a year). This means there are backed up waiting lines, often in the 5-10 year range (and more for some countries). Your married child or sibling from Mexico or the Philippines would have been waiting for 20+ years to be approved today.
Fact: The only group that is approved faster (about 2 years) are unmarried minor children.
https://immigrationroad.com/vis…/visa-bulletin-by-month.php…
Fact: Remember, sponsors must be US Citizens. It takes a minimum of 3 years to receive citizenship after arriving and getting a green card.
Fact: Family-based visas are limited in number (currently about 200k are given out in a year). This means there are backed up waiting lines, often in the 5-10 year range (and more for some countries). Your married child or sibling from Mexico or the Philippines would have been waiting for 20+ years to be approved today.
Fact: The only group that is approved faster (about 2 years) are unmarried minor children.
https://immigrationroad.com/vis…/visa-bulletin-by-month.php…
Claim: But the chain! They will just work around the law by getting their parent, who will get their parent, who will get their other child, who will get their child, and now the cousin is here. Also I can't do math.
Fact: I will do the math for you. It will take a US Citizen, who is at least 21, at least 7 years to get their parent in the country. That parent will then require another 3-5 years to get a citizenship. So, in 10-12 years, they can sponsor their parent and there's no guarantee it will be approved. By the time it might be approved and your grandparent immigrates and becomes a citizen, you are at least 41 and your grandparent probably isn't alive anymore. But if they are, they can try to repeat the process twice more, and 20-25 years later your cousin is here. You are at least 61 by this time. Also, these are the absolute best-case times.
Fact: I will do the math for you. It will take a US Citizen, who is at least 21, at least 7 years to get their parent in the country. That parent will then require another 3-5 years to get a citizenship. So, in 10-12 years, they can sponsor their parent and there's no guarantee it will be approved. By the time it might be approved and your grandparent immigrates and becomes a citizen, you are at least 41 and your grandparent probably isn't alive anymore. But if they are, they can try to repeat the process twice more, and 20-25 years later your cousin is here. You are at least 61 by this time. Also, these are the absolute best-case times.
Claim: Oh, I got it, instead of parent to parent to child to child, we can do parent to sibling to child. That eliminates one step.
Fact: Yay, a critical think! Now the best case is your cousin can be here in 30-35 years.
Fact: Yay, a critical think! Now the best case is your cousin can be here in 30-35 years.
Claim: Actually it's 25 cuz the cousin will be here after 5 years, you counted 5 more years for them to get a citizenship but they're already here and have done all the crimes so nana nana nana.
Fact: You got me there. Everything I've said must be invalidated then. Unless I remind you that 7 years for the wait is the best-case, and good luck with that. For Mexico, each step will take 25 years, so by the time your cousin gets here, you'll be 100 years old and you won't even remember them.
Fact: You got me there. Everything I've said must be invalidated then. Unless I remind you that 7 years for the wait is the best-case, and good luck with that. For Mexico, each step will take 25 years, so by the time your cousin gets here, you'll be 100 years old and you won't even remember them.
So how does it work? It doesn't. Not in any real practical terms.
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