IMMIGRATION NEWS

A new bill introduced in the Senate by Senator Michael Bennet, on December 13, 2011 would make it possible for undocumented students who enroll in college in science, technology, engineering or math programs to receive a temporary student visa and for international students who graduate with advanced degrees in science or math to obtain a Green Card. The Bill, called The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Visa Act of 2011 (S. 1986) would create a new category of visas for students graduating with advanced degrees with those specialties. The purpose of the measure is to encourage more students in the U.S. to study science, technology, engineering and math at U.S. universities, and to make it easier for international students to obtain residency and stay to live and work in the U.S. after earning degrees in these fields. According to Senator Bennet, between one-half and two-thirds of 2009 Ph.Ds in technical fields went to international students. More than 40 percent of the 2010 Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children and immigrants founded or co-founded more than 52 percent of Silicon Valley startups.

IMMIGRATION Q&A

Question: Is there an age limit for sponsoring a married child? I am a U.S. citizen age 88, residing in Miami; I have a married daughter age 65 living in the U.K. I would like to sponsor her for a Green Card but not sure if this is possible. I would appreciate if you could give me any necessary information. Many thanks.

Answer: There is no age limit to sponsor a relative; however, the waiting line for a married adult child of a U.S. citizen is currently 10 years. This means it will take approximately 10 years or more for an immigrant visa to be available in the category for your daughter (3rd preference). The process involves the filing of the family petition; the USCIS issues a receipt and later processes the case. Once the case is approved, the USCIS sends the file to the National Visa Center (NVC). The NVC puts the file on a shelf waiting for the 10 years or so that it takes for a visa to be available. Once a visa is near being available, the NVC pulls the file off the shelf and begins processing it for the consular interview. At that time, the NVC sends fee bills for each person immigrating and once the fees are paid, the affidavit of support and other important forms and information are provided by you to the NVC. Once the file is complete, the NVC sends the case to the U.S. consulate in London for final processing. Your daughter will receive an instruction packet with her consular appointment date and information required to take her medical exam. Once she attends the appointment, she will receive your passport with the immigrant visa a few days later and she and her spouse have six months to enter the U.S. Once they enter the U.S., they will receive their U.S. residency stamps at the airport and their actual green card several weeks later.

I hope this has been helpful to you.

Question: I just got my U.S. citizenship. I want to sponsor my parents to immigrate here. Can you please tell me how many years is the wait? Also, can I also sponsor my brother and his family at the same time?

Answer: The process is very quick for parents of U.S. citizens, approximately six-eight months for parents who are abroad and only three to four months for parents who are inside the U.S. You can also sponsor your brother, his wife and children, however, the visa line is very long and it will likely take 11 years or so for them to be able to immigrate to the U.S. Immigration regulations do not limit the number of relatives you may sponsor and since you don't even need to provide financial documentation until the time comes for them to immigrate, a U.S. citizen can file petitions to sponsor all qualifying relatives (parents, children and siblings) at the same time, since each will immigrate at a different time.

You can learn more about sponsoring family members for U.S. residency through Family Immigration by visiting our website at: www.Immigratetoday.com.