As someone who lives in Georgia as either a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident, you may wish to bring a loved one who lives in another country to the United States to live with you. Your loved one needs to get an immigrant visa before he or she may do so, and you may need to sponsor him or her as part of the process.
Per the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, you may be able to sponsor your family member and enable him or her to move to the United States if you are at least 21 years of age. If you are a U.S. citizen, you may file an immigrant visa petition for a spouse, child, parent or sibling. If you live in the United States as a green card holder, you may file an immigrant visa petition for a spouse or unmarried child. The United States recognizes two types of family immigrant visas.
Immediate Relative visas
Available to relatives of U.S. citizens, these visas enable a child, husband, wife, mother or father to come and live in the United States. There are no current limits on the number of Immediate Relative visas that are available each year.
Family Preference visas
Available to U.S. citizens and, in some cases, lawful permanent residents, Family Preference visas may help more distant family members come to the United States. However, Family Preference visas may be tougher to get because only a limited number of them become available each year.
If you decide to petition for an immigrant visa, you become a “petitioner.” The person you wish to sponsor becomes your “beneficiary.”
