You’ve been living in the United States for a long time. You were naturalized recently, too, meaning that you are now a citizen and may stay in the United States permanently.
With your naturalization, you can bring family members to the United States more easily. You may want to bring over your parents, children, or siblings, so they can live with you, too.
How many people can you bring to the United States?
The number of family members you can bring to the U.S. is not exactly finite, but it isn’t unlimited, either. On one hand, you are able to sponsor as many close relatives as you’d like, but on the other, you’re limited to bringing only certain relatives. For example, U.S. citizens may bring:
- Married and unmarried children (including adult children)
- Married children’s spouses and children
- Unmarried children’s children
- Their parents
- Their siblings
It is not typically acceptable to petition to bring distant relatives into the country. That means that aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins or others may not be able to come to the US.
There are also fees associated with bringing anyone to the United States as an immigrant. The I-130 form has fees, $535 as of 2022, and there is a waiting period for all family members. For example, in 2018, the waiting period for a sister of a U.S. citizen still living in the Philippines was close to 24 years.
Why so long? There has to be a visa available. There are only a limited number of immigrants allowed into the country each year, which caps how many people can come in general.
If you want to bring your family to the U.S., get started
It can take many years to bring your loved ones to the country. While the exact length of time will depend on where they currently live and the immigration caps for the year, you should expect to wait for at least a few years before they can come to the United States. Starting the petition process now will help get them here sooner, so your family can join you and start a new life in the U.S.