An Immigration Law Firm You Can Trust

Bell Icon
Photo of Professionals at Law Offices of Robert M. Bell, P.A.

Family Immigration Lawyer Boca Raton, FL

Family immigration law offers a path for eligible green card holders and U.S. citizens to bring specific relatives to the United States through visa or green card petitions. Every family’s situation is different. Who you can petition for, how long it will take, and what risks to watch for depend on your status, your relative’s location, and their immigration history. An initial consultation with our family immigration attorneys in Boca Raton, FL, can answer those questions before you file anything.

Our proactive legal team at Robert M. Bell can help you file correctly the first time, avoid delays caused by missing documents, and navigate the specific rules that apply to your family’s situation.

Who Can You Petition to Bring to The United States?

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), the answer depends on your immigration status. INA §201(b)(2)(A)(i) and INA §203(a) provide that if you’re a U.S. citizen, you can petition for:

If you’re a lawful permanent resident (green card holder), you can petition for:

Green card holders can’t petition for parents, married children, or siblings. That distinction is crucial and surprises many families who assume a green card carries the same sponsorship rights as citizenship. You should also know that processing times vary widely depending on the petition category, the immigrant’s country of origin, and current visa availability.

Is Adjustment of Status or Consular Processing Right for My Family?

This is one of the most consequential decisions in a family immigration case, and it depends entirely on where your relative is right now.

Adjustment of Status

8 U.S.C. § 1255 allows your relative who’s already inside the United States and was lawfully admitted to apply for a green card without leaving the country. They must file Form I-485 with USCIS, attend a local biometrics appointment, and may be eligible for a work permit and travel document while their case is pending.

Consular Processing

This option is for a relative who’s not in the U.S. or inside the U.S. but ineligible for adjustment of status. Once the I-130 is approved and a visa number is available, their case transfers to the National Visa Center and then to a U.S. consulate in their home country for an immigrant visa interview. The relative then enters the United States as a lawful permanent resident. Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, is the application used to prove the qualifying family relationship between the petitioner and the immigrant.

The critical difference: a relative who’s in the U.S. without lawful status generally can’t adjust their status and must use consular processing, which may trigger a three-year or ten-year bar on reentry under 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(9)(B) if they accrued unlawful presence before departing. For families in this situation, the decision to leave the country and the consular process carry serious legal risks that require careful legal analysis before taking any action.

What Can Go Wrong in The Immigration Process and How Our Lawyers in Boca Raton, FL, Can Help

At Robert M. Bell, we see most delays and denials trace back to preventable problems, such as missing documents, inconsistent biographical information, weak proof of a qualifying relationship, or a missed response deadline on a Request for Evidence (RFE). Our family immigration attorneys in Boca Raton, FL, can:

Learn How We Can Help You Reunite with Your Loved Ones

Whether you need information on how family immigration works or have taken steps to bring your loved ones to the U.S., our Boca Raton, FL, family immigration lawyers are here to help. Contact us online or call 954-241-4209 to book your confidential consultation.