As a U.S. Permanent Resident, You May Sponsor Your Wife's Green Card

Question:

I recently get my Green Card based on my employment sponsorship. Please let me know how could I help my wife to get her Green Card? and how long it may take? Thank you very much.

Answer:

As a U.S. Permanent Resident, you may sponsor your wife's Green Card application, by applying for an Form I-130 petition. If she is in overseas, she will have to wait for the I-130 petition to be approved by USCIS, and then wait for an immigration visa number to become available, which may take years, before her petition can be processed at the Consulate.

However, if the wife is in the United States, she will have to continue to remain on the visa status (for example, H-1B, L) that the wife came in with, until she applies for their I-485 petition.