Family-Based Immigration
Reuniting spouses, children, and siblings with family who are already U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.
Who can sponsor whom
U.S. citizens are able to sponsor spouses, children, and siblings for family-based visas. Lawful permanent residents have a narrower path — they can sponsor spouses and children, but not siblings. Processing times swing widely depending on the specific relationship involved, ranging from a few months to several years, and the State Department's monthly Visa Bulletin is the best resource for tracking roughly where a given case timeline stands.
Handling every kind of case
SMA works family petitions regardless of where the beneficiary is or what their current status looks like — whether they're abroad, already in the U.S. adjusting status, or in the U.S. without documentation. That includes filing the petition, following it through, and preparing clients for the consular stage when that's part of the process.
When a beneficiary abroad is blocked by something in their past — a prior deportation, a criminal record, an earlier visa overstay — SMA helps pursue the applicable waiver options. For someone already in the U.S. without status, cancellation of removal through immigration court can sometimes be a viable path forward. SMA has handled both consular waivers and removal-cancellation cases extensively, and takes on family petitions wherever there's a genuine, immediate relationship between a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and their close family member.
Worth knowing: The wait for a family-based visa depends heavily on the relationship involved — spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens generally move fastest, while siblings and adult children can face multi-year waits. Checking the State Department's Visa Bulletin each month is the best way to track where a case actually stands.