Family connections provide the most common path to immigration, and family reunification is a primary goal of the U.S. immigration system. Nonetheless, immigration through a family connection can be a complex and challenging proposition. Sponsoring relatives have significant obligations to meet before they can bring family members here.

In order to immigrate through a family connection, your relative must file on your behalf with the Bureau of Customs and Immigration services an I-130 petition that includes proof of your familial relationship

Assuming the BCIS approves the I-130 Petition your relative filed for you, the State Department must determine if a visa number is immediately available. If you're an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen, a visa will be available at once. If you fall within a family preference category, you will be place on a waiting list. In order to be a sponsor, you must meet the following criteria:

• Hold a Green Card - or be a citizen and be able to provide the documentation proving your citizenship or immigration status.

• Proof of Age- You must be at least 18 years old, in most cases, and at least 21 years old for U.S. citizen sons or daughters sponsoring a parent.

• Proof of Family Relationship - You prove or document your relationship to the relative being sponsored.

• Financial Worth - You must prove that you can support the individual you are bringing into the country and any other financially dependent relatives at 125 percent above the mandated poverty line.

Student Visas

The 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) makes temporary employment in the U.S. easier for certain Canadian and Mexican workers. NAFTA created a new classification, "TN," for eligible Canadian and Mexican Professional Workers.