visa sponsorship

[jayavel]

I got my citizenship in May this year. I would like to sponsor my sister who is in the US on a H-1 visa. What is the procedure and how long will it take before she gets a green card. Would appreciate your response. thanks

 

[Huracan]

Like 10 or 15 years. Now, I am just shooting off the hip. What it's true is that this non-immediate family sponsorships usually takes a decade or so, depending on country and closeness of relationship. I don't know in your particular case, but it would be good to check the state department visa bulletin to see how the family visas are doing. I hope someone with experience shares more insight. I think it doesn't hurt starting the process, but I would think she has a better chance to get the green card quicker through employment or marriage.

http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_1360.html

Family Fourth Preference (F4): Brothers and sisters of United States citizens, and their spouses and children, provided the U.S. citizens are at least 21 years of age. (65,000)

My 2 cents

 

[boatbod]

"How long" really depends "where from". If your sister is a citizen of one of the countries with the long waiting lists (Phillipines, Mexico, India, Pakistan, ...) then the wait could indeed be 15 years or more. On the other hand, the processing time for elsewhere may still be around 3 years.

An I-130 will be required to get the process rolling.