Family visa attorneys in New York City. K-1 fiancé visa, spousal green cards, parent petitions, sibling sponsorship, I-130 family petitions, adjustment of status, consular processing, and family preference backlog strategy — serving all five boroughs and the tri-state area.
Whether you are bringing a spouse, parent, child, or sibling to the United States — or helping a family member already in New York get their green card — Mandi Law Group provides experienced, thorough family immigration counsel.
Family reunification is the cornerstone of U.S. immigration law — more visas are issued for family-based immigration than any other category. For New York City's diverse immigrant communities, this means millions of family petitions, priority date tracking calculations, and adjustment of status cases involving every country on Earth and every possible family configuration.
Family visa petitions range from immediate and relatively straightforward (a U.S. citizen sponsoring a spouse) to extremely complex (a Dominican USC trying to bring a sibling from Santo Domingo who faces a 20-year backlog and a prior removal order). Every family's situation is different, and every case requires careful analysis of the legal eligibility, the timing, and the most practical strategy.
Attorney M. Riaz Musani and Mandi Law Group represent NYC families across the full spectrum of family-based immigration — from simple K-1 fiancé visas and immediate relative petitions to complex preference category cases, I-601A waiver applications, and consular processing at high-volume U.S. embassies worldwide. We serve New York City's Dominican, Jamaican, Haitian, Ecuadorian, Guatemalan, Filipino, Bangladeshi, Indian, and all immigrant communities with the same careful, dedicated representation.
I-130 immediate relative petitions for spouses of U.S. citizens — no annual cap, fastest family visa path. K-1 fiancé visa (I-129F) for couples planning to marry after the foreign fiancé arrives. CR-1/IR-1 immigrant visas through consular processing for spouses overseas. Marriage green card adjustment of status in New York. K-3 visas for married couples waiting on immigrant visa processing.
I-130 immediate relative petitions for parents of U.S. citizens — parents of USCs are immediate relatives, meaning no annual cap and no waiting period for visa availability. Adjustment of status for parents already in the U.S. Consular processing for parents abroad. Complex cases including prior deportations or entries without inspection. We help adult U.S. citizens — naturalized and U.S.-born — bring their parents from Dominican Republic, Mexico, China, Philippines, India, Guatemala, Jamaica, Honduras, Haiti, Ecuador, and every country.
Immediate relative petitions for unmarried children under 21 of U.S. citizens. F2A preference category for children of LPRs. Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) analysis to protect age-out issues for children who age out of the immediate relative category while petitions are pending. F1 preference category for unmarried adult children of U.S. citizens. Adoption-based immigration and step-child petitions.
I-130 F4 sibling petitions for brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens — one of the most backlogged preference categories, with waits of 10-25+ years depending on country of birth. F1 (unmarried adult children of USC), F2B (unmarried adult children of LPR), F3 (married children of USC) preference petitions. Priority date tracking, consular processing, and adjustment of status when priority dates become current.
I-130 approval + National Visa Center (NVC) processing + immigrant visa interview at U.S. consulates worldwide for family members outside the United States. NVC document submission, Affidavit of Support (I-864), civil documents translation, and appointment scheduling. U.S. Embassy-specific preparation for high-volume posts including Santo Domingo, Manila, Mexico City, Lagos, Mumbai, Guangzhou, and Accra.
I-485 adjustment of status for family members already in the United States when their priority date becomes current. I-601A provisional unlawful presence waiver for family members who entered without inspection or overstayed. I-212 waivers for prior removal orders. Family immigration cases involving prior removal orders, criminal bars, and other inadmissibility grounds handled with careful strategy.
Form I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative) is the first step in most family-based immigration cases. A U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident files an I-130 to establish a qualifying family relationship with a foreign national relative. USCIS approves the I-130 to confirm the relationship, but approval alone does not grant any immigration status. For immediate relatives (spouses, minor children, and parents of U.S. citizens), a visa is immediately available after I-130 approval. For preference category relatives (adult children, siblings, spouses and children of LPRs), the beneficiary must wait for a priority date to become current before they can apply for an immigrant visa or adjustment of status.
Processing times vary widely by petition type: Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens (spouses, parents, minor children): I-130 typically takes 6-12 months to approve; adjustment of status then takes 12-24 months at USCIS NYC; consular processing takes 12-18 months from I-130 filing. Family preference categories: after I-130 approval, the wait for a visa number to become available varies dramatically — F2A (LPR spouses) can be a few months to 2 years; F2B (adult unmarried children of LPR) ranges from 2-7 years; F3 (married children of USC) ranges from 4-15 years; F4 (siblings of USC) ranges from 10-25+ years depending on country of birth. Philippines, Mexico, China, and India nationals face the longest waits.
It depends. Undocumented family members who entered the U.S. legally but fell out of status may be eligible for adjustment of status or I-601A provisional waivers, depending on whether they have qualifying family members and whether they meet other requirements. Undocumented family members who entered without inspection (EWI) or were removed cannot adjust status inside the U.S. and must process through a U.S. consulate — but they may have unlawful presence bars (3-year or 10-year bars) that prevent immigrant visa issuance. The I-601A provisional unlawful presence waiver can waive these bars for those with qualifying USC or LPR family members and who can demonstrate extreme hardship. We evaluate every undocumented family member's situation carefully.
In immigration law, the terms are often used interchangeably but technically different. A 'family visa' typically refers to an immigrant visa (specifically an IV or immigrant visa stamp in a passport) issued by a U.S. consulate to a family member abroad — this is the document that allows them to enter the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident. Once they enter, they receive their green card in the mail. An 'adjustment of status' (Form I-485) is the alternative process for family members already in the U.S. — they apply for the green card directly without leaving. Both pathways result in the same outcome: lawful permanent residence (a green card).
Congress limits the number of family-based visas issued each year through the preference category system. There are four family preference categories: F1 — Unmarried sons/daughters (21+) of U.S. citizens; F2A — Spouses and unmarried children (under 21) of LPRs; F2B — Unmarried sons/daughters (21+) of LPRs; F3 — Married sons/daughters of U.S. citizens; F4 — Brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens (if the USC is 21+). Each category has an annual numerical cap, and each country has per-country sublimits. When demand exceeds supply, a 'backlog' develops and beneficiaries must wait for their priority date (the date the I-130 was filed) to become 'current' before they can obtain a visa. High-demand countries like Mexico, Philippines, India, China, and Dominican Republic often face the longest backlogs.
Spousal visas, K-1 fiancé, parent petitions, sibling sponsorship, adjustment of status. All five boroughs. Serving every immigrant community in New York City. Free consultation by phone or video.