Unmarried Child under 21 of U.S. Citizen (IR-2/CR-2)

A U.S. Citizen (USC) may petition for his/her foreign national child(ren) who are under 21 years of age and are unmarried.  The USC must be a "parent" by reason of his/her relationship to his/her "child" at the time their relationship was established.  The parent-child relationship must continue to exist at the time when the immigration petition is filed.  If the child(ren) become 21 years old or older after a petition has been filed, the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) will preserve the child's age as "under 21" for immigration purposes.  Child(ren) in this category are classified as immediate relatives where they do not have to wait for a visa number as in the family preference categories (F1, F2A, F2B, F3, and F4).

Immediate Relative to F1 or F3 Category
However, if a child get married while the petition is still pending, s/he will automatically be considered a "married son or daughter" (F3).  If an unmarried child ages out where s/he will no longer be considered "under 21" even after applying the CSPA, then s/he will be considered an "unmarried son or daughter" (F1).  The Immigration and Nationality Act defines a "son or daughter" as a person who was once a "child" but is now either "married" or "over the age of 21".

To qualify as a Child
To qualify as a child of a USC, the USC must be able to prove that the unmarried child under 21 is:
a) Natural Child: a child born to his/her biological parents who were married to each other at the child's birth;
b) Stepchild: a step-child relationship arises when USC's marriage occurred prior to the stepchild's 18th birthday;
c) Adopted Child: (a) the adoption must have been finalized before the child's 16th birthday; (b) the adoptive parents must have had legal custody of the child for 2 years before / after the adoption; and (c) the adopted child must reside with the adoptive parents for 2 years before / after the adoption.

Submit your petition and/or application correctly the first time.  Our exclusive iKits save you time, legal fees, eliminate any guesswork, and are prepared by a lawyer listed in the Best Lawyers in America.  For your iKit, click the "Download iKit" button below.


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Green Card for Unmarried Child under 21 - Adjustment of Status

If you lawfully entered the United States and are seeking to Adjust Status in the United States, use this iKit to help you achieve your goal.  This iKit is based on over 35 years of practice in Immigration and Nationality law.
Download iKit

What's Included?



Our iKits fill the void for individuals who (1) think they are sufficiently knowledgeable to prepare their own applications or petitions; and/or (2) want to avoid the substantial costs that might be associated with having a lawyer prepare the case for them.

Our Immigration iKits are comprehensive all-in-one guides for individuals and businesses seeking US Immigration benefits.  Our iKits provide easy to follow step-by-step instructions on how to submit petitions and applications under US Immigration law and are tailored to specific issues or common situations involving US Visas, Green Cards, US Citizenship, and Deportation.

Our "Permanent Residence through Marriage to a U.S. Citizen" iKit includes the following:
  1. Our 10 Essential Tips to a Winning Immigration Case
  2. Eligibility Requirements and how to meet them
  3. Explanation of the application process
  4. Definition of key legal terms
  5. Detailed explanation of required documents for a successful case
  6. Translation requirements
  7. Photo requirements
  8. Pertinent Immigration Laws
  9. The most current, and up to date, immigration forms to assure proper filing
  10. True Line-by-Line instructions for all mandatory and optional forms; not a repetition of the USCIS instructions
  11. How to calculate the appropriate filing fees
  12. Sample Cover Letter
  13. List of mandatory documents to include with your petition
  14. Explanation of how to prepare and send your package to USCIS
  15. What to expect after filing
  16. How to handle common situations that may occur after filing
  17. Sample Exhibits (i.e., Cover Letter, Sample Employment Letter, Translation Certificate, etc.)

Why Purchase?



The "Permanent Residence through Marriage to a U.S. Citizen" iKit is prepared by a lawyer listed in the Best Lawyers in America and contains exclusive hints and tips that have been obtained through more than 35+ years of legal experience, exclusively in the area of Immigration and Nationality law.  This iKit:
  1. Is not a "One Size Fits All" iKit and is tailored for a foreign alien spouse marrying a U.S. Citizen.
  2. Includes value-added Attorney insider practice tips and pointers beyond common knowledge/research available to the public
  3. Is continually updated when Immigration Law / Procedure changes
  4. Helps our customers avoid common mistakes
  5. Eliminates any potential misinterpretation of USCIS instructions
  6. Empowers and educates you to confidently take control of your immigration goals

iKit Benefits



There are many benefits in purchasing an iKit, some of which are as follows:
  1. Pay only a small fraction of the fee that you would have paid for full attorney representation
  2. Full control over your Immigration case
  3. No appointment with an attorney
  4. Peace of mind knowing that your case was submitted accurately and efficiently the first time

FAQs



Q1.  Why doesn't Immigration Links have a Call Center to complete the forms for me?
First, everyone's situation is unique and there is no "one size fits all" approach when adjusting status.  Second, the iKit competently equips you to handle your case as if an attorney were to prepare your case.  When you follow the instructions in the iKit there will be no confusion as to how to submit your case. 

Q2.  How many pages are in the "Permanent Residence through Marriage to a U.S. Citizen" iKit?
There are over ninety-five pages in this iKit, forty-nine of which are dedicated exclusively for our true "Line-by-Line" instructions, Application Checklist, sample Cover Letters, and sample Translation document.

Q3.  Can you guarantee that I will receive my Legal Permanent Residence ("Green Card")?
There are no guarantees in life, however, if you read and follow the iKit you will obtain the peace of mind knowing that your application was submitted correctly the first time, which gives you the best chance in presenting your case to USCIS.  Additionally, you must meet the requirements for this immediate relative category. 

Q4.  I read / previously purchased the iKit, but may I have an attorney from ImmigrationLinks.com prepare my case?
Yes, but first, ImmigrationLinks.com offers three additional options beyond our proprietary iKits. 

Option 1
The first option is to purchase our "Forms Review" service, which is exclusively offered to our iKits purchasers where an immigration attorney reviews all forms, and mandatory documents that are to be submitted to USCIS, and the cover letter that you have prepared.  This is a flat fee cost.

Option 2
The second option is for you to purchase our "Forms Preparation" service, where an immigration attorney prepares all necessary forms, the cover letter, and the translation letter (if necessary) after you complete and submit our Immigration Questionnaire.  After receiving the Questionnaire, we will schedule a telephone consultation with you to go over any concerns regarding what was submitted.  Additionally, the attorney will direct you as to what documents you need to collect when submitting your case.  This service is also for a flat fee.

Option 3
The third option is for full attorney representation where an attorney will schedule an initial phone consultation and/or meeting in person (when necessary) to handle your case.  During this consultation, the attorney will proved you with the procedure and costs o handle your case.  If you decide to use our services, the cost of the consultation will be deducted from the total fee.

 
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ImmigrationLinks Qualifications

  1. Father or Mother must be a U.S. Citizen
  2. Child must be under the age of 21 and unmarried
  3. Child must not have committed certain criminal or immigration law violations (although a waiver may be available)
  4. Child must have been admitted or paroled into the United States with certain exceptions (if applying for adjustment of status)
  5. If a step-parent, the parent-child relationship must have been established prior to the child's 18th birthday
  6. If an adopted or orphan child, the parent-child relationship must have been established prior to the child's 16th birthday

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