Petitions
5 articles, newest first.
VAWA Self-Petitions and the I-360: Who Qualifies, What "Any Credible Evidence" Means, and a Backlog of 259,529
An abused spouse, child or parent of a U.S. citizen or permanent resident can petition for a green card without the abuser's knowledge, at no fee, and adjust despite entering without inspection. The petition is Form I-360, the standard is "battery or extreme cruelty," and the rule of evidence is unusually generous. What is not generous is the queue: 259,529 self-petitions were pending at the end of March 2026, and the first half of the fiscal year produced 911 approvals.
Family Petitions in 2026: Who Can Sponsor Whom, What It Costs, and How Long It Takes
The categories have not changed since this site first laid them out in 2021. The fees, the waiting lines and the scrutiny have. A current account of family-based immigration, from the citizen petitioning for a spouse to the asylee petitioning for a child.
US Citizens’ Relatives’ Petitions
If you are a U.S. citizen, you can petition for your relatives: Spouse; Unmarried and married son/daughter of any age; Parents (you must be 21 or older); Siblings (you must be 21 or older).
Asylees’ Relatives’ Petition
Can my relatives immigrate?
Green Card Holders’ Relatives’ Petitions
If you are a Permanent Resident (have a permanent resident card (green card), you can petition for your relatives: Spouse; Unmarried children under 21 or unmarried son/daughter of any age.