My posting, re: Family-based petitions, has been generating a lot of queries from “kababayans.” Some sent their queries by e-mail. Some called me by telephone.
Well, it’s easy to understand why. It’s the most common sponsorship process for many Filipinos- for those who are here, as well as for those back in our country.
The sad part is, with the exception of petitions for immediate relatives, (i.e., petition for spouses, children, and parents by U.S. citizens), most petitions in this class for Philippine natives suffer from heavy visa backlog.
For instance, based on the Visa Bulletin for March 2007, a petition for unmarried sons and daughters by U.S. citizens has a visa available only for those filed back on 22 January 1992 and earlier dates; married sons and daughters, 01 September 1990; and brothers and sisters, 01 September 1984.
So, beneficiaries of these petitions would have to wait for a long time for visa availability.
Now, here’s a query sent via e-mail:
“I’ve been here in the U.S. for over 15 years, but wala pa ring “papel.” I’ve got three kids born here. The eldest is 12. Can I get sponsored by one of them since they’re U.S. Citizens?”
The answer is yes. He or she can be petitioned by one of his or her kids when one of them becomes 21 years of age.
Why? The law requires that a parent may be petitioned by a U.S. citizen, if the latter is at least 21 years of age.
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