Petition for Alien Relative

If you are a U.S. permanent resident, or a U.S. citizen, you are entitled to file a family petition for your immediate family members. The family petition is not an application for residency, but is the first step on the path to permanent residency. Depending on where your relative is located, and how he or she entered the U.S., will determine whether he or she qualifies to apply for permanent residency within the U.S., or whether he or she must file for residency through consular processing in his or her home country. But in both cases, the family petition is the first step.