There are many benefits to US citizenship and one of the major ones is the ways that it can benefit your family. Once you are a US citizen, you can help your family by sponsoring them for immigration to the US. Your citizenship can help you secure a green card for family members and even help family members eventually become US citizens themselves.
If you are a US citizen but your spouse is not, for example, you can sponsor your souse for a green card. To do this, you must be able to show US immigration authorities that your income is 125% or more above the poverty level, as outlined in the US. If you meet these requirements, you can apply to sponsor your spouse. You will need documentation of your marriage as well as documentation of your finances to do this. In some cases, US immigration authorities may ask you and your family about your relationship to ensure that your marriage is legitimate and therefore eligible for this type of sponsorship. The nice thing about sponsoring a spouse or fiancee is that they will not need to wait until a visa becomes available. In many cases, they will be able to enjoy a conditional green card right away. Eventually, they can apply for a permanent green card and even for US citizenship, thanks to your sponsorship.
You can also sponsor other family members for visas. If you are over 21 years of age, you can sponsor your parents to come and live in the US and even obtain a green card. You can also sponsor your children. This is easiest if your children are unmarried and under 21 years of age. In this situation, there are usually no delays and such children are given high priority for a green card.
However, even your adult, married children can be sponsored for a green card, often if they are willing to wait slightly longer. If you decide to adopt a child from overseas, you can help ensure that your new child will have a US green card and citizenship, too. As a US citizen, you can also bring your siblings to the US and arrange for a green card for them. However, siblings are not given the same high preference as young children and parents, so they may need to wait longer for their green card. However, many US citizens do successfully sponsor their siblings.
