If you are a refugee or asylee you may have fled terrible conditions in your homeland with hopes of finding safety in the United States You may be very concerned about family left behind. Fortunately, refugees and asylees can petition for certain family members to come to the United States.
Requirements for bringing relatives to the United States
As a refugee or asylee you can bring a relative to the United States under the following circumstances. First, you must be a principal refugee or asylee and you must have come to the United States within the past two years.
Second, you must either currently have refugee or asylee status or you must have gotten a Green Card. If you are currently a U.S. citizen, you cannot petition as a refugee or asylee for a family member to come to the United States. Citizens have other means for bringing relatives to the country.
Third, the family relationship must have been in place before you entered the United States as a refugee or asylee. For example, if you want to bring your spouse to the United States you and your spouse must have been married before you came to the United States as a refugee or asylee. If you want to bring a child to the United States, the child must have been conceived or born prior to you coming to the United States as a refugee or asylee.
Seek help when bringing loved ones to the United States
If you want to bring a loved one to the United States there are certain requirements that must be met and certain forms that must be filed. You may be unfamiliar with these requirements and paperwork. Many refugees and asylees choose to work with a professional when applying to bring a family member to the United States.
