Can the children of an immigrant visa applicant be included in a single petition?
Children of American citizens are considered Immediate Relatives (IR) and must have individual petitions filed for them. Petitions for immediate relatives may be filed simultaneously at the USCIS. Children of applicants with family-based petitions (F category) may derive immigration benefits from the same petition provided that they are single and under 21. Such children are called “derivatives” for purposes of immigration. Only biological or legally-adopted children are entitled to derivative status. A non-orphan adopted child must have been legally adopted before the age of 16 and must have been in the physical and legal custody of the adoptive parent for at least two years. A child born after a petition was filed and approved may be registered or added on to the petition as a derivative. The principal applicant needs to submit the child’s birth certificate printed on NSO paper either to the NVC or to the Embassy and pay the corresponding visa processing fee for each additional deriv
Related Questions
- If I qualify to petition at U.S. Embassy Paris, can I petition for an immediate relative immigrant visa for a third country national (non-French citizen)?
- Can American citizens resident in France file an immigrant visa petition at another U.S. consulate or American Presence Post?
- Can the children of an immigrant visa applicant be included in a single petition?
