Form I-824

Eligibility Requirements

In order to qualify to follow-to-join, the following criteria must be met:

1. The foreign family member must be a spouse or unmarried child (under the age of 21) of the U.S. Green Card holder
2. If the foreign family member is a spouse, the marriage must have occurred before the Primary Applicant became a Lawful Permanent Resident
3. If the foreign family member is a child, he or she must have been born before the Primary Applicant became a Lawful Permanent Resident

Please note that individuals who married a Lawful Permanent Resident after he or she obtained a Green Card do not qualify to follow-to-join, nor do children who were born after their parent became a Lawful Permanent Resident.

The Process

Follow-to-join procedures vary from consulate to consulate, so a good starting point is to contact the U.S. Consulate with jurisdiction over the foreign family member's place of residence and find out what the requirements are.

Generally, consulates require that Form I-824 be filed as a first step. In many cases, the approved Form I-824 is forwarded to the National Visa Center (NVC), which will contact the foreign family members with instructions on applying for the Immigrant Visa. In some situations, it may be possible to start the application process before the Form I-824 is approved. Contacting the consulate where the foreign family member will apply is the only way to learn what the specific requirements are in your case.