Sunnyvale, CA Immigration Law Firms & Lawyers

Assuming that you are a U.S. citizen (not just a permanent resident), and assuming that you want to sponsor your sister to become a permanent resident of the U.S. (not simply come to visit), you can file an immigrant petition for her (Form I-130). The wait time in F4 category (brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens) now is 12 years; natives of Mexico have to wait 16.5 years, natives of Philippines - 24 years (due to the fact that number of petitions filed for natives of these countries is much greater than the number of petitions for natives of all other countries).

I do not know of an expedited process for green cards where healthcare workers are concerned, although USCIS recently said that it would expedite employment authorization renewal cards for such workers. The fact that you are already in the US instead of overseas would also not be in your favor in requesting an expedite from the agency. The expedite criteria from USCIS are: Severe financial loss to a company or person, provided that the need for urgent action is not the result of the petitioner’s or applicant’s failure: (1) to timely file the benefit request; or (2) to timely respond to any requests for additional evidence; Emergencies and urgent humanitarian reasons; Nonprofit organization (as designated by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)) whose request is in furtherance of the cultural or social interests of the United States; S. government interests (including cases identified as urgent by federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the U.S. Department of State (DOS), DHS, or other public safety or national security interests); or Clear USCIS error. Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee & Arthur Lee, Esqs.’ (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided herein by the Firm is general, and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.

Your question requires an attorney consultation. It is not a simple question that can be answered on this type of forum. There are many factors that would need to be considered and evaluated. There are many different ways to obtain an immigrant visa and a work permit. However, there is not enough information in your question to accurately answer your question or to determine what type of immigrant benefit, if any, you could qualify for. I strongly suggest that you contact an experienced immigration attorney for a face-to-face consultation and give him/her all of the facts surrounding your situation. (S)he would then be in a better position to analyze your case, (and) advise you of your options.