Di rule for United States family visa clear: any pikin wey wan follow im papa or mama enter America must no pass 21 years and im marriage status must be single. If di pikin don reach 21, e no fit use dat route again.
According to immigration law, di age dey calculate from di time wey di family petition bin file, not di time wey di visa finally show. Dis one na important tin wey many people no sabi. But wait, there be something wey dem call Child Status Protection Act, wey fit help some pikin wey don cross di age while di application dey still for processing.
Leadership Newspaper check wetin di rules tok, and di whole matter na about di difference between “child” and “son or daughter” for immigration mata. Once pikin pass 21, dem go reclassify am as “son” or “daughter,” and di waiting time go longer. E no easy.
Di law also talk say di pikin must no be married. If di pikin marry before di visa, e no go fit use im papa or mama im petition again. Marriage na automatic disqualifier for child status.
For CSPA, e fit subtract di time wey di petition bin dey wia from di pikin age. But di pikin must apply for adjustment of status within one year of visa becoming available. Many people miss dis deadline.
Immigration officers dey look di pikin im age as at di time di immigrant visa petition (I-130) wey dem file. So if you file for your pikin when e be 20 and di matter take five years to finish, CSPA fit do im magic. But if di pikin reach 21 before di file date, no hope.
Di whole system dey confuse plenty people. Some families go court because of dis age mata. US goment no dey give any chance for exceptions unless CSPA apply.
For those wey dey plan to bring dia pikin, make dem act fast. Di waiting time for family visa fit take anywhere from one year to twenty years, depending on di country and category.
Leadership understand say dis matter dey affect plenty Nigerian families. Di advice na to consult immigration lawyer before filing. E go cost money, but e better pass to lose di whole petition.
