Opinion

You can petition family members for an employment-based green card

IMMIGRATION CORNER - Michael J. Gurfinkel - The Philippine Star

May 10, 2026 | 12:00am

If you’re navigating the US immigration system and feeling confused about your options, you’re not alone. Today, I’m going to discuss something that many people don’t realize.

Family members can petition other family members for an employment-based green card, not just a family-based one. Yes, you heard that right. Family can petition family for an employment-based green card!

This is a powerful and often overlooked way to a legitimate green card, especially if you have relatives who own businesses or are in a position to sponsor workers.

For example, if your sibling, parent, tita or even cousin owns a legitimate business in the United States, they could sponsor you for an employment-based green card, provided the requirements are met:

The job must be real (bona fide job offer), where the person will actually work once they get their green card.

The hiring process is fair, where the employer must first make a good faith effort to recruit qualified US workers.

The employer must demonstrate they have the “ability to pay” the worker’s salary, which is typically based on the employer’s net income on their tax returns.

Sponsoring a family member for an employment-based green card is perfectly legal. And I emphasize that I am talking about a GREEN CARD, not merely a work permit. I have featured several “success stories” of family petitioning family members for an employment-based green card on my TV show, Citizen Pinoy, and YouTube channel, US Immigration TV.

There are so many positive factors in pursuing an employment-based “family” green card:

In many cases, an employment-based petition is much faster than a family-based one. For example, a petition of a sibling or married child of a US citizen could take up to 20 years. Right now, an employment-based green card is about four to five years.

The job does not need to be college-level. In fact, family members back home could be petitioned for “unskilled” jobs such as caregiver or housekeeper.

Think about it: do you have an elderly parent in the US who may soon be in need of a caregiver? Do you have a niece in the Philippines who may have a nursing or caregiving background? Then petition the niece to be your parent’s caregiver!

Are you working at a high-paying job and then have to rush home to clean the house and cook meals? Then hire a housekeeper from the Philippines who can do that housework, while you can work later at your higher-paying job. Maybe you are a nurse who has to rush home at the end of your shift, rather than working longer. The amount that you could earn by working a few extra hours could more than pay for a housekeeper. Then you could come home and relax like a queen versus having to again begin housework.

Maybe you have a business such as a care home and you cannot find workers who will stay on the job, and you are looking for a loyal and dedicated worker. You could petition family members back home.

If this is something that interests you, I would recommend consulting with an attorney who can evaluate the situation and assist in bringing your family member to the US through an employment-based green card to help make your life easier, and you would also be helping reunite your family in the US.

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