My citizen aunt petitioned the I-130 for my mother...?

Question

She sent the petition in April 2001 and we received a letter of receipt a month after.We never received anything since then.The letter does not have priority date neither.They are now processing applications that were received in Feb.2001.Are we almost there?What will be next?How long does the whole process take for Siblings petitioning for sibling(s)?

Answer 1

Siblings petitioning for unmarried siblings have a very low priority and those who are married/have children are even lower.  It will be the end of the year before the application is processed (new fiscal year starts October 1, so things are slow till then!).  

If approved, your mother goes on the waiting list for actual entry.  Depending on her citizenship and how long the line for admission is, she will wait another 4 to 24 years.

You will certainly be over 18 by then, so your mother cannot bring you in as her minor child.  She will probably have to petition for you when she gets citizenship, which will take about 7 yrs or so (she can apply 5 yrs after receiving a green card), assuming she has sufficient income and assets to meet sponsorship requirements.  Then you wait.

If you are concerned about your own immigration position in this chain-migration, you should plan on waiting another 20 to 50 years, assuming your mother and you in your turn meet all other immigration requirements.

Answer 2

If your checking on dates shows that they are "processing" petitions received in Feb 01, that means they are approving or denying I-130's with a priority date in Feb 01. The waiting period for sibling visas is a little longer.

Beneficiaries with priority dates of 01OCT97 are receiving the visas now. That means it took them not quite 11 years to get the actual green card visa. With a priority date of April 01, your aunt should be getting her visa in 2012 sometime. Four more years.

If she is from Mexico, the wait is longer, about 13 years from the priority date. If she is from the Philippines, about 24 years from the priority date.