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Since this question was first written, my mother was a lawful permanent resident until the middle of this year, when she was successfully able to pass her civics test, so now she is a naturalised United States citizen!

My eldest uncle died earlier this summer, but he often cared for my younger uncle, who is unable to take care of himself. Our family got together to help come up with a plan.

Because of the COVID situation, it is not safe for anyone to travel, so they've arranged to have some of my relatives' friends look after him for a while. But at some point, we might have to consider bringing him here to the US.

What options does the United States Citizens and Immigration Services centre provide to help immigrants with developmental or intellectual disabilities who cannot take English language tests or the civic test in general for naturalisation? Furthermore, now that my mother is a citizen, can she sponsor her brother to come into the US? Somebody told us it'd be much more hassle than if he were to apply for a tourism visa. Additionally, the Mexican consulate told my mother yesterday that immigration status generally moves much more quickly for a spouse, parent, or child, but not for siblings, which can take up to twenty years. Can anyone confirm this and provide more details?

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    I am deeply you won't like the answers... it's not the lack of English knowledge -- I do not think it matters he is your uncle -- it's not a close enough relationship -- he is just another foreign citizen with the usual immigration pathways into the USA which in practice means he can't.
    – chx
    Dec 7, 2020 at 8:00
  • He would have to be sponsored by a US citizen parent or sibling. However, the current application dates that can get visas are from the late 1990s if I'm reading the visa bulletin correctly.
    – mkennedy
    Dec 8, 2020 at 19:02

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Furthermore, now that my mother is a citizen, can she sponsor her brother to come into the US?

Yes, there's a category for a sibling of a US citizen.

Somebody told us it'd be too much hastle than if he were to apply for a tourism visa

One is not related to the other. If the intention is for him to move to the US permanently then tourism visa is not going to work.

Additionally, the Mexican consulate told my mother yesterday that immigration status generally moves much more quickly for a spouse, parent, or child, but not for siblings, which can take up to twenty years.

That is true.

Siblings of US citizens is one of the slowest categories. You can check the Visa Bulletin for current status. As of writing of this answer, the USCIS was adjudicating petitions filed more than 22 years ago (for people born in Mexico), see category F4. For people from Mexico it actually isn't the slowest category, but for the rest of the world it is.

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  • Is it legal for him to actually move into the US right now while we wait for that time? Or, would he have to wait twenty years until he was granted a visa? Part of the reason we are very anxious to bring him here is because he is being underfed there, supposedly because people don't really know how to take care of him. Nov 23, 2022 at 15:12
  • @HeavenlyHarmony move to the US - no. He can come visit, but cannot permanently move until the visa number is available and allocated to him (which, as you see, can take decades).
    – littleadv
    Nov 23, 2022 at 18:45
  • One more question, and this might be more of a legal one, so not sure if it can be answered here, but might it be possible for him to seek asylum and be seen by a doctor who can attest to his condition as a way to speed things up?– Nov 27, 2022 at 14:58
  • @HeavenlyHarmony you should probably spend $200 for a case review with an actual immigration attorney. This is a pretty special case, so I'm not sure if the hive knowledge is enough for you
    – littleadv
    Nov 27, 2022 at 16:35

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