US citizens above age 21 can sponsor their parents and get them Green Cards. Apart from that, US citizens can sponsor their spouses and children. Parents of US citizens are eligible to immigrate to the United States based on the immigrant petitions filed by their US citizen children who are above age 21.
The application filing process is fairly simple and you can complete immigrant petitions for your parents online. The following step-by-step process will help you to understand the process of sponsoring your parents and help you to successfully bring your parents to America.
File Form I-130 for Your Parents
Form I-130, Petition for Alien relative, is the USCIS form that you must file with the USCIS, in order to get your parents US Green Cards. If you seek to sponsor both, your mother and your father, separate Form I-130, should be completed and filed for them. You can complete this petition online and the competed petitions must be filed with the USCIS. The form filing fee that must be submitted along with Form I-130 is $420.
To sponsor your parents for US Green Cards, you need to meet few income requirements. Apart from that, you need to establish that a qualifying family relationship exists between you and your parents, by submitting documentary evidence.
If Your Parents are Abroad
Your parents will have to go through consular processing if they are currently abroad. Form I-130 that you file with the USCIS, after being approved, will be sent to the Consular office, in the home country of your parents. Your parents will be informed about the approval of the immigrant petition and required to attend an in person interview, at the nearest US Consulate. Your parents need not wait until visa numbers become available as they are your immediate relatives. Immediate relatives of US citizens are given high priority and there are no numerical limitations in the number of immigrant visas issued to them.
Your parents need to attend the visa interview and undergo a medical examination. If their interviews are successful, they will be issued immigrant visas. With those visas they can travel to America as permanent residents. At the US port of entry, their passports will be stamped by an immigration officer and they will receive their Green Card by mail, in few days.
USCIS Forms that must be Filed
- Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative
- Form I-864, Affidavit of support (for your parents)
- Form G-325A, Biographical Information (for you and your your parents)
- Form I-693, Medical Examination Results
Required Supporting Documents for Parents
- Copies of birth certificates of your parents.
- Copies of the marriage certificate of your parents.
- Copies of your parents’ passports.
Sponsor Documents
- Copies of your birth certificate (with the names of your parents).
- Copies of your US passport, US citizenship certificate or naturalization certificate.
- Copies of the adoption decree (if you are sponsoring your adoptive parents).
- Proof of income (salary stubs, tax returns, proof of employment, bank statements).
You can also sponsor your parents who are in America on non-immigrant visas.
If your Parents are in America
The process of sponsoring your parents who are in America on non-immigrant visas is quite simple. You need to file Form I-130 and sponsor your parents. At the same time, your parents can file Form I-485 for adjustment of status and need not go through Consular processing.
If your parents hold valid non-immigrant visas and are present in America, they can apply for adjustment of status while you file immigrant petitions for them. After they file for adjustment of status, they can remain in America and need not go to their home countries to get immigrant visas. You need to pay $420 along with Form I-130 and your parents must pay $1070 along with Form I-485. If your parents are above age 79, they need to pay $985 and they need not pay the biometric fee of $85.
USCIS Forms that must be Filed
- Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative
- Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence
- Form G-325, Biographic Information (for you and your parents)
- Form I-864, Affidavit of Support
- Form I-693, Medical Examination Results
- Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization (if needed)
- Form I-131, Application for a Travel Document (if needed)
- A copy Form I-94 to prove that your parents entered into America legally
Required Supporting Documents for Parents
- Copies of birth certificates of your mother and father.
- Copies of their marriage certificate.
- Copies of their passports.
- Copies of your parents’ non-immigrant US visas.
Sponsor Documents
- Copies of your birth certificate (with the names of your parents).
- Copies of your US passport, US citizenship certificate or naturalization certificate.
- Copies of the adoption decree (if you are sponsoring your adoptive parents).
- Proof of income (salary stubs, tax returns, proof of employment, bank statements).
You need to remember that only US citizens can sponsor Green Card for parents. After the approval of the petitions and the interviews, USCIS will issue Green Cards to your parents. The Green Card processing time for your parents will be much less and they will not be put on a waiting list. In most cases USCIS processes immigrant petitions filed on behalf of parents within six months.
