U.S. Citizen Petition For Parents How Long Does It Take
Adult U.S. citizens can sponsor green cards for their parents. If you are 21 years or older, your parents are considered as your immediate relatives which means they are not subject to yearly immigration quotas. The process for sponsoring a green card is determined by whether the parents entered the U.S. legally or they entered without inspection.
Green Card Process For Parents Residing In U.S. Legally
People sponsoring their parents that live legally in the United States only have to wait for 12 months after submitting their application. They need to submit an affidavit of support for each parent at around the same time they file their petition. The U.S. citizen sponsoring their parents must:
Submit documents that prove their U.S. citizenship
File form I-130 visa petition for each parent
Documents proving that the people being sponsored are their parents
Each parent should submit form I-485 application at the same time their child files the petition. This form allows them to adjust their status to lawful permanent residents, which comes with a number of advantages including ability to work in the United States. They should also apply for international travel permits and work permits.
Each parent will have to be finger-printed and complete a medical examination before they receive their Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) or work permits and travel permits. The waiting period for these permits is only 6 months but they will have to wait a few months longer to receive an interview at a USCIS office.
What If Your Parents Don’t Live in The U.S?
For situations where the parents are living abroad at the time of your petition, you need to submit:
Evidence that you are a U.S. citizen
Proof that you are 21 years of age or older
Form I-130 for each parent
Birth certificate or other document that proves that they are your parents
After approving your petition, the USCIS will forward it to the National Visa Center. The petitioner must file an Affidavit of Support for each parent to assure the government that they are willing to take financial responsibility for the parents.
Your parents will receive information about their visa interviews from the NVC and they will be interviewed in a US Consulate or Embassy in their home country. If their green card application is approved, your parents will only have 6 months to come to the United States.
The Customs Border Protection will review their paperwork when they arrive at a U.S. airport. If everything is correct in their paperwork, the Customs Border Protection will stamp their passports. Stamped passports mean that they have officially become lawful permanent residents.
What Your Parents Should Know After Getting Their Green Cards
The green card is supposed to indicate that the United States is now your parent’s permanent home. This document is not meant to make their visits to the U.S. easier. If they use it to facilitate long visits to the U.S., they may risk facing “abandonment of residence” issues. That simply means that an assumption will be made that their real home is not the United States. They can easily lose their green cards even if they stay out of the United States for a short time.