Give your parents the gift of the American Dream with a green card and US citizenship
Most of us consider our parents as heroes, inspiration, and motivation. We look everywhere to give them the best life possible once we can provide back to them. The first thing we usually think of is a place to live. It might not be a literal house, but it can be a country that can secure a good life and provide top-notch health maintenance.
The United States of America is one of the most in-demand countries for that, and some of us, foreigners who are lawful permanent residents in the US, get the privilege to secure United States citizenship after some years of staying in the country. The typical next step is petitioning our loved ones. Securing a green card for parents of US citizens is the ultimate gift, so let our best immigration attorneys in Alabama help you.
A rigorous and complicated process for any permanent resident or green card application is normal, especially if it is a first-world country. Aside from immigration consultants, there are some laws and policies that even they will have difficulty dealing with. For US citizens securing green cards for our parents, expect severe procedures and requirements. It is best to have someone knowledgeable and competent to obtain that green card for you, your parents, and your loved ones.
Petro Immigration Attorneys can help you to bag that green card, which is the ticket to a better and more secure life for them. Contact our trusted attorneys to help you with your issues and concerns if you, a US citizen, want to secure a green card for your parents!
Why Do I Need an Immigration Attorney for Green Card Concerns?
Because US immigration regulations are complex, you should contact an immigration attorney in Alabama if you intend to receive your parents’ green cards.
Some people attempt to file their parents’ immigration or green card applications themselves or engage with lawyers who do not specialize in immigration law. This could result in their parents’ green card or immigration cases being delayed or denied.
The immigration lawyer’s job is to provide you with the finest legal counsel possible to increase your chances of winning your case. Anyone wants to secure the best life possible for their parents by living in a country that can provide them with all they need. Our Alabama immigration attorneys can assess the best way to secure your parents’ green card.
It is in your best interest to hire a skilled immigration attorney to provide the best chance of success because the risk is so high, and your life could be on the line. Petro Immigration attorneys are reliable and experienced and can help any US citizen secure a green card for their parents.
Who is Eligible for US Permanent Residency?
Different countries have different requirements and eligibility for permanent residency in their nation. In the US, foreigners already owning secured permanent residency or citizenship have permanent residency cards, commonly called green cards.
Here is a list of more specific eligibilities for US Permanent Residency:
- Marriage to a citizen or permanent resident of the United States
- Being related closely by blood to a citizen or permanent resident
- Specific work experience or abilities
- A position offered within the USA
- Employment with the American government abroad
- Child abuse is present or threatened
- Length of time spent in the country without committing any crimes
- Persecutions or political turmoil in one’s home country
This eligibility also has sub-requirements that only immigration attorneys can explain. The law office of Petro Immigration Attorneys can discuss all the details you need to know about the eligibility for US permanent residency. Call our immigration lawyers to guide you with your US green card issues and concerns.
Who are the US Citizens Who Can Petition their Parents?
You must be a citizen of the United States and at least 21 years old to file a petition for your parents’ admission to the country as green card holders. Permanent residents with green cards cannot apply to bring their parents to live in the country permanently.
You, as petitioner, have to note the following:
- As the sponsoring relative, you must first submit a Petition for Alien Relative, Form I-130, to the Department of Homeland Security’s American Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to apply for a Green Card for your parents.
- You can file the visa petition at a US embassy or consulate if you are a petitioning relative who is a US citizen but residing outside of the country currently.
- You can file Form I-130 with the USCIS overseas if you have been living abroad for six months and your host country has granted you permission.
Depending on whatever service center or field office handling the case, the current processing time for Form I-130 for US citizens filing for a spouse, parent, or child under 21 is between 10.5 and 16 months.
Even as US citizens, there is still a lot of information, rules, and policies when applying for and securing a green card for your parents. It is ideal to have an immigration attorney to assist you with all your questions about your parents’ US green card. The law office of Petro Immigration Attorneys can help you with that.
What are the Different Types of Immigration Petition Forms?
Different purposes require different types of applications concerning permanent residency in your favored country. Here is a list of immigration petition forms you should know and be familiar with:
- I-485 – Application Registration to Adjustment of Status (Permanent Residency)
- I-130 – Petition for Foreign Relative
- I-140 – Immigrant Petition for Foreign Worker
- I-730 – Refugee or Asylee Relative Petition
- I-589 – Application for Withholding Removal and Asylum
- I-360 – Amerasian, Widow/er, or Special Immigrant Petition
- I-526 – Immigrant Petition by Foreign Entrepreneur
- I-918 – Petition of U Nonimmigrant Status
- I-929 – Petition for Qualifying Family Member of U-1 Nonimmigrant
Petro Immigration Attorneys can help explain and guide you on the best and most appropriate petition forms, especially for your parents securing green cards in the US.
Who Can Migrate to the United States as an Immediate Relative and Preference Relative?
To anyone who is a lawful permanent resident, our next steps are usually petitioning our relatives. Immediate relatives are the closest family members: mother, father, spouse, children, and occasionally grandparents or siblings.
They may aspire for instant related status the most because they are eligible to immigrate to the United States regularly. The annual caps or quotas that apply to the ‘preferred relative’ categories do not apply to them. You have to submit the $535 petition filing fee after submitting Form I-130 for each parent. Here are who can qualify:
- Spouses of United States of America Citizens – Couples who have been lawfully married are also eligible, as well as US citizen widows and widowers who were married to the citizen for at least two years and applied for a green card within two years of the citizen’s passing.
- Under-21-year-old, unmarried children of US citizens
- Parents of US citizens if the child is at least 21 years old – If the marriage establishing the parent/child relationship occurred before the child turned 18 years old, stepparents and stepchildren are considered immediate relatives. In rare circumstances, parents and children connected by adoption may also be considered immediate relatives.
Although it is not always quick, preference relative status can be a handy option to get a US green card. Depending on the demand, you might need to wait years or decades before receiving your green card.
Here are some qualifications for those who have preference relative:
- Family 1st preference – When a citizen of the United States makes a petition for an unmarried kid who is 21 or older
- Family 2nd preference – Instances where a permanent resident approved status individual requests a spouse or unmarried child
- Family 3rd preference – Where a citizen of the United States requests a married child
- Family 4th preference – Circumstances where a US citizen above 21 years old requests a sibling. Biological siblings of immigrants who entered the country through adoption by a US family are excluded from this category.
The complicated requirements to petition our loved ones are something we cannot do alone. Petro Immigration Attorneys specialize in immigration law and can help you with your concerns in securing United States citizenship for your parents and loved ones.
What are the Steps to Apply for a Green Card for Parents of US Citizens?
Here are the steps to apply for your parents’ US green card if they are not in the country yet:
- You submit the $535 petition filing fee after submitting Form I-130 for each parent.
- You may monitor the progress of the processing time for your case.
- You must submit an affidavit of support for each parent once the I-130 has been authorized and all filing fees have been paid.
- These documents will be forwarded to the embassy in the nation of your parents by the National Visa Center.
- After USCIS has approved their I-130, you will then need to file Form I-485.
For parents who are already in the United States, you need to submit an I-130 and an Adjustment of Status (I-485), together with the following documentation:
- Photocopies of your government-issued identification
- Parents’ birth certificates
- Proof of your parent’s immigration status, such as an I-797 receipt for Form I-130 submitted to USCI
- A statement from the US Port of Entry confirming the inspection and admission
- Two passport-style photos
Call our Alabama Immigration Attorneys Now!
Petitioning our loved ones, whether our spouse, children, parents, siblings, or relatives, requires time, money, and effort. Despite our efforts, we might still fail to secure United States citizenship for our parents.
Petro Immigration Attorneys are capable and experienced to help, guide, and advise you with all your US citizenship or green card concerns for your parents. Call or visit our offices in Birmingham and Huntsville, Alabama, to learn how we can help you with immigration options for parents for US citizens.