Green Cards For Your Parents
Do you want to sponsor your parent for a green card?
Do your parents need to continue frequent travel outside the US as green card holders?
Are your parents getting older and they need your physical help to take care of them?
A U.S. citizen who is 21 years or older may sponsor their parent for U.S. permanent residence. Whether the case will ultimately be approved and how long it will take will depend on your parents’ immigration and criminal history, need to travel extensively outside of the U.S., your financial ability to sponsor them and the records you can provide the government to prove this, and other factors. Parent cases can get complicated for many reasons. For example, if the parent is elderly and ill, the consulate may be concerned about whether s/he will become a public charge (likely to go on public assistance) in the future if the green card is issued. If the parent is going to keep a summer home in Germany and spend most of their time outside of the U.S. once they obtain permanent residence, the parent may run into Consulate doubt as to whether the parent should be issued the green card and later, if approved, CBP doubts upon the parent’s return from travel abroad that the parent has “abandoned” their permanent residency by predominantly living outside of the U.S.
Every situation is different and you want to get it right – it’s your mom . . . it’s your dad. It is essential to talk to an experienced family and removal immigration attorney about your options before you put any case into motion with USCIS. Talk with us about expected timeline in processing your case and we can help you figure out the best options for your parent’s case given their history and your priorities.