Being apart from your parents or guardians in the United States can be extremely tough. The United States has a family-based green card program that enables citizens and legal permanent residents to apply for the immigration of their parents and other close relatives.
However, to apply for a green card for parents, you must be at least 21 years old. In addition, as the sponsoring relative, you must first submit a Petition for Alien Relative, Form I-130, to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to apply for a green card for your parents.
If the petitioning relative is an American citizen currently living abroad, they can file the visa petition at a U.S. embassy or consulate. Alternatively, if they have been living abroad for six months and the host country has permitted them to do so, they can file the Petition for Alien Relative Form I-130 with USCIS overseas.
Note that Form I-130 processing currently takes slightly more than two months.
Requirements to Sponsor Parents’ Green Card
To sponsor a green card for parents, you must meet specific criteria:
- Must possess documentation proving your legal permanent residency or citizenship in the United States.
- Provide proof that you have a qualifying relationship. In other words, demonstrate your parental relationship.
- Submit an I-130 Petition for Alien Relative
- Include evidence in your application that you can financially support the family member at a cost that is 125 percent over the federal poverty level.
Steps to File Parent’s Green Card
You submit the $535 petition filing fee after submitting Form I-130 for each parent—one for the mother and one for the father. Even if USCIS acts on the petition, this cost is not refundable and cannot be waived.
The fee is payable by money order, cashier’s check, or personal check. You must include a different Form G-1450 with your application if you plan to pay with a credit card.
According to USCIS, “filing or approval of this petition does not confer any immigrant status or privilege upon your relative.” In addition, the entire processing period for a parent’s green card can range from 6 to 12 months or longer.
The USCIS processing time for parent green cards has dramatically increased during the last five years. For example, in 2016, the I-130 took 6 months to process; in 2020, that time climbed to an average of 10.2 months.
Green Card for Parents: Processing Time
Because parents are regarded as near relatives, the processing period for parents’ green cards could be quicker than for others.
You must provide an affidavit of support for every parent after the I-130 has been accepted and all filing charges have been paid. The National Visa Center will then send the documents to the embassy in the country where your parents were born. After USCIS has authorized their I-130, they must file Form I-485 at that time.
What happens if your parents are already here? If so, you would need to file an I-130 and an I-485 for status adjustment simultaneously.
When completing the papers for your parents’ green card application, you must provide supporting documentation with Form I-485. Documents used as evidence include:
- A photocopy of a government-issued identification document
- Copy of each parent’s birth certificate (if you don’t have availability to these, you can also cite documentation such as school and health records and explain why you can’t get birth certificates as proof).
- Evidence of your parents’ immigration status, such as an I-797 receipt for Form I-130 submitted to USCIS.
- Two passport-style photos of them as evidence of the inspection and entry from the U.S. Port of Entry
You may need additional forms, but it’s better to speak with an immigration specialist to ensure all the relevant paperwork is present. Depending on the specifics of their case, additional documentation can be required, including:
- Form I-212
- Form I-485 (supplement A)
- Form I-508
- Form I-566
- Form I-601
- Form I-612
- Form I-693
- Form I-864
- Form I-864W
If the application is accepted, your parent will be notified and required to attend a green card interview at the American consulate or embassy closest to their residence.
Your parents must successfully complete the interview and a medical examination. Once they arrive in the United States, they will receive a stamp in their passport at the port of entry proving they have been authorized to enter as legal permanent residents. They will be given a green card (sent to a U.S. address) if approved.
Additionally, parents must pass a review of their papers by a Customs and Border Protection agent. As you can see, there have been some substantial changes to the green card for parents’ timetable since 2020, and processing times have increased and most certainly will continue to increase in future.
Source: USCIS
Check out latest U.S Immigration News here!
Get the latest Canada Immigration News here!
Massive Easter Flight Crisis Sparks Weeks of Travel Chaos Across the United States
Flight disruptions on April 6, 2026, have turned Easter Monday into a nightmare for millions of American travellers, as the United States aviation system recorded a staggering 5,029 total disruptions, making it one of the most chaotic return-travel days in modern U.S. aviation history outside the COVID-19 pandemic. The country’s airline network has been severely…
You Can Change H-1B Jobs Without Losing Status in 2026
H-1B portability is one of the most powerful but least understood protections in U.S. immigration law, the right to change employers without going back into the lottery, without losing your status, and in most cases, without waiting for your new petition to be approved before you start working. This right was created by the American…
Trump Immigration Crackdown 2026 Sparks Major Impact
Trump administration on immigration has moved faster than any other administration to reshape U.S. immigration policy, but not all changes are as sweeping or settled as they may appear. Since January 2025, a series of executive orders, policy directives, and enforcement actions have tightened border control, expanded detention, and restricted humanitarian pathways. At the same…
New Minimum Wage In Canada and 5 Provinces, Effective April 1