5 Most Asked Questions About IR5 Parent Visa + Useful Tips

There’s no place like home. As a United States citizen, you have the chance to make your home complete by bringing your foreign-born parent(s) to live and work (if they wish to) in the United States. In this post, you can learn more about the U.S. parent visa and its requirements.

1. What is a U.S. Parent Visa?

If you are a United States citizen with a foreign-born parent who would like to unite with you in the United States, you can sponsor your parent’s IR5 Parent visa. This immediate relative visa is the first step towards a Green Card or lawful permanent residence. Book your consultation with our immigration lawyer from govassistlegal.com who will gladly answer all your questions, and get professional advice.

2. Whom can I sponsor?

In case you’re eligible, you will sponsor your foreign-citizen parent(s). Supposing you want to sponsor your adoptive parent, they qualify if they adopted you before you turned sixteen years old and you spent at least two years sharing the same household. You sponsor your step-parent if they entered the marriage with your mother or father while you were under 18 years of age. This means you won’t be able to sponsor your adoptive parent if they adopted you after you turned 16 years of age or your biological parent if you obtained United States citizenship or a Green Card through adoption.

3. Where can my parent apply?

Your parent can apply for the IR5 Parent visa while they’re outside the United States or even while they’re already in the United States. Of course, these two processes differ. When they apply outside of the United States, the Embassy or Consulate in the country where they apply processes their case. When they apply from within the United States, their case goes through the adjustment of status process. The good news is that you don’t need to become an immigration lawyer overnight to go through the entire process successfully.

Applying from outside the United States

The application starts with Form I-130, the petition that you should fill out, as the United States citizen who is a child of a foreign-born parent. During the months-long process, you are the petitioner and your parent is the beneficiary. Your relationship with the beneficiary is validated through the birth certificate and other relevant evidence. Your petition should be submitted to the USCIS for review, and once approved, it will be transferred to the National Visa Center for further examination. The beneficiary (your parent) should fill out another form, which is the actual visa application, and submit it alongside proof that they are your parent. If the necessary documents are in a foreign language, they should be translated into English.

Applying from the United States

In case the foreign-born parent is applying while they are on United States soil, they can apply for adjustment of status via Form I-485 which they can submit at the same time as Form I-130. The two processes occur simultaneously. Afterward, they attend the biometric screening scheduled by USCIS to have their fingerprints taken and eyes scanned.

4. Is there an interview?

Your parent’s visa interview will take place right after the petition approval. At the interview, your parent explains the relationship between their child sponsor and them. Sometimes, the interview is not needed and the petition is approved without any additional consultation with the applicant. To receive interview training and tips, contact our immigration lawyer from govassistlegal.com and be one step ahead!

U.S. Parent Visa: Useful tips

• Form I-130 is processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Submit your petition for your parent as soon as possible.
• Your parent needs to have a passport valid for at least six months after the planned day of entry to the United States.
• You need to prove that your household income is sufficient to support your parent who truly intends to live in the United States until their employment. You can use our free income calculator to see if you meet the income requirement.
• In case you can’t find some particular documents to attach to the petition, you provide a written explanation on why you can’t present them.
• Your parent might need to undergo a medical examination. Our consultant helps you find a certified physician in your country who issues a document to submit with your petition.
• Your parent can come to the United States on a visitor visa or under the Visa Waiver Program to visit you while the petition is under review.
• Your parent doesn’t have to apply for a work permit because their immigrant visa allows them to work.
• When your parent obtains a Green Card, they must be careful not to spend too much time outside the U.S. This might indicate that they don’t plan to live in the United States.

5. When will my parent receive a Green Card?

When your parent receives an approval to immigrate, they can apply for a Green Card and they have six months to move to the United States. Once they arrive at the Customs and Border Protection, all of their paperwork is reviewed once again. If everything looks alright, their passport receives a stamp and they become a lawful permanent resident. Ultimately, they pay a fee for their Green Card which they will receive in the mail.

We offer you consulting and assistance

The list of questions draws you a picture of the IR5 Parent visa application process. In addition, we provide complete service for your case. Should you have more questions, don’t hesitate to book a consultation with our immigration lawyer from govassistlegal.com.

VisaExpress is part of the GovAssist family, which also owns and operates GovAssist Legal, a non-traditional legal services provider authorized to the practice of Immigration Law by the Utah Supreme Court’s Office of Legal Services Innovation.

Our team is supervised by in-house immigration lawyers, and you will be provided with attorney representation throughout your case. Using technology and our paralegal team we can charge much less than traditional law firms.