IMMIGRATION HELP PHILADELPHIA

Sponsoring of Parents as Immigrants
If you live in the United States but your parents live abroad and are not US citizens, you will be able to petition to bring them to the United States in certain circumstances.  To petition to bring parents to the United States as permanent residents, you must be at least 21 years old, and you have to be a United States Citizen.  A permanent resident is not permitted to petition to bring parents to live in the United States.  You can petition for them if you once had a green card and are now a US citizen; you don’t have to be born a United States Citizen to petition to bring family members to live in the United States.  If you are at least 21 years old and you are a citizen, you are going to need to fill out form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, to bring your parents to live in the United States.  You will also need certain documents, which are different depending on which parent you want to bring to the United States.
        If your mother lives outside of the United States and you are petitioning to bring her to live here permanently, you will need to obtain a copy of your birth certificate, which contains your name and your mother’s name, and either a copy of your Certificate of Naturalization or U.S. passport if you were not born a United States Citizen.  If you want to bring your father to live permanently in the United States, you will need a birth certificate that has your name and the names of both of your parents on it, a copy of either your Certificate of Naturalization or U.S. passport if you were not born a United States Citizen, as well as a copy of your parents’ civil marriage certificate.  There are different requirements to petition to bring your father to the United States if you were born out of wedlock.  The distinctions can be a bit confusing because there are so many different variations of paperwork you may need, so we can help you figure out exactly what is necessary to properly complete and file the petition.  It’s also important to note that you are permitted to file a petition for adoptive parents and step-parents, not just birth parents. 
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            Once USCIS has made a decision, you will be contacted.  If they approve the petition and your parent is not currently in the United States, he or she will need to go to the local US consulate to complete processing to obtain their visa.  If the parent you petitioned for is already in the United States, he or she may be eligible to also file the I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or to Adjust Status, concurrently with the I-130.  Your parents will not have to file the paperwork to obtain a work permit, but they will still be permitted to work in the meantime until they receive their actual green card.  If your parents are coming from outside of the United States, they will obtain a passport stamp once they arrive in the United States.  This stamp is used as proof that your parent is legally allowed to work in the United States while they are waiting for their Permanent Resident Card to arrive.  If your parents are already in the United States and are filing for an adjustment of status, they will have to apply for employment authorization if they want to work in the United States while their case is being reviewed.  There are a lot of intricacies involved in petitioning to bring a parent to the United States, especially if you were born out of wedlock or if you are petitioning for step-parents or adoptive parents.  We can help you in any of these circumstances.