Bringing your parents to live permanently in the United States can be an exciting step for your family. If you’re a U.S. citizen, you may be eligible to sponsor your mother or father for a green card. While the process can seem complex, it generally involves verifying eligibility, filing an immigrant petition, completing the green card application process, attending required appointments, and waiting for a final decision.
Speaking with an immigration lawyer can help ensure you complete the application process carefully and correctly at every stage. At EMP Law, we help individuals and families throughout North Carolina navigate complex immigration matters. With extensive experience handling immigration cases, including those involving obtaining a green card for parents of a U.S. citizen, our team is here to help. Give us a call at (336) 724-2828 or send an online message today to request a consultation.
How to Sponsor a Green Card for Your Parents
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) oversees the process of sponsoring parents for a green card and the decision of whether to issue one.
To officially begin the process, you file Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, with USCIS.
Step 1: Verify That You and Your Parent Qualify
U.S. immigration law allows U.S. citizens to sponsor several family members for a green card in the U.S. When you sponsor your spouse, parent, or child, you request that USCIS grant them an immediate relative (IR) visa. To sponsor a parent, you need to be at least 21 years old.
While green card holders can sponsor some relatives for visas, can a green card holder sponsor their parents? Unfortunately, no, but they can sponsor their spouses and minor children.
Your parent must also be eligible to immigrate to the U.S. Past immigration violations can raise issues, especially if your parent entered the U.S. without documents, lived in the U.S. without status, or has prior convictions for any criminal acts. Consulting an immigration lawyer early on in the process can help you anticipate and plan for any potential issues your parent may have in receiving a green card.
Step 2: Determine Which Immigration Process You Will Use
Parents who are already in the U.S. apply for permanent residence—a green card—through a process called adjustment of status. For many visa types, you apply to adjust status after a visa “becomes available.”
There is no yearly visa backlog to contend with when you apply for an IR visa. As a result, you can submit your application for an immigrant visa, Form I-130, to USCIS at the same time as Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. We call this process concurrent filing, and it allows USCIS to immediately begin processing Form I-485 after approving Form I-130.
Parents who live outside the U.S. complete the application through consular processing. After USCIS approves Form I-130, your parent requests a green card from a U.S. embassy or consulate.
Step 3: File Form I-130 and Form I-485 (Adjustment of Status Only)
When you file Form I-130, you ask USCIS to recognize the qualifying relationship between you and your parent. In other words, the purpose of Form I-130 is to prove that you are a U.S. citizen, your parent is not, and your parent is your parent. It is a prerequisite.
When you file Form I-130, you will generally submit:
- The completed form,
- Proof of your U.S. citizenship,
- Birth certificates and other relationship evidence showing your parent is your parent, and
- A filing fee.
After receiving the petition, USCIS sends you a receipt notice with identifying information for the application.
If your parent is already in the U.S., you typically file Form I-485 concurrently with Form I-130. The USCIS will review Form I-130 first and Form I-485 second.
Step 4: Wait for USCIS to Review Form I-130
After you submit Form I-130, USCIS reviews the petition and supporting documents. If USCIS needs additional information, it may issue a Request for Evidence (RFE) to ask you to provide it.
If USCIS approves Form I-130, it recognizes that you are a U.S. citizen and the person you are sponsoring is your parent. Once you have an approved Form I-130, you can move to the green card application stage.
Step 5: Complete the Green Card Application
After USCIS approves Form I-130, your parent must complete the green card application process. If your parent is in the U.S., they will complete Form I-485 next.
Parents who live abroad generally complete the immigration process through consular processing. After USCIS approves Form I-130, it sends the application information to the National Visa Center (NVC). Your parent may need to provide the NVC with several documents, including financial sponsorship and medical examination forms.
The NVC schedules an interview at your U.S. embassy or consulate, or USCIS schedules an interview at a USCIS office once you provide all necessary documents.
Step 6: Attend Biometrics and Interview Appointments
During the application process, your parent typically needs to attend one or more appointments. They typically have to provide biometric information, a photo, and fingerprints, and attend an interview. At the interview, a USCIS or consular officer verifies your identities, reviews the documentation you provided, and evaluates whether your parent qualifies for permanent residence.
Step 7: Receive a Decision
After reviewing the application, supporting documents, and interview results, immigration officials issue a decision. If USCIS approves an adjustment-of-status application, your parent becomes a lawful permanent resident while remaining in the U.S.
If a consular officer approves an immigrant visa application, your parent may travel to the U.S. on that visa. Upon admission to the country, your parent becomes a lawful permanent resident.
What Is the Green Card for Parents Processing Time?
In 2026, when you apply for a green card for parents, the processing time for Form I-130 has been taking around 19 months. While processing times for Form I-485 are more variable, most have been taking around 10 to 16 months. For example, USCIS’s Charlotte, North Carolina, office, which serves many of EMP’s clients, has been taking approximately 16 months.
Let EMP Law Help You Navigate the Parent Immigration Process
Obtaining a green card for parents of a US citizen requires you to follow a specific sequence. Having an immigration lawyer to guide you through that sequence can make it feel manageable instead of opaque. Consider EMP Law. We have decades of experience helping noncitizens navigate the immigration system and advocating on their behalf before federal agencies and courts.
If you have questions about sponsoring parents for a green card, contact EMP Law today.
Helen cree en proporcionar una representación cuidadosa, reflexiva y completa para cada persona.
En particular, Helen se centra en ayudar a las personas a navegar por el laberinto de normas, procedimientos y procesos creados por los Servicios de Ciudadanía e Inmigración de los Estados Unidos y a quienes se enfrentan a cargos penales o a la deportación.
Representa a clientes que se enfrentan a cargos penales tanto en tribunales estatales como federales. Es miembro del panel de abogados de la Ley de Justicia Penal en el Distrito Medio de Carolina del Norte, y está admitida para ejercer ante los Tribunales Federales del Distrito Este, Medio y Oeste, así como en los Tribunales de Apelación del Cuarto y Undécimo Circuito.
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