Your mother has supported you throughout your life. She may have encouraged you to pursue your career or helped fund your college education. You eventually parted ways when an opportunity to enter the United States arose.
Maybe you married a United States citizen, or perhaps you were able to secure a job that resulted in an employment visa. Now that you have established yourself in the United States and intend to remain in the country permanently, you want to help your mother enter the country and live here with you.
She may have so far had limited time with her grandchildren or may never have traveled to visit you in the United States at all. How can you help your mother enjoy her golden years close to her family?
You typically need to secure citizenship
If you want to directly support a parent for immigration purposes, you typically need to become a United States citizen. Once you complete the naturalization process, you become eligible for immigration programs that apply to your parents and also your siblings that are not available to permanent residents.
If you are a citizen and have reason to believe that your mother will pass a background check without any complications, then you may be in a position to help your mother secure a green card.
What documentation will you need?
You will need evidence that you are a United States citizen who is 21 years of age or older. You will also need a birth certificate that shows your mother’s name on it. You will also need your immigration paperwork or your United States passport given that you were not a natural-born citizen.
Once you submit the necessary paperwork to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) along with a specific form, the USCIS will respond to the application. Depending on their decision, you will then have to choose the next step to take. Some people need to appeal or reapply. Others need to start preparing to manage the logistics involved in bringing someone to permanently live in the United States from abroad.
Helping your mother secure her green card through family immigration can be a practical way of demonstrating how grateful you are for everything she has done for you.
