After living in the United States for some time, you may decide to bring your parents to join you. Doing so could allow you to care for them in their old age, or permit them to help you care for your children. Or, it could simply allow you to enjoy each other’s company once more.
How you go about it depends on your own immigration status. Here are some basics:
If you hold a green card
Your green card does not give you the right to apply for permanent residency for your parents, but you can apply for a temporary visa for them.
If you hold United States citizenship
You can apply for your parents to move here permanently. To do so, you must fill out Form I-130.
It may be easier to bring your mother than your father
Your mother’s name should be on your birth certificate, making it relatively straightforward. If your father does not appear on your original birth certificate, but you have official documentation to show they registered paternity before you turned 18, that should be enough. If however, they did not do so until afterward, you need proof of a financial and emotional bond between you before you turned 21 or got married
What about non-birth parents?
Parents who adopted you before you turned 16, or a step-parent who married your birth parent before you turned 18 can also be applied for, provided you have the necessary proof confirming the dates of the adoption or marriage.
Consider legal help to find out more and complete your application correctly. Otherwise, you risk unnecessary rejections or delays.