IR5 Visa: Green card for parents of us citizen – IR5 visa interview questions for parents
As a US citizen, you may be able to sponsor your foreign-born parents for a green card, allowing them to live and work in the United States permanently. The Immediate Relative Immigrant Visa, or IR-5 visa, is a visa that allows the parents of a US citizen to live and work legally in the United States.
What are the Eligibility Criteria for the IR5 visa?
To be eligible for the IR5 visa, there are some criteria which both the US citizen and their parent must fulfill, as below:
Be at least 21 years old.
Have financial stability to support their parent until they start working.
Live in the US and have a valid US address.
The parent must be from a foreign country.
The US citizen and their parent must prove their relationship through a valid birth certificate.
How to Apply For IR-5 Visa To Sponsor Green Card For Parents
The IR-5 visa, also known as the Immediate Relative Immigrant Visa, can be applied for either in the parent’s home country or in the United States. To apply from within the United States, both parents must be present. The process may differ slightly depending on where they are submitting from. If they file from outside the US, their application will be processed through consular processing, which means that the next steps will be handled by a US consulate in their native country. If the parents are in the United States and are on a guest visa at the time of filing, they will be subject to an adjustment of status.
Step 1 – File Form I-130
The sponsor has to file Form I-130, Petition for an Alien Relative with USCIS. This will establish the parent-child relationship.
Step 2 – File I-485 if inside the US.
If outside the US, File Form DS-260
Once the Form I-130 has been processed, and If the parent is filing from within the United States, the I-485, Adjustment of Status, must be completed. At this time, the parent’s valid visa for entry into the United States will be amended.
When filing from outside the United States, the parent must file a DS-260 immigrant visa application with the National Visa Center once the Form I-130 has been processed (NVC). This is to show that you are eligible and that you have a relationship with your US Citizen child.
Step 3 – Biometrics
After the DS-260 or I-485 has been approved, parents must have their fingerprints taken at a time and location determined by the US embassy or USCIS. Even the eyeballs are examined and recorded in some circumstances.
Step 4 – Green Card Interview
At the time of the interview, the parents would need to bring the following documents to the scheduled site, date, and time:
Their USCIS appointment letter.
An unexpired passport valid for six months beyond the intended date of entry into the United States, if they applied using consular processing.
Two identical color photograph(s).
English translations of documents requiring translation.
Supporting documents — original or certified copies of all civil documents the parent uploaded into the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC), if they applied using consular processing.
Step 5 – Green Card Approval
If the interview was successful and the documents were satisfactory, the the visa will be granted, and the parent will be able to immigrate to the United States. Their green card is mailed to their US address after arrival.
Required documents
Valid passport. It must have a minimum validity of 6 months. Make sure it’s in good condition.
Form I-130
Affidavit of Support. It shows you can support your parents while in the United States.
Form DS-260
Two photographs. Check the photo requirements on the US immigration page.
Civil documents. Marriage certificates, birth certificates, and other documents that will support your application.
Medical Examination Forms.
How Long Is the IR-5 Visa Processing Time?.
Visa applications for family relatives in the United States take a variety of times to process. The time it takes to obtain an IR-5 U.S. visa is determined by the time it takes to process Form I-130 and other papers. Overall, the applicant or parent would have to wait 6 months to a year to receive the IR-5 U.S. visa and be allowed to rejoin with their U.S. citizen child.
source