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To sponsor a parent to become a permanent resident, you must apply for a family-based immigrant visa. A person who is a permanent resident (Green Card holder) cannot sponsor their parents to obtain Green Cards. To petition for your parents (mother or father) to live in the United States as Green Card holders (permanent residents), you must first be a U.S. citizen or become a U.S. citizen and be at least 21 years old.
Key Takeaways:
You must also have the financial means to support your parents in the U.S. until they can begin working. You also live in the United States and have a U.S. address. You must also present a copy of your birth certificate (and, in certain situations, your adoption certificate showing you were adopted before you turned 16 years old).
There are two types of family-based immigrant visas: the immediate relative visa and family preference visas. Immediate relative visas are for close relatives of U.S. citizens, such as parents. Fortunately, there is an unlimited number of visas available for this category. For parents, you will be applying for an IR-5 visa.
If you are a U.S. citizen, then you may petition for your parents to become Green Card holders, depending on the situation. Below are the steps you must take to sponsor your parents as Green Card holders:
Step One:
Be a U.S. citizen.
Step Two:
Be twenty-one (21) years of age or older.
Step Three:
Determine which documents you will need to include in your petition based on your circumstances below:
Mother lives outside the U.S.
- A copy of your birth certificate showing your name and your mother's name.
- A copy of your Certificate of Naturalization or U.S. passport if you were not born in the United States.
Father lives outside the U.S.
- A copy of your birth certificate showing your name and the names of both parents.
- A copy of your Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship, or U.S. passport if you were not born in the United States.
- A copy of your parents' civil marriage certificate.
Father lives outside of the U.S., AND you were born out of wedlock (parents were not married), AND you were not legitimized by your father before your 18th birthday.
- A copy of your birth certificate showing your name and your father's name
- A copy of your Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship, or U.S. passport if you were not born in the United States
- Evidence of an emotional or financial bond between you and your father before you were married or reached the age of 21, whichever came first.
Father lives outside of the U.S. AND you were born out of wedlock (parents were not married) AND you WERE legitimized by your father before your 18th birthday.
- A copy of your birth certificate showing your name and your father's name
- A copy of your Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship, or U.S. passport if you were not born in the United States.
- Evidence that you WERE legitimated before your 18th birthday by the marriage of your natural parents, the laws of your state or country (of birth or residence), or the laws of your father's state or country (of birth or residence).
You are petitioning for your step-parent to live in the U.S.
- A copy of your birth certificate showing the names of your birth parents.
- A copy of the marriage certificate of your birth parent and your step-parent showing that the marriage occurred before your 18th birthday.
- A copy of any divorce or annulment decrees or death certificates to show that any previous marriage of your natural and/or step-parent ended legally.
You are petitioning for your adoptive parents to live in the United States.
- A copy of your birth certificate.
- A copy of your Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship if you were not born in the United States.
- A certified copy of the adoption certificate showing that the adoption took place before your 16th birthday.
- A statement that states the dates and places you have lived together with your parent.
Step Four-
Filing the Petition: File a Form I-130 petition with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Department (USCIS), according to your situation, including the required documents above. You can file the petition online or by mailing it to the USCIS website. If you reside in the U.S., visit https://www.uscis.gov/i-130-addresses to locate the appropriate mailing address.
If you reside outside of the U.S., you may mail the petition to the Elgin address, which you can locate at https://www.uscis.gov/i-130-addresses. You may also request to file the petition at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in certain limited circumstances, which can be located by searching the following website: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel.html.
Step Five-
Pay the Filing Fee: Currently (2025), the fee for mailing the petition is $675, and $625 for online filing. You can pay the fee with a money order, personal check, cashier's check, or by credit card or debit card using Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions. If you pay by check, make your check payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This is a non-refundable fee, even if the application is denied.
Step Six-
Approval or Denial: You will be notified if the petition is approved or denied. When approved, and if your parent is outside the United States, they will be notified to go to the local U.S. consulate to complete visa processing.
If your parent is currently in the United States, they may be eligible to file Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or to Adjust Status, at the same time as you file Form I-130.
Step Seven-
Work authorization: Your parents do not need to apply for employment authorization (work permit) once they are admitted as immigrants with their immigrant visa. If your parents are now outside the United States, they will receive a passport stamp upon arrival in the United States. This stamp will prove that they are allowed to work in the United States until they receive their Green Cards.
If your parents are in the United States and have applied to adjust to permanent resident Status by filing Form I-485, they are eligible to apply for employment and travel authorization while their case is pending. Your parents should use Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, and Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, to apply for travel authorization.
Step Eight-
Appeal (if necessary): If the petition is denied, a denial letter will be sent and will tell you how to appeal as well as how much time you have to file the appeal. You will submit an appeal form and pay the required fee. After the appeal is filed and the fee is processed, the appeal will be referred to the Board of Immigration Appeals.
Processing Time
When you are calculating how long it will take for your parent(s) to get your green card, there are two waiting periods that may be used to get a relative time frame. The first is the visa bulletin period; this is like waiting in line for your number to be called. The second is the USCIS processing time. This is the time it takes for USCIS to review and approve your petition once you've submitted it. In the case of parents, they skip the first waiting period. There is no initial wait time for IR-5 applicants. Currently, processing times for Form I-130 applications for parents vary from 17 to 66 months. Check https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/ for more information on processing times.
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