Updated November 6, 2026

Green Card for Parents: How US Citizens Sponsor a Mother or Father

To sponsor your mother or father for a green card, you must be a US citizen and at least 21 years old, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Green card holders cannot petition for their parents. Parents of adult US citizens are immediate relatives under INA 201(b)(2)(A)(i), so immigrant visas are unlimited and always available. You start by filing a separate Form I-130 for each parent.

Who can sponsor a parent for a green card?

Under USCIS eligibility rules, only a US citizen who is at least 21 years old can petition for a mother or father to live permanently in the United States. Lawful permanent residents (green card holders) may not petition to bring parents to live permanently in the US and can only petition for a spouse and unmarried children.

Parents of US citizens who are 21 or older are classified as immediate relatives, alongside spouses and unmarried children under 21 of US citizens. Because immigrant visas for immediate relatives are unlimited, a visa is always available and your parent does not wait in a Visa Bulletin line.

Immediate relatives cannot have derivative beneficiaries. To sponsor both your mother and your father, you must file two separate Form I-130 petitions. If your parents have minor children abroad (your siblings), those children cannot be included on your parent's petition. Once your parent becomes a permanent resident, your parent may file a new Form I-130 for qualifying unmarried children, or you can file a separate sibling petition under the family fourth preference category.

• Your status: US citizen (by birth, Consular Report of Birth Abroad, naturalization, or citizenship certificate).
• Your age: At least 21 years old on the day you file Form I-130.
• Your residence: Domiciled in the United States (or a US territory or possession) when you file Form I-864, or able to show your residence abroad is temporary.
• One petition per person: A separate Form I-130 for your mother and a separate Form I-130 for your father.

Filing Form I-130 and the exact documents for each parent

Submitting Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative (04/01/24 edition), is the first step to establish your qualifying parent-child relationship. Filing or getting an approved Form I-130 does not give your parent any immigration status by itself. You can file online through a USCIS account or by mail at the appropriate USCIS lockbox. On October 7, 2026, USCIS updated its mail filing locations for Form I-130, with a 30-day grace period accepting forms postmarked on or before November 9, 2026, sent to prior addresses.

In Part 4, select only one option (Question 61 or 62) to show whether your parent will apply for adjustment of status inside the United States or consular processing at a US embassy or consulate abroad. Do not fill in both questions and do not leave the section blank.

Send photocopies of civil documents unless originals are specifically requested. Any foreign-language document must include a full English translation with a signed translator certification verifying that the translation is complete and accurate and that the translator is competent. If your name or your parent's name has changed, include proof of the legal name change, such as a marriage certificate, divorce decree, adoption decree, or court judgment.

Adjustment of status in the US vs. consular processing abroad

Because an immigrant visa number is always available for immediate relatives, your parent applies for permanent residence through adjustment of status inside the United States (Form I-485) or consular processing outside the United States through the Department of State.

If your parent is physically present in the United States after being inspected and admitted or inspected and paroled, they may file Form I-485 concurrently with your Form I-130, while Form I-130 is pending, or after Form I-130 is approved. For filings postmarked or submitted electronically on or after September 18, 2026, USCIS accepts only the 09/18/26 edition of Form I-485, with no grace period. Your parent must submit Form I-693 (medical examination) with Form I-485, or USCIS may reject Form I-485. Mail filers submit Form I-693 in the civil surgeon's sealed envelope. Online filers must open the sealed envelope, upload Form I-693, and keep the original Form I-693 and envelope for the interview.

If your parent lives abroad, USCIS sends your approved Form I-130 to the National Visa Center (NVC), which collects visa fees and supporting documents, including Form I-864, before the US embassy or consulate schedules the interview.

What to expect at your parent's green card interview

Whether your parent interviews at a US embassy abroad or a USCIS office in the United States, an officer reviews the file to verify the relationship, confirm financial support, and check admissibility. Submitting all required initial evidence with Form I-485 helps avoid delays if USCIS decides your parent does not need an interview. If USCIS schedules an appointment, review our I-485 interview guide.

At a consular interview, the officer decides immigrant visa eligibility. At a USCIS interview, the officer verifies Form I-485 answers and may inspect original civil documents, including the original Form I-693 and envelope if filed online. Compare question patterns on our USCIS interview questions page and our green card interview walkthrough.

Prepare your parent for these four verification areas:

• Parent-child relationship and family history: Your full name, birth date, US address, how you became a citizen, and parents' marriage or divorce dates matching civil records.
• Petitioner's employment and Form I-864 sponsorship: Your job, household members, and financial support in the US.
• Immigration history and prior US entries: When and how your parent last entered the US, their visa or parole stamp, Form I-94 record, and past stays.
• Admissibility and background questions: Past arrests, charges, convictions, J-1 two-year foreign residence requirements, or grounds of inadmissibility under INA 212(a).

Form I-864 Affidavit of Support: income rules and obligations

By law, all immediate relatives, including parents, must submit Form I-864 completed by the petitioning US citizen, unless the parent has earned or can be credited with 40 qualifying quarters of work under the Social Security Act. Starting October 1, 2026, USCIS accepts only the 08/24/26 edition of Form I-864, which includes a privacy release authorizing USCIS to request your credit reports and credit scores from consumer reporting agencies. Respond promptly to any request to release a credit freeze.

You must be at least 18, a US citizen or permanent resident domiciled in the US, and show household income at or above 125% of the US poverty level for your household size (Form I-864P). The 100% active-duty military rule applies only to a spouse or child, so active-duty sponsors of parents must meet 125%. Include your most recent federal income tax return (with W-2s, 1099s, and schedules) and proof of current employment, or an explanation of why you were not required to file.

Worked example (By our calculation from USCIS Form I-864 asset rules): If 125% of the poverty guideline for your household is $40,000 and your household income is $32,000, the difference is $8,000. Multiply $8,000 by 5: you or your parent must document at least $40,000 in net cash value of assets to cover the gap.

Form I-864 is a legally enforceable contract. Any joint sponsor or household member signing Form I-864 or Form I-864A is jointly and severally liable. Agencies use income deeming when your parent applies for means-tested public benefits and can sue you for repayment, legal fees, and costs. Your obligation generally lasts until your parent becomes a US citizen or earns 40 qualifying quarters of work. It also ends if your parent leaves the US and gives up permanent resident status, obtains a new grant of adjustment in removal proceedings, or if your parent dies (or if you die). Sponsors must report any address change within 30 days on Form I-865 or face civil fines of $250 to $2,000 ($2,000 to $5,000 if knowing the parent received means-tested benefits).

• Count assets (5x rule for parents): Net cash value of countable assets (yours or your parent's) must equal at least 5 times the gap between your household income and the 125% threshold.
• Add a household member's income (Form I-864A): Count income and assets of a relative by birth, marriage, or adoption who lived with you for the last 6 months or was a dependent on your most recent federal tax return.
• Use a joint sponsor (Form I-864): Must be at least 18, a US citizen, national, or permanent resident domiciled in the US, and meet the 125% income requirement alone without combining income with yours.

Switching paths, fees, and step-by-step checklist

USCIS routes an approved Form I-130 based on Part 4 (Question 61 or 62) and the parent's address on Form I-130. If your parent's plans change, use the USCIS rules in the table below. How processing time works depends on which path your parent takes: (1) Adjustment of Status in the US lets your parent file Form I-485 concurrently with Form I-130, while Form I-130 is pending, or after it is approved, collapsing the petition and green card application into a single USCIS timeline, and submitting all required initial evidence at once can avoid Requests for Evidence and adjudication delays if USCIS waives the interview. (2) Consular Processing abroad moves sequentially through three agencies: first waiting for USCIS to approve Form I-130, then transferring the approved petition to the National Visa Center to collect visa application fees and supporting documentation, and finally waiting for the US embassy or consulate to schedule the interview. Check current wait times on the USCIS Check Case Processing Times tool, and see how NVC and embassy stages work in our CR-1 visa processing time guide.

Verify current filing fees on Form G-1055 (10/26/26 edition). Online filers pay via Pay.gov. Mail filers pay by card (Form G-1450) or US bank ACH (Form G-1650), or Form G-1651 if exempt from electronic payment. Cash is never accepted.

• Step 1: Gather civil records, citizenship proof, and certified English translations for each parent.
• Step 2: File a separate Form I-130 per parent, selecting only Question 61 (adjustment) or Question 62 (consular) in Part 4.
• Step 3 (Adjustment in US): Complete Form I-693 with a civil surgeon and file Form I-485 (09/18/26 edition) with Form I-864 (08/24/26 edition), Form I-94 proof, photos, and optional Form I-765 and Form I-131.
• Step 3 (Consular abroad): Wait for I-130 approval and NVC transfer, then pay NVC fee bills and submit Form I-864, tax returns, and civil records.
• Step 4: Attend the interview (bring the original opened Form I-693 and envelope if Form I-485 was filed online).
• Step 5 (Consular only): Receive the sealed Visa Packet (do not open it), pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee online, and hand the packet to CBP at the port of entry.
• Step 6: Receive the green card by mail. If a consular entrant does not receive their card within 90 days of arrival, call 800-375-5283 or submit a Non-Delivery of Card e-Request.

Visaful is an AI mock interview app for US visa interviews: an AI officer asks your visa's questions out loud and shows what to fix.

This is interview practice, not legal advice. For questions about your own case, talk to an immigration attorney. Visaful is not affiliated with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or any government agency.