A U.S. citizen who is at least 21 can file Form I-130 for a parent, an immediate relative with no wait for a visa. Prima.Law organizes the relationship proof and any concurrent adjustment filing.
A U.S. citizen who is at least 21. Green card holders cannot petition for parents. Parents of adult citizens are immediate relatives.
One Form I-130 for each parent. A parent in the U.S. may file Form I-485 with it, plus Form I-765 and Form I-131 while the I-485 is pending.
Evidence differs for mothers, fathers, stepparents and adoptive parents, from birth and marriage certificates to proof of adoption before age 16.
A parent's minor children abroad cannot be included on the same petition and must be sponsored separately.
A U.S. citizen who is at least 21 files Form I-130 to petition for a mother or father. Parents of adult U.S. citizens are immediate relatives, so a visa is always available and there is no Visa Bulletin wait. Green card holders may not petition for parents. A separate I-130 is filed for each parent.
Evidence depends on the parent type: birth certificates, the parents' civil marriage certificate for fathers, legitimation or bond evidence for fathers of children born out of wedlock, and marriage or adoption records for stepparents and adoptive parents. A parent in the U.S. may be able to file Form I-485 with the I-130. A parent abroad completes consular processing.
General information based on USCIS and other government guidance. Eligibility depends on each client’s facts; this is not legal advice.
A mother, a father, a stepparent and an adoptive parent each need different records, and sending the wrong set can lead to an RFE.
How Prima.Law helps: A detailed, proven parent petition checklist built and maintained by active immigration lawyers lists the records for each parent type. Clients upload to it in the portal and staff mark items complete.
Each parent needs a separate I-130, so the same petitioner details are typed twice, often while the USCIS site runs slow.
How Prima.Law helps: Data is prepared once in Prima.Law and the Chrome extension autofills each USCIS online I-130. If the site is slow, times out or goes down, the data stays safe in Prima.Law and is sent again, not retyped.
A parent in the U.S. may file Form I-485 with the I-130, plus Forms I-765 and I-131, and each parent's package needs its own exhibits.
How Prima.Law helps: Package Assembly combines forms, exhibits and checklist documents into one indexed, paginated PDF per parent, and AI Case Review checks each package before filing.
Start from a template by active immigration lawyers, then tailor the checklist for a mother, father, stepparent or adoptive parent relationship.
When the parent is in the U.S., autofill I-130, I-485, I-864, I-765 and I-131 from one set of profiles and assemble one indexed package.
Send Smart Interviews by email, text or link. Parents can answer on any device, and responses import into the profile and forms.
The petitioner and parent see USCIS receipt numbers and case statuses in the client portal, and your team gets alerts when a status changes.
The U.S. citizen, age 21 or older, files a separate I-130 for each parent with proof of citizenship and relationship.
A parent in the U.S. may file Form I-485 with the I-130 and apply for work and travel authorization while it is pending.
USCIS notifies the petitioner of the decision. A denial letter explains how and when to appeal to the BIA.
If the parent is abroad, the approved case moves to immigrant visa processing at a U.S. consulate.
Spousal petitions for citizens and green card holders, with Form I-130A.
Form I-485 green card applications under INA 245(a), with I-864 and I-693.
National Visa Center steps from case creation to the immigrant visa interview.
All family immigration case types in Prima.Law.
Book a demo and see how Prima.Law handles I-130 for Parents cases.