IR5 Visa (Green Card for Parents)

Any parent/s of a U.S. citizen are potentially eligible for the IR5 Visa Green Card.

Still, there are a few fundamental requirements which the U.S. citizen and their parent must fulfil in order to be considered for the visa.

The U.S citizen must:

• Be at least 21-years-old
• Must have financial stability to support the parent until they begin working
• Live in the U.S and have an American address
• The parent must live in a foreign country
• The relationship between the U.S citizen and parent must be proved through a birth certificate

The package from the NVC will also provide information on the medical examinations and vaccinations which the prospective Green Card holder will need to undertake.

The parent/s will need to go to a licenced doctor to take the medical examination and be given the required vaccinations.

You will need to be able to provide signed confirmation of the medical examination and vaccinations which you have taken.

These documents will also form part of your portfolio of documents.

The applicant will need to send a number of documents as part of the IR5 Visa application. The purpose of these documents is to prove that the applicant fulfils the eligibility criteria.

The specific documents which need to be provided will depend on the particular circumstances of the applicant.

Still, the following documents will need to be included in all IR5 Visa applications:

• A valid passport for more than 6 months after your planned entry into America
• A signed I-864 (Affidavit of Support form from the U.S petitioner)
• The confirmation page of the DS-260 form
• Medical examination and vaccination documents
• A valid birth certificate which proves the relationship between the applicant and the U.S citizen
• Two photographs (according to U.S Visa photograph requirements) for each individual who wants to apply for the IR5 Visa
• Any court and criminal records and/or police certificate
• If the applicant has ever served in the military, they must bring their military records

After all the documents have been sent, the NVC will schedule an interview for the applicant at the U.S embassy in the country which they are applying from.

An immigration official will conduct the interview, asking you questions related to your application. The interviewer will decide whether to grant you with the permission to enter the United States based on the information you provide.

If they are satisfied and you are approved, you will be given a sealed package which you must bring with you when you travel to the United States. When you arrive in the U.S., you need to give this package to the border official.

There are a number of fees to consider with an IR5 Visa Green Card application.

• Form I-130 filing fee
• Processing fee for Form DS-260
• Any fees for translation of your documents
• Medical examination and vaccination fees
• Fees to be paid to the USCIS as an immigrant

The specific fees for the IR5 Visa will depend on the country from which the person is applying.

The IR5 Visa is an Immediate Relative application which means there isn’t any limit to the number of people who can get one in any given year.

This means that an IR5 Visa applicant will not have to wait for their application to become current before beginning the IR5 Visa application. If and when the petition is accepted, the applicant can begin their application.

Recipients of an IR5 visa will likely not be eligible for US healthcare benefits such as Medicare or social security benefits, as they will first need to earn 40 qualifying credits to access most federal benefits such as these. As this would typically take around 10 years’ worth of full-time work to accrue, it is highly recommended that individuals with IR5 visas make alternative arrangements for healthcare when they arrive in the US.

Most often, this will be through private medical insurance in advance of the visa holder coming to the US. For children sponsoring their parents to come to the US, it may be possible to add them to an existing healthcare plan. It’s important to ensure that individuals carefully plan well in advance to ensure that they have adequate healthcare in the US as soon as possible after they settle in the US, or preferably before.

Unfortunately, if a parent of a US citizen is not eligible for an IR5 visa, then there are limited options available to facilitate their settling in the US.

Of all the family-based green card visas available, the IR5 visa is the only one available that specifically allows parents to move to the US. However, if the parent in question has other ties to the US, then it may be possible for them to pursue an alternative route to obtaining a green card. These include (but are not limited to) the following:

• IR1/CR1 visa – if the parent is the spouse of a US citizen
• K1 visa – if the parent is to marry a US citizen
• F4 visa – if the parent is a sibling of a US citizen
• F2A – if the parent is the spouse of a US lawful permanent resident

The parent may also wish to explore alternative US green card routes, such as an employment-based green card visa. These will normally require the applicant to meet a range of base eligibility criteria and requirements, such as educational qualifications, relevant work experience and a valid job offer from a US-based employer.

Finally, if no green card visa is suitable for the parent to apply for, then a B2 tourist visa may be the most likely way of being able to enter the US, albeit only on a temporary basis. B2 visas are valid for up to 6 months at a time.

For more information on the required documents for an IR5 Visa, call us now on +1 844 290 6312. Our immigration law specialists are highly experienced in Immediate Relative visa applications, and understand what it takes to formulate a successful application.