Question:
My Form I-130 application
for my parents has been approved. What is the next step for them to get
U.S. green card?
Answer:
A U.S. citizen or permanent
resident uses Form, I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, to establish an
eligible family relationship with a foreign national relative. An
approved Form I-130 is only the beginning of a process that requires
several forms to be filed with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) and/or the Department of State.
Unfortunately, an approved I-130 petition does not, by itself, give you
permission to come to, or remain in, the United States. The approval of
the I-130 petition is a prerequisite to the immigrant then filing an
Form I-140 application for a green card, for lawful permanent residence.
Petitions (Forms I-130 and Forms I-140) approved by USCIS in the United
States are sent to the Department of State's National Visa Center (NVC)
for pre-processing. When your petition becomes current, or is likely to
become current within one year, the NVC initiates immigrant visa
pre-processing, including collecting visa fees, forms, and documents
from sponsors (petitioners) and immigrant visa applicants.
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