Bringing my mother to the US

[MLFLA 0]

My mother lives in the UK. I am an american citizen and live in Florida. What form(s) do I need to complete now to start the process.

Does it help to write a cover letter, to speed the process? My mother is 88 years old and has no family there to help her at this time of her life.

Also what supporting papers do I need to send with whichever form I submit?

Where do I find the lockbox I submit the papers to?

Please help.

Thanks.

Edited May 6, 2011 by MLFLA

[LADYDARE 28]

You will need to file form I-130 for your mom. Check out USCIS.gov to download the form plus instructions and that has the lockbox address to send your form.

Edited May 6, 2011 by LADYDARE

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

My mother lives in the UK. I am an american citizen and live in Florida. What form(s) do I need to complete now to start the process.

Does it help to write a cover letter, to speed the process? My mother is 88 years old and has no family there to help her at this time of her life.

Also what supporting papers do I need to send with whichever form I submit?

Where do I find the lockbox I submit the papers to?

Please help.

Thanks.

Paramount for getting your mother to immigrate to the US, is that you have proof of health insurance that covers any and everything in the US. A US insurance company would not take her or charge you about $100K per year, so it is a given that this will be a main requirement for an immigrant visa for her. You can circumvent this by showing that you have the financial means to take care of her. A heart attack is about $100K+, so if you can show that you have $250K or so in savings, an Affidavit of Support would do. If not, this is the first hurdle you have to overcome.

[Mononoke28 135]

Paramount for getting your mother to immigrate to the US, is that you have proof of health insurance that covers any and everything in the US.

Since when did US embassies start asking for proof of insurance to give an older person an immigrant visa? I've never heard of this and we have family and friends over the age of 65 who got their immigrant visas without any issues.

Diana

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

Since when did US embassies start asking for proof of insurance to give an older person an immigrant visa? I've never heard of this and we have family and friends over the age of 65 who got their immigrant visas without any issues.

Diana

Let me quote JimVaPhung who wrote this down so perfectly:

Age and Health of Prospective Immigrant

Both USCIS and Department of State are required to consider the immigrant's age, health, and ability to support themselves when making the public charge determination. This requirement is based on INA section 212(a)(4)(B):

http://www.uscis.gov...190aRCRD&CH=act

Factors to be taken into account.- (i) In determining whether an alien is excludable under this paragraph, the consular officer or the Attorney General shall at a minimum consider the alien's-

(I) age;

(II) health;

(III) family status;

(IV) assets, resources, and financial status; and

(V) education and skills

Only after considering these things, will DHS or DoS consider the affidavit of support:

(ii) In addition to the factors under clause (i), the consular officer or the Attorney General may also consider any affidavit of support under section 213A for purposes of exclusion under this paragraph.

Both the Adjudicators Field Manual (DHS) and Foreign Affairs Manual (DoS) refer to the "totality of circumstances", and specifically refer to INA 212(a)(4)(B). Some specific references in the Foreign Affairs Manual:

http://www.state.gov...ation/86988.pdf

9 FAM 40.41 N4.3 Family Status

You should consider the marital status of the applicant and, if married, the number of dependents for whom he or she would have financial responsibility.

9 FAM 40.41 N4.4 Applicant's Age

You should consider the age of the applicant. If the applicant is under the age of 16, he or she will need the support of a sponsor. If the applicant is 16 years of age or older, you should consider what skills the applicant has to make him or her employable in the United States.

9 FAM 40.41 N4.5 Education and Work Experience

You should review the applicant's education and work experience to determine if these are compatible with the duties of the applicant's job offer (if any). You should consider the applicant's skills, length of employment, and frequency of job changes. Even if a job offer is not required, you should assess the likelihood of the alien's ability to become or remain self-sufficient, if necessary, within a reasonable time after entry into the United States. (See 9 FAM 40.41 N4.7.)

9 FAM 40.41 N4.6-1 Aliens Subject to INA 212(a)(4)©/(D)

An alien who must have Form I-864, Affidavit of Support Under Section 213(A) of the Act, will generally not need to have extensive personal resources available unless considerations of health, age, skills, etc., suggest that the likelihood of his or her ever becoming self-supporting is marginal at best. In such cases, of course, the degree of support that the affiant will be able and likely to provide becomes more important than in the average case.

In a nutshell, this means that an affidavit of support is not simply a backstop in case the immigrant requires support. They may conclude that it's virtually guaranteed that the sponsor is going to have to support the immigrant (and derivative family members), and require proof that the sponsor is capable of doing this for an indefinite amount of time. The burden of proof becomes decidedly heavier if the immigrant has minor children who will qualify for derivative visas. In spite of the fact that the primary immigrant would not be eligible for most means tested benefits until they've been an LPR for five years, their minor children would be eligible for those benefits the day the immigrant and his family step off the plane. It is this sort of scenario that DHS and DoS are charged with preventing. <br style=""> <br style="">

[Penguin_ie 5,996]

Since when did US embassies start asking for proof of insurance to give an older person an immigrant visa? I've never heard of this and we have family and friends over the age of 65 who got their immigrant visas without any issues.

No personal experience, but I remember several cases from on here, mostly with parents over 70 years of age.