How to petition my grandma along with my mother under i-130 ?

[Ippsy Pippsy 31]

I don't think the OP really wants advice: no matter what people say, the OP is insistent to do this. I guess we can only offer good luck, but more than one miracle will need to happen before the grandma will see the US soil, unfortunately. In addition to good luck, we also must hope that the OP doesn't opt for any "illegal" paths, such as the mentioned marriage fraud. No one really commented on this, but I find it amazing that one would even think of a spousal visa would work for someone of that age. Again, all I can say is, Good luck!

I don't know, having the uncle send money out of the country, so she could "pretend" to invest it into the country seems a bit wild too.

Work visa? Just because there is one old chef out there doesn't make it a viable immigration path. And frankly, the working hours in that kitchen sound illegal.

I'm not sure where you would put an elderly immigrant relative that presumably doesn't speak English to make them feel at home, other than in the middle of an immigrant community. Which is only going to exist in a "dangerous" urban area. Certainly the real estate will be expensive there, given that it is in California. I would think that would be a concern for the mother too.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

While it is admirable that you wish to keep all of your family together and look after your Mom and your grandmother, the cold reality of the situation is that US immigration laws will not allow this to happen in the US given your grandmother's circumstances. She is not eligible to to receive a visa to the US primarily because of the lack of an eligible sponsorship category, however, it is also likely that even if there were a category she would not be granted a visa due to health, age and lack of sponsorship concerns. You do not currently earn enough money to sponsor your mother, let alone your grandmother. When you are fully employed you will meet the minimum income but not until then. Regardless, the US focus for immigration is not on family reunification. It is on what is in the best interest of the United States.

Quite honestly, if you wish to keep your family together, your best option is for you to move back to Vietnam and look after your mother and grandmother there until such time as your grandmother passes on and you can then sponsor your mother to come to the US. There are potential challenges in that path as well, such as having sufficient US based income to sponsor your mother, but you are more likely to get your mother to the US than to get your grandmother to the US. Since your mother obviously won't come to the US without your grandmother, due to your grandmother's need for a full-time caregiver, your most realistic option to be together as a family is in Vietnam.

Discussion about healthcare and employment for your grandmother are moot points - since your grandmother is not eligible for a visa, you will not have to worry about finding health insurance for her in the US.

I don't mean to sound harsh, but part of growing up is learning to face reality. There are things that you can change and there are things that you cannot change. Sometimes the best you can do is to find the way to make the best of the circumstances you are in. I do think you should have a sincere discussion with your grandmother about whether she wants to completely uproot her life and leave everything she has ever known, everything that is familiar to her, all of the memories of her friends and family who have lived and died in Vietnam, her belongings and her sense of self and history to come to a foreign country where she does not know the language, where the only people she will know are her daughter and you, where she will have no sense of familiarity or belonging and will feel like a lost and abandoned child all alone in the world. When you get older, the familiarity of the past and your sense of belonging matter very much; to lose those often means to lose a hold on life itself. It is incredibly difficult and challenging for a younger person to immigrate to a foreign country. I think, while your desire to bring your grandmother and mother to the US is well-meaning and I know you think it is for the best, I also think that you are being somewhat naive and perhaps a little selfish ("this is what I want and what I believe is in my grandmother's best interests") in your plans. You really need to talk with your grandmother and find out if she even wants to leave her home before you start trying to make plans. She may find even the contemplation of leaving her home upsetting.

Edited February 19, 2013 by Kathryn41

[MIDUVIL 34]

While it is admirable that you wish to keep all of your family together and look after your Mom and your grandmother, the cold reality of the situation is that US immigration laws will not allow this to happen in the US given your grandmother's circumstances. She is not eligible to to receive a visa to the US primarily because of the lack of an eligible sponsorship category, however, it is also likely that even if there were a category she would not be granted a visa due to health, age and lack of sponsorship concerns. You do not currently earn enough money to sponsor your mother, let alone your grandmother. When you are fully employed you will meet the minimum income but not until then. Regardless, the US focus for immigration is not on family reunification. It is on what is in the best interest of the United States.

Quite honestly, if you wish to keep your family together, your best option is for you to move back to Vietnam and look after your mother and grandmother there until such time as your grandmother passes on and you can then sponsor your mother to come to the US. There are potential challenges in that path as well, such as having sufficient US based income to sponsor your mother, but you are more likely to get your mother to the US than to get your grandmother to the US. Since your mother obviously won't come to the US without your grandmother, due to your grandmother's need for a full-time caregiver, your most realistic option to be together as a family is in Vietnam.

Discussion about healthcare and employment for your grandmother are moot points - since your grandmother is not eligible for a visa, you will not have to worry about finding health insurance for her in the US.

I don't mean to sound harsh, but part of growing up is learning to face reality. There are things that you can change and there are things that you cannot change. Sometimes the best you can do is to find the way to make the best of the circumstances you are in. I do think you should have a sincere discussion with your grandmother about whether she wants to completely uproot her life and leave everything she has ever known, everything that is familiar to her, all of the memories of her friends and family who have lived and died in Vietnam, her belongings and her sense of self and history to come to a foreign country where she does not know the language, where the only people she will know are her daughter and you, where she will have no sense of familiarity or belonging and will feel like a lost and abandoned child all alone in the world. When you get older, the familiarity of the past and your sense of belonging matter very much; to lose those often means to lose a hold on life itself. It is incredibly difficult and challenging for a younger person to immigrate to a foreign country. I think, while your desire to bring your grandmother and mother to the US is well-meaning and I know you think it is for the best, I also think that you are being somewhat naive and perhaps a little selfish ("this is what I want and what I believe is in my grandmother's best interests") in your plans. You really need to talk with your grandmother and find out if she even wants to leave her home before you start trying to make plans. She may find even the contemplation of leaving her home upsetting.

My writing skills in English didn't allow to write a so long post.

Edited February 19, 2013 by MIDUVIL

[aaron2020 11,651]

While it is admirable that you wish to keep all of your family together and look after your Mom and your grandmother, the cold reality of the situation is that US immigration laws will not allow this to happen in the US given your grandmother's circumstances. She is not eligible to to receive a visa to the US primarily because of the lack of an eligible sponsorship category, however, it is also likely that even if there were a category she would not be granted a visa due to health, age and lack of sponsorship concerns. You do not currently earn enough money to sponsor your mother, let alone your grandmother. When you are fully employed you will meet the minimum income but not until then. Regardless, the US focus for immigration is not on family reunification. It is on what is in the best interest of the United States.

Quite honestly, if you wish to keep your family together, your best option is for you to move back to Vietnam and look after your mother and grandmother there until such time as your grandmother passes on and you can then sponsor your mother to come to the US. There are potential challenges in that path as well, such as having sufficient US based income to sponsor your mother, but you are more likely to get your mother to the US than to get your grandmother to the US. Since your mother obviously won't come to the US without your grandmother, due to your grandmother's need for a full-time caregiver, your most realistic option to be together as a family is in Vietnam.

Discussion about healthcare and employment for your grandmother are moot points - since your grandmother is not eligible for a visa, you will not have to worry about finding health insurance for her in the US.

I don't mean to sound harsh, but part of growing up is learning to face reality. There are things that you can change and there are things that you cannot change. Sometimes the best you can do is to find the way to make the best of the circumstances you are in. I do think you should have a sincere discussion with your grandmother about whether she wants to completely uproot her life and leave everything she has ever known, everything that is familiar to her, all of the memories of her friends and family who have lived and died in Vietnam, her belongings and her sense of self and history to come to a foreign country where she does not know the language, where the only people she will know are her daughter and you, where she will have no sense of familiarity or belonging and will feel like a lost and abandoned child all alone in the world. When you get older, the familiarity of the past and your sense of belonging matter very much; to lose those often means to lose a hold on life itself. It is incredibly difficult and challenging for a younger person to immigrate to a foreign country. I think, while your desire to bring your grandmother and mother to the US is well-meaning and I know you think it is for the best, I also think that you are being somewhat naive and perhaps a little selfish ("this is what I want and what I believe is in my grandmother's best interests") in your plans. You really need to talk with your grandmother and find out if she even wants to leave her home before you start trying to make plans. She may find even the contemplation of leaving her home upsetting.

Excellent post.

Here's a little story about my aunt who visited the US for 10 months.

In 2000, she came to the US on a tourist visa at the age of 76.

Plenty of friends and family came to visit and take her out. She extended her 6 months stay to attend her grandson's graduation.

By the end of her visit, she was done. People visited infrequently. Family members had their own lives - work, school, or both. Without knowing English and how to drive, she was home bound - a virtual prisoner in her daughter's home. During the day, she wasted her days with nothing to do. She became bored. She was too afraid to go out because you cannot walk to anywhere in the suburbs of Southern California. She missed home. She missed her independence. She missed going to the market. She became depressed. We were sad to see her go home, but we knew Vietnam was a better place for her mental well being.

To the OP, we are trying to help you. Don't turn your grandmother into a prisoner in the US. She will not be happy. You have to do what she wants and not what you think is best.

I encourage you to talk to older Viet Kieus who do not speak English nor drive. Ask them about their social life and ask them about their happiness.

While America is full of opportunities for the young. It can be extremely lonely and depressing for the elderly who are isolated.

[Darnell 8,479]

Quite honestly, if you wish to keep your family together, your best option is for you to move back to Vietnam and look after your mother and grandmother there until such time as your grandmother passes on and you can then sponsor your mother to come to the US.

One of the side-effects of doing this one (above) is the time of 'boots on the ground' as a USCitizen as well - so plan accordingly.