Parent to petition children even before getting to America?

[beck26 1]

Good day everyone,

So, i'll explain the situation.

My wife's mother (my wife is the US citizen) had already been approved to migrate to the USA (still needs to get medical and interview though)...that's the assured part, the question wanted to inquire about to you guys, and i hope someone could help us (coz we will spend so much money on getting her mom here already, so we dont want to pay for a lawyer) is if its possible for my wife OR my mother-in-law who is just arriving to petition her younger sisters so that they can at least follow or arrive together with my mother-in-law....we plan on have her arrive here early next year.

my wife got 2 sisters, 1 is below 21 and one is past the 21 age limit, but both of them aren't married.

please help us with any possibilities and if its not much of a bother, please explain to us on what to do.

we would really, really all appreciate your help...thank you so much and God bless!

[Boiler 45,519]

Your MIL can petition them once she gets here as they are not married and do not get married whilst waiting.

Your wife can petition them now, age does not matter, but they have a very long wait. Also getting married does not matter.

No matter which way they will not be coming to the US anytime soon unless you can find them US Boyfriends?

How old is the under 21 exactly.

Edited May 15, 2015 by Boiler

[apple21 953]

The i130 was approved, the visa... not yet.

She can only file for her children after US entry.

Edited May 15, 2015 by apple21

[beck26 1]

Your MIL can petition them once she gets here as they are not married and do not get married whilst waiting.

Your wife can petition them now, age does not matter, but they have a very long wait. Also getting married does not matter.

No matter which way they will not be coming to the US anytime soon unless you can find them US Boyfriends?

How old is the under 21 exactly.

one is 19-20 i think....and the other one is 22-23.

i have heard that my MIL can petition them even before arriving here....is there any truth to that?

[apple21 953]

There's absolutely NO truth to what you heard.

[Boiler 45,519]

Let us say that by the time your MIL arrives the younger daughter is 20, takes more than a year to petition an under 21 so she will be 21 plus and move into the same category as her Sister.

So they would be 30 something before they could immigtrate.

Edited May 16, 2015 by Boiler

[belinda63 3,038]

An approved petition does not mean a green card. She must pass the medical and the interview and have the visa issued. An approved visa does not guarantee a green card. She must enter the US and then she will receive a stamp that serves as a temporary green card until hers arrives in the mail. Only after she receives the stamp is she considered an LPR of the U.S, Then she can file a petition for each child. Depending on when the MIL gets here the youngest child might fall into the F2A category and only have a year or two of waiting. For the oldest child she is F2B and will have about 10-12 years of waiting.

[beck26 1]

thanks a lot for the replies everyone. i really appreciate it...i got a last question....

my wife said that someone said to her that a lawyer can make it possible (petitioning for her youngest sister the same time as her mom), so we are thinking of getting a loan for the expenses if ever the lawyer can really make it happen. here are my questions.

1. is it real that its possible for an immigration lawyer to do that? any experience?

2. how much does it cost to hire an immigration lawyer?

thanks!

[Boiler 45,519]

No

Depends what you want them to do, to file an I 130 should not be that expensive, but this is a DIY site and this is stuff people do themselves, not difficult.

[apple21 953]

thanks a lot for the replies everyone. i really appreciate it...i got a last question....

my wife said that someone said to her that a lawyer can make it possible (petitioning for her youngest sister the same time as her mom), so we are thinking of getting a loan for the expenses if ever the lawyer can really make it happen. here are my questions.

1. is it real that its possible for an immigration lawyer to do that? any experience?

2. how much does it cost to hire an immigration lawyer?

thanks!

Again, no truth to that.

She can file i130 for her mom and her sister at the same time but they won't immigrate together. It takes 24 years for sibling petitions in the Philippines.

You don't need a lawyer. Lawyers can't shorten the waiting times. You only need to hire one if you have red flags or past criminal or deportation issues.

[beck26 1]

thanks! you guys are a big help