polaris8030

thanks for your replies. perhaps I did not phrase my initial question well, but redro's reply captures the line of my thinking. Yes, my parents prefer to stay in India at the moment, they are comfortable in their space and have a system of services they know about and can rely on. But the future is unknown so the status of staying in India can change quite rapidly. I understand what some posters are saying about why apply for a GC when they are doing well in India, or higher health insurance expenses in the US vis-a-vis what they can find in India, but when time comes maybe they might need the presence of a family member. My parents have also said that if one of them passes away, they don't want to stay in India by themselves - which is independent of their health. So one path or the other, I have to prepare for my parents staying with me. To 'thread the needle', I like the idea of pausing the application once their petition is approved and hopefully this cuts down on the time it takes to move to the US. I will investigate the costs of their health care thanks -S

My parents are in their 80's and the topic of their long term health care is an important one in the family. They are adamant that they want to live in their home in India until 'it's really time for their son to take care of them' and then they see themselves coming to the US. They have 10 year visitor visas (was recently renewed in 2022) I have started the process of filing green cards for them - but the question is, if approved - will they lose their green card status if they stay outside the US for more than 12 months (which is what I read) ? do they need to stay a minimum time in the US to keep their green card status valid. Another question: my parents are asking me why apply for a green card when they have a visa. My response to that is a) less hassle when it comes to travel b) maybe its easier to add them as dependencies to my health insurance thanks in advance for your replies -S