Mailing Mommy

[Gringo Joe]

At what point can you submit the I-130 form to bring your wife's mother from Colombia? My wife received her I-797C Notice of Action form for her I-485. Can she submit the Visa Application for her mom now? after she goes for her fingerprints? or does she have to wait until after her interview? Or would it be easier to just send mommy Fed Ex?

[william3rd]

The day that she is Naturalized. LPRs cannot file for parents- only for spouses and unmarried children

[Ray]

Joe,

As William mentioned, only a U.S. citizen can petition parents for immigrant visas.

If she stays on track for her citizenship, you're probably looking at another 4 years or so until your wife could become naturalized, and then another year or so for the I-130 processing. Mom could conceivably be here on an immigrant visa in about 5 years or less.

In the meantime, there is nothing to prevent mom from applying for a visitor visa, which if approved, would allow her to visit you for maybe 3-6 months at a shot.

[utopiacowboy]

For what it's worth my wife's mother was able to get a tourist visa quite easily.

[Gringo Joe]

Cowboy,

Does your wife's mother own her house or have a high paying job? I have heard that if they do not have one or the other it is difficult to get a tourist Visa.

Her mother wants to come here in September for the birth of our first child. Would it help her chances of getting a VISA if we sent proof of this with her VISA application?

[william3rd]

What have the other grannies from her country been doing? Russian grannies used to be a slam dunk until they started becoming Russian nannies and doing AOS when their daughters natz'd. Then they got a little tougher.

What equities does she show to make her likely to return home after a temporary visit to the US?

Personally, I think that they have been a little easier on visas in the last couple of years ever since they filled the overstay patrol to go out and find some of the overstays.

[utopiacowboy]

Cowboy,

Does your wife's mother own her house or have a high paying job? I have heard that if they do not have one or the other it is difficult to get a tourist Visa.

Her mother wants to come here in September for the birth of our first child. Would it help her chances of getting a VISA if we sent proof of this with her VISA application?

My mother-in-law is retired but she does own her own house. They seem to take it easy on older people figuring that they are unlikely to want to stay in the US. They will ask her questions on the purpose of her visit. It might help if she had proof that her daughter is expecting so that she could show them some corroboration of her story. Whatever she does, tell the truth.

[Ray]

Joe,

Submiitng some evidence that her daughter is pregnant and when she is due to deliver certainly wouldn't hurt her mom's chances of being approved for a visitor visa.

I agree with cowboy that she should just be truthful at her visa interview and on her application.

Once she has a visitor visa and uses it responsibly, it is much easier to get a 10-year visa which allows for multiple entries.

Ray