Stepparent Sponsor
Getting a green card is not necessarily a piece of cake. Many come to our office wondering if they can use a stepparent sponsor. Here is what you need to know about that.
Stepparent Sponsor | Special Circumstances
Someone came to my office with a very interesting question. It was a young lady who’s 23 years old, and her mother had obtained a green card through marriage to her stepfather. The young lady was about 16 when the initial papers were filed, and her name was on the original paperwork. Now she’s 23, and she’s wondering if her stepfather can sponsor her.
Stepparent Sponsor | Can It Be Done?
Many times, people are worried. After they turn 21, a lot of the laws change. In this case, what controls is your age when your biological parent married the stepparent. In this case, as long as her mom married her stepdad before she turned 18 – and in this case, it was 16 – she’s home free. It doesn’t matter if you’re over 21 when your stepparent files for you.
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Stepparent Sponsor | Best-Case Scenario
The best-case scenario would be if someone is under 21 and they came in legally, then they can adjust their status in the US. If they’re living abroad, then the stepparent would file the I-130 visa petition, and someone would go for their interview at the US Embassy abroad. Your age would control the length of time for the appointment. If you’re under 21, it goes quickly; if you’re over 21, it takes longer. Fortunately, in this case, I was very happy to give the good news that the stepfather could sponsor the stepdaughter because her mom had married him before she turned 18. That’s the great answer to that question.
Stepparent Sponsor | How We Can Help
If anyone has a similar situation with a stepparent or a stepchild, we’ve handled many of those cases over the years. Sometimes it’s a little complicated to look at the formula and figure out ages, and time frames, and options. We would be very happy to help if you have any of those questions. Please call our Morristown office today to see how we can help you.