> Hi everyone
>
> As a naturalized US Citizen I started the process of applying for
> immigration on behalf of my parents about a year or so ago. I paid
> the
> initial fees of $130 dollars each when I sent the applications in.
> The next
> set of fees I paid was with the affidavit of support form in the order
> of
> $65 total. I then received a bill for $335 each from the US Dept of
> State.
> My parents and I decided to stop the process right there because at no
> time
> has there been a summary of all the fees that would be involved and we
> didn't want to just continue blindly into the process (partially
> because
> they wouldn't be living in the US all year round - just to visit us
> for a
> few months at a time). My parents have now decided that they may want
> to
> continue with the process but only if they know what lies ahead. We
> have a
> total bill so far of $995 (of which $325 has been paid). Could anyone
> tell
> me what else might lie ahead, particularly in terms of fees.
>
> Thank you in advance for any help.
>
> Mel
I assume you know this but perhaps not. So forgive me if this is
stating the obvious for you, but green cards are for people who have
their primary residence in the US. If your parents are not really
moving to the US, they may find it difficult to maintain their residency
status after getting their green cards. They can expect questioning
each time they enter the US, and after you go through all that trouble
and expense of getting their green cards, the cards might get
confiscated at the POE anyway when they find out that your parents
aren't really living in the US. If the purpose is just to be able to
visit you for a few months at a time, they can do that using the visa
waiver program, which allows a 90 day entry. I guess I'm not really
understanding why they want to get green cards in the first place.
Anyhow, as far as fees go, there's the fee for the I-130, and I think
there's a fingerprinting fee. To the best of my knowledge there's no
fee for the affidavit of support, not sure why you had to pay a fee
for that. They'll have to get a medical exam, that fee is charged by
the doctor and not by the US government. Then there's the fee that
the consulate charges for the immigrant visas themselves. I think
that's it.
--
Posted via http://britishexpats.com |
