Sponsoring Parents for a Green Card: I-130, NVC, I-864 Steps

Life in the USOct 18, 2026 · 8 min read

Bringing parents to live in the US is one of the most common family immigration cases, and one of the more predictable ones, because there is no quota line to wait in. The same path also covers a US citizen's spouse and young children. This guide walks through who can file, each step from I-130 to green card, what each fee is, and how the I-864 income test works. Our free Family Green Card Planner builds the same step list for your exact situation, with every rule linked to its official source.

Who can sponsor whom

The petitioner's status decides the category. Immediate Relatives of US citizens have no annual limit; everyone else is in a preference category with a Visa Bulletin cutoff.

A green card holder cannot petition for parents at all. Once you naturalize and are 21 or older, you can. A US citizen under 21 has to wait until their 21st birthday. Each parent needs a separate I-130, and your siblings do not come along on a parent's case; they need their own F4 petition from a US citizen.

F2A (spouses and children of green card holders) does have a cutoff. In the October 2026 Visa Bulletin, the F2A Final Action Date for mainland-China-born applicants was September 22, 2026, and the Dates for Filing chart showed "Current." Our Visa Bulletin guide explains how to read those two charts, and the Visa Bulletin tracker shows the history and a forecast for each category.

Step by step: parents living abroad

Most families bringing parents from China use consular processing. These are the steps and the fees the planner lists, per parent:

Total required government fees: $1,355 per parent with a paper I-130. Not included: the medical exam, translations, notarial certificates, photos and travel.

1. The I-130

Send proof of your status (US passport or naturalization certificate) and proof of the relationship. For a parent, that is your birth certificate showing that parent's name; for a father, also your parents' marriage certificate.

2. National Visa Center

After USCIS approves the I-130, the case moves to NVC. In the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) you pay the $325 immigrant visa fee and the $120 affidavit of support fee, your parent completes the DS-260 online application, and you upload the I-864 with your financial evidence plus your parent's civil documents. NVC reviews everything, then schedules the interview.

For applicants from mainland China, civil documents are notarial certificates (公证书) from a local notary office, each with an English translation. The State Department's China reciprocity schedule puts the cost at roughly RMB 300 to 500 each, including translation. The usual set:

• Birth: notarial birth certificate; Guangzhou asks that it show both parents' names.
• Police certificate: notarial certificate of no criminal record, for anyone 16 or older who lived in China 6 months or more. Guangzhou requires it to be issued within the last 24 months.
• Marriage and divorce: notarial marriage certificate if married in mainland China, and a divorce certificate for any earlier marriage.
• Household register (户口簿): used to obtain the certificates above, not submitted as a separate document.

3. Medical exam

The exam must be done before the interview by a panel physician approved by the embassy, in the country of the interview. For Guangzhou, the post's instructions list the Guangzhou International Travel Health Care Center with a fee of RMB 1,700 for age 15 and up, and also approved clinics in Beijing, Fuzhou and Shanghai.

4. The interview: Guangzhou, or where your parent lives

Immigrant visa applicants interview in the consular district where they live, not by nationality or birthplace. Guangzhou is the only US post in mainland China that processes immigrant visas, so a parent living anywhere in mainland China interviews there. A parent born in mainland China who now lives in Hong Kong or Macau goes to the Consulate General in Hong Kong; one living in Taiwan goes to AIT Taipei; one living elsewhere goes to that country's designated immigrant visa post. NVC assigns the post and the appointment letter names it. Bring original civil documents, the passport and the appointment letter. If approved, the visa is placed in the passport.

5 and 6. Immigrant Fee, entry, green card

After the visa is issued and before travel, pay the $235 USCIS Immigrant Fee online; USCIS uses it to produce the card. Your parent must enter before the visa expires, becomes a permanent resident on admission, and receives the green card by mail at the US address given.

If your parent is already in the US

A parent who was inspected and admitted (for example on a B-2 visitor visa) and is physically in the US can usually file the I-130 and Form I-485 together, called concurrent filing, without leaving. The fees are the $675 I-130 plus a $1,440 I-485 ($1,390 online), so $2,115 required. A work permit (I-765, $260) and an advance parole travel document (I-131, $630) are optional when filed with the I-485. Include the I-864 and the Form I-693 medical exam; since December 2, 2024 an I-485 filed without the I-693 may be rejected. After filing, do not leave the US without advance parole, or the application is generally treated as abandoned.

One caution: entering as a visitor while already planning to stay can raise misrepresentation questions. The State Department's manual has a 90-day rule for conduct inconsistent with status, and USCIS may still weigh conduct shortly after admission. If the plan to immigrate existed at entry, talk to a lawyer first. Our B-2 visa guide for parents from China covers the visitor side. Anyone who overstayed or entered without inspection needs individual advice before filing or leaving.

Spouse and children

A US citizen's spouse (IR-1/CR-1) and unmarried children under 21 (IR-2) follow the same steps with the same fees. Two differences: if you have been married less than 2 years on the day your spouse becomes a resident, the green card is conditional for 2 years, and you file Form I-751 together in the 90 days before it expires ($750 on paper). For a child of a US citizen, the Child Status Protection Act freezes the child's age on the I-130 filing date, so they stay an Immediate Relative after turning 21 as long as they stay unmarried.

A green card holder's spouse or child is F2A. The I-130 receipt date becomes the priority date, and NVC asks for documents only once that date is earlier than the Date for Filing. For an F2A child, CSPA age is the age when a visa becomes available minus the time the I-130 was pending, so filing early helps.

The I-864 Affidavit of Support

Every family case needs Form I-864. The petitioner must show current annual income of at least 125% of the HHS poverty guidelines for their household size (100% for active-duty military sponsoring a spouse or child). Figures below are from Form I-864P, 2026 guidelines, used from March 1, 2026:

Household size is you, plus your spouse (even if not immigrating), your dependent children under 21, other dependents on your last tax return, everyone immigrating on this I-864, anyone you sponsored before whose obligation is still in force, and relatives whose income you add with Form I-864A. A single sponsor bringing both parents is a household of 3 ($34,150). Married with one child and bringing both parents is 5 ($48,350).

If income falls short, there are three options:

• Assets that can be converted to cash within a year, worth 5 times the shortfall for parents (3 times when a US citizen sponsors a spouse, or a child 18 or older).
• Form I-864A to add the income of a relative living with you.
• A joint sponsor: any US citizen, green card holder or US national 18 or older living in the US, related or not. Each joint sponsor must qualify alone for their own household plus the immigrants; incomes are not combined with yours. At most two joint sponsors, and you must still sign an I-864 even with zero income.

The I-864 is a contract with the US government. If your parent receives a means-tested benefit, the agency may ask you to repay it. The obligation lasts until your parent becomes a citizen, is credited with 40 quarters of work, stops being a permanent resident, or either of you dies.

How long it takes

We do not publish estimates, because they change monthly. For Immediate Relatives there is no queue, so the time is USCIS processing of the I-130 (or I-485), then NVC review, then the consulate's interview schedule. Check USCIS case processing times and the State Department's NVC timeframes page, both linked below, for current figures.

FAQ

Can a green card holder sponsor their parents?

No. Only a US citizen who is at least 21 can file an I-130 for a parent. A green card holder who later naturalizes, and is 21 or older, can then petition for parents as Immediate Relatives with no Visa Bulletin wait.

Do parents of a US citizen have to wait for the Visa Bulletin?

No. Parents of a US citizen 21 or older are Immediate Relatives (IR-5) and are not subject to annual numerical limits, so there is no priority-date cutoff. The time it takes is USCIS, NVC and consular processing time only.

Where do parents living in mainland China have their immigrant visa interview?

At the US Consulate General in Guangzhou, the only US post in mainland China that processes immigrant visas. The post is decided by where the applicant lives, not where they were born: residents of Hong Kong or Macau go to the Consulate General in Hong Kong, and residents of Taiwan go to AIT Taipei.

How much income do I need to sponsor both of my parents?

Under the 2026 I-864P figures used from March 1, 2026, an unmarried sponsor with no dependents sponsoring two parents has a household of 3, so the minimum is $34,150 in the 48 contiguous states (125% of the poverty guidelines). Each extra household member adds $7,100. Assets worth 5 times the shortfall or a joint sponsor can make up a gap.

How much are the government fees to sponsor a parent?

For a parent abroad, per person: I-130 $675 on paper ($625 online), immigrant visa application $325, affidavit of support review $120, and the USCIS Immigrant Fee $235, for $1,355 in total. For a parent already in the US who files I-130 and I-485 together, it is $675 plus $1,440, or $2,115, with optional work and travel permits extra.

Can each parent be included on one I-130?

No. Each parent needs a separate I-130, and each pays the fees separately. One I-864 sponsor can count both parents in the household size, though.

Sources

• USCIS: Bringing Parents to Live in the U.S. as Permanent Residents
• USCIS: Green Card for Immediate Relatives of U.S. Citizen
• USCIS: Form I-130
• USCIS: Form G-1055 Fee Schedule (edition 10/16/26)
• travel.state.gov: Fees for Visa Services
• USCIS: USCIS Immigrant Fee
• travel.state.gov: The Immigrant Visa Process (NVC)
• travel.state.gov: China reciprocity schedule (civil documents)
• 9 FAM 504.4-8: where immigrant visa applicants apply (residence)
• U.S. Embassy & Consulates in China: Immigrant Visas
• travel.state.gov: Guangzhou immigrant visa instructions (PDF, 2-3-2026)
• USCIS: Concurrent Filing of Form I-485
• USCIS: Form I-864P, 2026 HHS Poverty Guidelines
• USCIS: I-864 instructions (PDF)
• HHS ASPE: Poverty Guidelines
• USCIS: Check Case Processing Times
• travel.state.gov: NVC Timeframes

Last updated 2026-10-18. This guide is general information, not legal or immigration advice. Fees and rules are as checked against the linked USCIS and State Department pages on that date and change often; confirm before you file, and talk to an immigration attorney about prior refusals, overstays or anything unusual.