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PERMANENT RESIDENCE FOR THE

UNMARRIED CHILD UNDER

THE AGE OF 21 OF A U.S. CITIZEN

FOR UNMARRIED CHILD(REN) WHO WILL ADJUST

STATUS IN THE UNITED STATES

Obtain information on our excellent

Do-It-Yourself Immigration iKitsTM

that will allow you to prepare your

own immigration petitions and

applications.

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consultation with one of our

immigration attorneys, to discuss

your case and your eligibility for

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Welcome to ImmigrationLinks.com, Inc., "Your Immigration Link to the World". The information contained in this

iKitsTM is the most accurate, up-to-date information available, and will allow the average person to find out about

new changes in the immigration laws, so that they can prepare and file their own immigration case without the need

of spending hundreds, and even thousands, of dollars on attorneys' fees. *Terms of use and disclaimer.

Permanent Residence for the Unmarried Child under the Age of 21 of a U.S. Citizen (For Persons who will Adjust Status in the United States)

© 2000–2012, ImmigrationLinks.com, Inc. P a g e |

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NOTE

THIS PRODUCT PREVIEW FOR THE iKITTM

HAS BEEN MODIFIED TO SHOW SELECTED

PAGES AND DOES NOT REPRESENT THE

iKITTM

IN ITS ENTIRETY.

THIS iKITTM

HAS 92 PAGES IN TOTAL, TOGETHER

WITH LINKS TO ALL OF THE REQUIRED

IMMIGRATION FORMS, STATUTES, AND

REGULATIONS, AND CONTAINS LINE-BY-LINE

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETION OF ALL OF THE

REQUIRED FORMS.

Permanent Residence for the Unmarried Child under the Age of 21 of a U.S. Citizen (For Persons who will Adjust Status in the United States)

© 2000–2012, ImmigrationLinks.com, Inc. P a g e |

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION I – IKIT OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................... 5

A. WHO SHOULD FILE / USE THIS IKIT? ........................................................................................................................ 5 B. WHO CAN’T FILE? ................................................................................................................................................ 5 C. WHAT IS LAWFUL PERMANENT RESIDENCE (GREEN CARD) AND ITS BENEFITS? ................................................................. 6 D. VISA AVAILABILITY ................................................................................................................................................ 6 E. CHILD STATUS PROTECTION ACT (CSPA) .................................................................................................................. 6 F. PROCESS OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................. 6 G. DEFINITIONS ........................................................................................................................................................ 7

SECTION II – IMMIGRATION FORMS, DOCUMENTS & EVIDENCE ............................................................................ 9

A. FORMS OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................... 9 B. REQUIRED DOCUMENTS AND EVIDENCE FOR FORMS AND/OR INTERVIEW ...................................................................... 10

1. PROOF OF PETITIONER’S U.S. CITIZENSHIP ......................................................................................................... 10 2. PROOF OF PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP AND IDENTITY DOCUMENTS FOR ALIEN CHILD(REN) ........................................ 11 3. TRANSLATIONS .............................................................................................................................................. 13 4. PHOTOS ....................................................................................................................................................... 14 5. MEDICAL EXAM OF ALIEN CHILD(REN) ............................................................................................................... 14

SECTION III – IMMIGRATION LAWS ...................................................................................................................... 16

A. INA § 101 - DEFINITIONS [8 U.S.C.A. § 1101] ...................................................................................................... 16 B. INA § 201 – WORLDWIDE LEVEL OF IMMIGRATION [8 U.S.C. § 1151] ...................................................................... 18 C. INA § 204 - PROCEDURE FOR GRANTING IMMIGRANT STATUS [8 U.S.C. § 1154] ....................................................... 19 D. INA § 205 - REVOCATION OF APPROVAL OF PETITIONS; EFFECTIVE DATE [8 U.S.C. § 1155] ........................................... 21 E. INA § 245 – ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS OF NONIMMIGRANT TO THAT OF PERSON ADMITTED FOR PERMANENT RESIDENCE [8

U.S.C. § 1255]................................................................................................................................................. 21

SECTION IV –FILLING OUT THE FORMS ................................................................................................................. 26

A. GENERAL TIPS .................................................................................................................................................... 26 B. I-130 – PETITION FOR ALIEN RELATIVE (MANDATORY FORM) .................................................................................... 28

1. LINE BY LINE INSTRUCTIONS FOR FORM I-130 (TO BE COMPLETED BY THE US CITIZEN PETITIONER) ................................ 28 2. CHECKLIST FOR FORM I–130 ........................................................................................................................... 33

C. I-485 – PETITION FOR ALIEN CHILD TO REGISTER FOR PERMANENT RESIDENCE (MANDATORY FORM) ................................ 34 1. LINE BY LINE INSTRUCTIONS FOR FORM I-485 (THIS FORM IS TO BE COMPLETED BY EACH ALIEN CHILD) .......................... 34 2. CHECKLIST FOR FORM I–485 ........................................................................................................................... 45

D. G-325A – BIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION (MANDATORY FORMS FOR BOTH ALIEN CHILD) .................................................... 46 1. LINE BY LINE INSTRUCTIONS FOR G-325A – ALIEN CHILD (MANDATORY FORM) ........................................................ 46 2. CHECKLIST FOR G–325a ................................................................................................................................. 49

E. I-864 – AFFIDAVIT OF SUPPORT (MANDATORY FORM) ............................................................................................. 50 1. GUIDELINES FOR I-864 AFFIDAVIT OF SUPPORT ................................................................................................... 50 2. IF YOU DO NOT MEET THE GUIDELINES ............................................................................................................... 50 3. INSTRUCTIONS FOR SAMPLE LETTER FROM U.S. CITIZEN’S / SPONSOR’S EMPLOYER .................................................... 50 4. LINE BY LINE INSTRUCTIONS FOR FORM I-864 (THIS FORM IS TO BE COMPLETED BY THE US CITIZEN PETITIONER).............. 51 5. CHECKLIST FOR FORM I-864 ............................................................................................................................ 58

F. I–864A – CONTRACT BETWEEN SPONSOR AND HOUSEHOLD MEMBER (OPTIONAL FORM) .............................................. 59 1. WHAT IS A “SPONSOR”? ................................................................................................................................. 59 2. WHO IS THE “HOUSEHOLD MEMBER”? ............................................................................................................. 59 3. LINE BY LINE INSTRUCTIONS ON COMPLETING FORM I-864A (OPTIONAL FORM) ....................................................... 60

G. I-765 – APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION (THIS FORM IS FOR THE ALIEN CHILD) (OPTIONAL FORM) ............ 64 1. LINE BY LINE INSTRUCTIONS FOR FORM I-765 (TO BE COMPLETED BY THE ALIEN CHILD) ............................................... 64

Permanent Residence for the Unmarried Child under the Age of 21 of a U.S. Citizen (For Persons who will Adjust Status in the United States)

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SECTION I – iKIT OVERVIEW

A. WHO SHOULD FILE / USE THIS iKIT?

US Citizens may use this iKit to petition for their alien child(ren) who are under 21 years

of age and are unmarried. The US Citizen must be a “parent” [INA §101(b)(2)] by

reason of his / her relationship to a “child” INA §101(b)(1) at the time their relationship

was established. That parent-child relationship must continue to exist at the time when

the immigration petition is filed.

If the alien child(ren) becomes 21 years old or older after a petition has been filed, the

Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) will preserve the alien child’s age as “under 21” for

immigration purposes. However, if the child gets married prior to the petition being

approved, the child(ren) will now automatically be considered a “married son or

daughter” (F3 Status). Immigration law defines a son / daughter as a person who was

once a child but who is now either married or over the age of 21.

If an alien child (whether a natural, adopted, or step child) was admitted or paroled into

the United States, s/he may file to adjust their status (I-485) to that of a lawful permanent

resident (LPR) at the same time the relative petition (I-130) is filed.

B. WHO CAN’T FILE?

To qualify as an alien child of a US Citizen, the US Citizen must be able to prove that the

child is an unmarried person under the age of 21 who is:

1. A child born to parents who are married to each other (born in wedlock);

2. A stepchild as long as the US Citizen’s marriage creating the stepparent-child

relationship occurred prior to the stepchild’s 18th

(eighteenth) birthday.

3. An adopted* child;

a. The adoption must have been finalized before the child’s 16th

(sixteenth)

birthday.

b. The adoptive parents must have had legal custody of the child for two years

before or after the adoption; AND

c. Child must reside with the adoptive parent for two years before or after the

adoption).

*N.B.- Remember that adopted children may never petition for their natural birth

parents.

4. A child born out of wedlock (parents were not married when the child was born). If

the father is filing the petition, proof of a bona fide relationship with the father must

be furnished;

© 2000–2012, ImmigrationLinks.com, Inc. P a g e | 8

SECTION II – IMMIGRATION FORMS, DOCUMENTS & EVIDENCE

A. FORMS OVERVIEW

The chart below lists the forms that are necessary for a US Citizen to successfully file on

behalf of his/her alien child(ren). Please refer to the line-by-line instructions in Section

IV to see if these forms are needed in your particular case.

Form Number Name of Form

I-130 Petition for Alien Relative

I-485 Application to Register Permanent Resident / Adjust Status

I-485 Supplement A* Adjustment of Status under Section 245 (i)

G-325A (for each child) Biographic Information

I-864 Affidavit of Support under Section 213A of the Act

I-864A* Contract Between Sponsor and Household Member

I-765* Application for Employment Authorization

I-131* Application for Travel Document

I-212* Application for Permission to Reapply for Admission into

US (after Deportation / Removal)

I-601* Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility

*These forms are optional and are dependent upon your specific situation. There are no instructions for

Forms I-212 and I-601 in this iKit. (Check for availability of I-212 and I-601 waiver iKits on our

Immigration iKits page).

1. Petitioner / Sponsor is the US Citizen – The US Citizen MUST fill out the following

forms:

a. Form I–130;

b. Form I–864;

c. Form I–864A (optional).

2. Alien Child – Each alien child applying for adjustment of status, who is CURRENTLY

in the United States under a nonimmigrant visa or parole, MUST fill out the following

forms:

a. Form I–485;

b. Form G–325A;

c. Form I–485 Supplement A (optional);

d. Form I–765 (optional);

e. Form I–131 (optional);

f. Form I–212 (optional);

g. Form I–601 (optional).

Permanent Residence for the Unmarried Child under the Age of 21 of a U.S. Citizen (For Persons who will Adjust Status in the United States)

© 2000–2012, ImmigrationLinks.com, Inc. P a g e |

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SECTION IX – CONCLUSION

If you have followed all of the instructions in this iKit you are well on your way to

obtaining lawful permanent residence status in the United States. You have been able to prepare

your entire application for permanent residence at a fraction of the cost that you would pay to an

immigration law attorney. In addition, you have been prepared far better for your immigration

interview than you would be if you were doing the case yourself, without the aid of this iKit.

It has been our pleasure to assist you with your case. If at any time you feel that you

need to speak with one of the immigration law attorneys from this office, you can call us at (407)

833-8951 or make an appointment online. Furthermore, we hope that you will continue to visit

our website at www.ImmigrationLinks.com for any information you need regarding US

Immigration Law.

WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!