Pleasanton, TX Immigration Law Firms & Lawyers

You do not have to own your home or apartment to sponsor your parents. But you need to be able to support them above the poverty level. Usually, it takes not less than 6 years from the date of immigration into the United States to become a citizen. Until your parents would become citizens, they will have no right to receive public support. It means they will get no welfare, no SSI, no food stamps, no Medicaid, no subsidized housing. The government will not approve your petition unless you file with it an affidavit of support (Form I-864) showing that you have enough income to support yourself, your family, and your parents above the poverty level. Right now, if you have 1 child, you have to show income over $35,512 a year (in March, this amount will go up a few hundred dollars); if you have 2 children, you have to show over $40,712 a year. If you would file a petition for only one of your parents at this time, the income that has to be shown would have to be $5200 less. If your family income is less than these numbers, you need someone who is a citizen or a permanent resident of the U.S., earns enough money to support his/her own family plus 2 more people above the poverty level, and would agree to file an affidavit of support for your parents. This is a serious matter, not "just filing some papers". If you find a sponsor, he/she files an affidavit of support, your parents come to the U.S., and find themselves in need of financial support, their applications for public support will be denied. In some cases, government agencies give the applicants the support they requested - and then charge the sponsor for it. Medicaid bills alone can easily amount to many thousands of dollars. Understanding this, few people will agree to sponsor your parents and take such a huge financial responsibility.

As long as you are still enrolled in school, there is no legal basis for you to have to return to your home country.   The threat to have you deported is an empty threat.

This is a trend with U.S.C.I.S. to ship cases across the country for adjudication. That is because the agency is one with limited resources, and so wishes to be smart in distributing its workload among its service centers and field offices. Therefore when the work load is light in one center, the agency will ship more cases there in a certain category. To its credit, U.S.C.I.S. does announce most of these moves ahead of time. Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee, Esq.'s (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided herein by the Firm is general, and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.