My Form I-130 Application Has Been Approved, What Is the Next Step?

Question:

My Form I-130 application for my parents has been approved. What is the next step for them to get U.S. green card?

Answer:

A U.S. citizen or permanent resident uses Form, I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, to establish an eligible family relationship with a foreign national relative. An approved Form I-130 is only the beginning of a process that requires several forms to be filed with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and/or the Department of State.

Unfortunately, an approved I-130 petition does not, by itself, give you permission to come to, or remain in, the United States. The approval of the I-130 petition is a prerequisite to the immigrant then filing an Form I-140 application for a green card, for lawful permanent residence.

Petitions (Forms I-130 and Forms I-140) approved by USCIS in the United States are sent to the Department of State's National Visa Center (NVC) for pre-processing. When your petition becomes current, or is likely to become current within one year, the NVC initiates immigrant visa pre-processing, including collecting visa fees, forms, and documents from sponsors (petitioners) and immigrant visa applicant(s).