Advice on the logistics/steps when applying for a parents GC

R

RakeshVar

New Member
My spouse wants to apply for a GC for her mother who is 70+ and currently in the US on a B1.

As I understand the forms she needs to fill out are:

1. I-130, Petition for Alien relative
2. I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
3. I-131, Application for Travel Document
4. I-864, Affidavit of Support
5. I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record
6. I-785, Application for Employment Authorization

I need some advice on the correct order of the steps and some logistics which I can't figure out from the USCIS website and I'm hoping folks who've filed for a GC for their parents could help me fill in the gaps:

1. Can all the forms above be submitted online? If not, which forms can be submitted online and which forms need to be filled online and/or printed then mailed out? Is there any advantage to filling the documents online and then printing them v/s downloading the PDF, filling it offline and printing it? Is there any advantage to to just mail everything together instead of submitting some forms online and rest by mail?
2. Is there an order to filling out and submitting the forms? Particularly interested in understanding the order of submission of the online forms and subsequently the printed/mailed forms?
3. For the forms that need to be mailed out, the USCIS website seems to suggest a separate envelope/letter for each form? I didn't understand this, does it mean I have a separate cover letter which I staple to the forms and then put them all into a single envelope? Or should I have a separate envelope marked with the name of the form and then put all those envelopes into a larger envelope and mail this together? Or does each form need to be mailed out separately in it's own envelope (to the same or different address)?
4. Which supporting documents are required to be submitted in original? (the USCIS website suggested that we don't mail in original forms unless required)
5. My wife (working) is applying for her mother's GC, so she will be filing the I-864 as the primary. We do a joint tax return, do I also need to file a I-864A (my income is much less than hers)?
6. I-765 (EAD) - is there any downside to filing this form as well?
7. Am I missing anything else?

If anyone has tips on common mistakes or things to be careful about while putting together this information, it would be appreciated as well.
 
I-130 can be filed online, but I-485 cannot. So they either file both I-130 and I-485 together by mail, or file I-130 online, print out the I-130 receipt, and file I-485 by mail with the I-130 receipt. I-765 for EAD and I-131 for Advance Parole are both free, so there is no downside to filing them. I-765 and I-131 are dependent on I-485, so should be filed together with I-485 in the same package. I-864 Affidavit of Support and I-693 for the medical are part of the supporting materials of the I-485, and are not separate applications in their own right. If your wife's own salary is sufficient, without counting your income in her household income, then you do not need to complete I-864A. You should mail a big envelope with all of the applications you are filing, but organize each application (I-130, I-485, I-765, I-131) together with its supporting materials inside the package.
 
newacct said:
I-130 can be filed online, but I-485 cannot. So they either file both I-130 and I-485 together by mail, or file I-130 online, print out the I-130 receipt, and file I-485 by mail with the I-130 receipt. I-765 for EAD and I-131 for Advance Parole are both free, so there is no downside to filing them. I-765 and I-131 are dependent on I-485, so should be filed together with I-485 in the same package. I-864 Affidavit of Support and I-693 for the medical are part of the supporting materials of the I-485, and are not separate applications in their own right. If your wife's own salary is sufficient, without counting your income in her household income, then you do not need to complete I-864A. You should mail a big envelope with all of the applications you are filing, but organize each application (I-130, I-485, I-765, I-131) together with its supporting materials inside the package.
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Thank you for the prompt response, this is extremely helpful.

For the purpose of clarification, the I-864 and I-693 should also be included in the package and tagged together (using a paper clip) along with the I-485 as supporting documents (please let me know if I misunderstood your comment above). Do we need to add any cover letter to explain the forms and supporting documents included in the package?

Regarding the I-130 online application, is there any advantage or dis-advantage to filing it online and then mailing in the receipt all the other forms/documents vs filing the I-130 form via paper with the rest of the package?

And on a related note, if filing the I-130 online is there a maximum timeframe within which we should send in the I-485 (and other forms/documents) ? Asking this question because I seeing that there is a few weeks/month waiting period for us to get an appointment for the I-693 medical checkup and I we would like to use the concurrent filing option for the I-130 and I-485
 
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