Madrizzle1

Hey guys, this forum was wonderful to read when first applying to be in this country. I didn't create an account but the information was fantastic. I am looking now, however, for a more detailed type of information. Hoping the bright minds on here can help me out.


A little back story:

I moved to the us in November 08 - got married march 09 - obtained my green card around august/September 09.

Did my 2 years with the conditional - had a small extension - and got my 10 year unconditional green card shortly after.


In September last year - whilst still on my extension - my mother passed away due to an unforeseen aneurysm....i have no brothers or sisters...only my dad is left behind now, alone and lonely.

He has expressed interest in moving over here with me, which i think would be great for him and me, seeing as my mother-in-law passed away 4 short months after my own mother, and my father-in-law lives in Texas....a good 16 hours from where we are right now (St Louis, MO) Should we have children soon it would be nice for them to have at least one grandparent around you know? I also think it would be good for him to be here with us. He wants to maybe start up a small business in this country.


So that's my story.

He spoke to a lawyer over there and they seem to think the quickest way for him to get here would be through me becoming a US Citizen and partitioning for him to join me. Here are my questions concerning this:

1. Is that, in fact, the easiest and fastest route we could take?

2. Does the conditional green card count towards my needing to have owned a green card for 3 years?

3. Considering the "quiz" involved - is it easier to hire a lawyer to help and prep me or can i do this on my own like my unconditional green card and save a few thousand dollars?

4. Anything else i need to be aware of?



I would really appreciate it if anyone could take time out to try and help me with this. It breaks my heart knowing he's all alone over there and he desperately wants to come and spend some time in the sunshine with his family - only to have to undertake the madness of the partition process. Any help is very appreciated. Thank you.

Tom.

Madrizzle1

Also, i know i have to "denounce" my british citizenship....but is there anyway to avoid this and become a dual citizen?

Jerseygirl

Wrong. Many of us are dual UK/US citizens.

With regard to your father...the major problem will probably be health insurance. Unless he can get a job with healthcare...then it's probably not feasible. Plenty of threads in the US forums about people wanting to bring their parents to the US. You can either look through the thread titles or use the search engine to find them. Give me a shout if you help locating them.

Once you become a USC you can petition for your father to join you.

Noorah101

That is pretty much the only way he can immigrate here, unless he qualifies for a work visa or something based on his own merit. But yes, that's the easiest and fastest method.

Yes. Look at your current green card where it says "resident since", then count forward 3 years. You are allowed to file the N-400 up to 90 days before your date of eligibility. However, your marriage must be 3+ years old as well.

You do not need a lawyer. The naturalization process is the easiest of all the immigration processes. You can study for the quiz on your own, you don't need a lawyer or a class.

Not unless you've got some criminal past or some reason you think you won't be able to naturalize. Keep in mind that it takes about 6 months for you to become a USC after you file the N-400. Then you can file the I-130 for your dad, and it takes about 8 to 10 months for his Immigrant Visa process.

One very important thing to keep in mind about your dad, is his health care in the USA. That is one of the major reasons older folks do NOT immigrate to the USA. It's very expensive to have coverage. You should research this very well, before bringing him over here.

Rene

Noorah101

You will not "denounce" your British citizenship. You will simply become a dual citizen.

Rene

fatbrit

1. Yes

2. Yes

3. It's an hour's work learning the answers parrot fashion. Two hours tops if you're drinking while doing it.

4. Don't tell your mates back home -- you'll be blamed for everything from the gas crisis to water boarding.

jeffreyhy

1. Yes.

2. Yes.

3. No, yes.

4. It would probably help you to read the Guide to Naturalization on the USCIS web site.

Google Dual Citizenship FAQ.

Regards, JEff

Madrizzle1

Wow, fast replies. Thank you all.

I never thought about healthcare. you bring up a good point. Would i be able to add him to my currant healthcare or would he need to become a citizen himself to get medicare?

I work for Apple and my wife works for Bank Of America if that helps?

fatbrit

May god have mercy on your souls.

The HR department of your respective evils will tell you whether they will cover your father. My guess is not, but you won't find out until you ask.

He can buy medicare 5 years after becoming a permanent resident.

Jerseygirl

Probably not. Probably no help at all.

Even with healthcare insurance it's worth noting that he'll have co-pays, deductibles, meds, dental, optical etc etc etc...these can really add up for sick/elderly people. Google Medicare. There is nothing here that even comes close to the NHS...unfortunately.

jeffreyhy

You and your wife should have better access to information about Apple's and BoA's healthcare plans, respectively, than we.

Information about medicare can be found on the SSA web site. (And no, I'm not going to gtfy.)

Regards, JEff

Madrizzle1

Thank you. The only thing that concerns me really is that he has epilepsy and takes a pill for it daily. I'm wondering how much a pill like that would cost over here and how he'd manage until then.

just thinking/typing out loud... :/

Jerseygirl

For meds he will need to see a doctor...MDs like to send you to a specialist. Think co-pays for every doctor's visit and the doctor will probably send him for every test under the sun...again $$$ out of his pocket.

Noorah101

Since he already has a medical condition and takes meds for it, you will want to look into the cost of health care VERY carefully. You can find out the name of the drug and do some research on the cost of that drug in the USA.

Rene

Michael

If you know the name of the drug, you can get an approximate price from http://www.drugstore.com/. Price may vary depending on where the drug is purchased.