Help Needed: Mom's Green Card Application Without Birth Certificate
Hi everyone,
I’m in need of some advice regarding sponsoring my mom for a green card. Here’s the situation:
My mom is visiting us in the U.S. on a 10-year tourist visa, and this is her fifth visit. This time, we’ve decided to sponsor her for a green card so she can stay with us and help take care of our children. She arrived on December 17, 2024, and her I-94 allows her to stay until May 15, 2025.
The problem is that she doesn’t have a birth certificate. She does have a government-issued ID, a passport, and a house registration book, but not the birth certificate. Her father passed away, and her mother didn’t have an official government-issued ID until about 10 years ago. Also, my mom’s house registration lists her mother’s nickname (which she’s used her whole life), while her mother’s official government ID lists her full name (which is different).
I’ve been looking into getting a supporting document for the missing birth certificate, but I’ve been told it could take months. This leaves me concerned that if we don’t file for her green card now, she might overstay her visitor visa before we get the necessary documents.
So, my questions are:
- Should I file for her green card now and send the birth certificate separately once we get it, or should I wait until we have the birth certificate so we can send all together (even if that takes months)?
- If I file now without the birth certificate, will they deny the application, or will they request the birth certificate before making a decision? Any advice or experiences with this type of situation would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!