Child (21+) of US citizens

[crazyGRchico 0]

Hello!

I am 28y who previously lived in the States for almost 5 years and completed high school there. I moved back to my homeland for family purposes and now I want to go back to the US as both my mom and step dad are US citizens. 

I have a SSN and active bank accounts, I just need to redo the whole application from the beginning (I-130 and some other ones as well). How long do you think it might take for me to be approved and receive the GC? 

Thank you in advance! 

[OldUser 10,790]

25 minutes ago, crazyGRchico said:

Hello!

I am 28y who previously lived in the States for almost 5 years and completed high school there. I moved back to my homeland for family purposes and now I want to go back to the US as both my mom and step dad are US citizens. 

I have a SSN and active bank accounts, I just need to redo the whole application from the beginning (I-130 and some other ones as well). How long do you think it might take for me to be approved and receive the GC? 

Thank you in advance! 

Many years, probably around 10 if you are unmarried. If you are married or will get married while waiting, it will take even longer. Right now, similar cases filed in December 2016 are being worked on.

Edited 14 hours ago by OldUser

[appleblossom 5,167]

1 hour ago, crazyGRchico said:

Hello!

I am 28y who previously lived in the States for almost 5 years and completed high school there. I moved back to my homeland for family purposes and now I want to go back to the US as both my mom and step dad are US citizens. 

I have a SSN and active bank accounts, I just need to redo the whole application from the beginning (I-130 and some other ones as well). How long do you think it might take for me to be approved and receive the GC? 

Thank you in advance! 

I’m a bit more pessimistic than @OldUser, I’d say 12-15 years if you applied now (and stayed unmarried). That’s because although those that applied nearly a decade ago are now becoming eligible for visas it’s not linear and the backlog is growing all the time. For example, if you go back to the Oct 2020 Visa Bulletin the date was Sept 2014, meaning it’s only moved just over 2 years in the past 5 years. 

Edited 13 hours ago by appleblossom

[crazyGRchico 0]

1 hour ago, OldUser said:

Many years, probably around 10 if you are unmarried. If you are married or will get married while waiting, it will take even longer. Right now, similar cases filed in December 2016 are being worked on.

Just to get the green card???? Will I be legal in the US if I apply though or will I be once I receive it?? That's too long 😭

[crazyGRchico 0]

43 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

I’m a bit more pessimistic than @OldUser, I’d say 12-15 years if you applied now (and stayed unmarried). That’s because although those that applied nearly a decade ago are now becoming eligible for visas it’s not linear and the backlog is growing all the time. For example, if you go back to the Oct 2020 Visa Bulletin the date was Sept 2014, meaning it’s only moved just over 2 years in the past 5 years. 

Even if I already had previously lived in the US and have SSN and everything else??? That's a very long time!!!

The only thing I don't have is the Green card due to abandonment a few years ago, which expired summer 2025.

[OldUser 10,790]

9 minutes ago, crazyGRchico said:

Just to get the green card???? 

Yes

9 minutes ago, crazyGRchico said:

Will I be legal in the US if I apply though or will I be once I receive it?? That's too long 😭

No, you cannot stay in the US waiting for green card just because I-130 got filed. You need to have other legal status to be in the US. You won't receive GC if you stay in the US out of status.

11 minutes ago, crazyGRchico said:

Even if I already had previously lived in the US and have SSN and everything else???

Doesn't matter. Those things don't give you legal status.

[OldUser 10,790]

11 minutes ago, crazyGRchico said:

 

The only thing I don't have is the Green card due to abandonment a few years ago, which expired summer 2025.

How did you abandon it? Did you file I-407? Did you just not renew green card? 

[crazyGRchico 0]

1 hour ago, OldUser said:

How did you abandon it? Did you file I-407? Did you just not renew green card? 

I didn't file anything, I just left the country for family reasons and stayed there for over 1 year. Never renewed my green card and I thought it would be actually easier to return to the States without having to file all the paperwork all over 😭

[appleblossom 5,167]

1 hour ago, crazyGRchico said:

I didn't file anything, I just left the country for family reasons and stayed there for over 1 year. Never renewed my green card and I thought it would be actually easier to return to the States without having to file all the paperwork all over 😭

 

IF you are deemed to have abandoned your status, it's not any easier for you versus somebody that has never even visited the US. It's the same process and the same wait time for all. 

 

But that's a big if. When exactly were you last in the US? What ties have you kept there - have you been filing your taxes? And what were the reasons for staying away?

 

Just to confirm, you didn't apply for a re-entry permit at any point?

Edited 8 hours ago by appleblossom

[appleblossom 5,167]

3 hours ago, crazyGRchico said:

Just to get the green card???? Will I be legal in the US if I apply though or will I be once I receive it?? That's too long 😭

 

Only at the end of the process, once you receive the immigrant visa. As @OldUser said, you can't stay in the US whilst it's being processed unless you have another status allowing you to i.e. a work permit. The problem is, any non-immigrant visa (student, work permit, etc) isn't likely to be granted as you've already demonstrated immigrant intent. 

 

 

[Crazy Cat 45,607]

2 hours ago, crazyGRchico said:

Never renewed my green card and I thought it would be actually easier to return to the States without having to file all the paperwork all over 😭

Was it a 10 year Green Card?  Do you still have it?

[crazyGRchico 0]

1 hour ago, appleblossom said:

 

IF you are deemed to have abandoned your status, it's not any easier for you versus somebody that has never even visited the US. It's the same process and the same wait time for all. 

 

But that's a big if. When exactly were you last in the US? What ties have you kept there - have you been filing your taxes? And what were the reasons for staying away?

 

Just to confirm, you didn't apply for a re-entry permit at any point?

I visited last year as my family is in the States, no tax filing at all, I went back to Greece for family reasons and I found a job. Then covid hit I couldn't do anything and at the end we had some family health emergencies I had to take care of. 
I applied for re-entry but they said my ties were not strong enough and had to start all over again. 😒

[crazyGRchico 0]

2 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

Was it a 10 year Green Card?  Do you still have it?

10-year yes, I do not have it as I was robbed and it was in my purse.

[OldUser 10,790]

1 minute ago, crazyGRchico said:

I visited last year as my family is in the States

How? On green card? On other visa? On visa waiver programme?

[OldUser 10,790]

4 minutes ago, crazyGRchico said:

10-year yes, I do not have it as I was robbed and it was in my purse.

 

5 minutes ago, crazyGRchico said:

 Then covid hit I couldn't do anything and at the end we had some family health emergencies I had to take care of. 
I applied for re-entry but they said my ties were not strong enough and had to start all over again. 😒

I think you're starting over.

Green card holders are required to file taxes every year on world wide income too...

 

Edited 7 hours ago by OldUser