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Maryland Immigration Law
Parent Petition Lawyer in Maryland
If you are a US citizen in Maryland, you can sponsor your mother or father for a green card. A parent petition in Maryland starts with the right lawyer, Form I-130, and runs through the USCIS Baltimore Field Office. It moves faster than most family green card categories. Parents of US citizens count as immediate relatives. That means no annual visa cap and no place in line.
Speed only matters if the petition is filed the first time correctly. A missing document or weak proof of relationship can add months to your case. The wrong choice between adjustment of status and consular processing can trigger a Request for Evidence from USCIS. Movahedi Law Group helps Maryland families in Baltimore, Silver Spring, Rockville, Bethesda, and across Montgomery County file clean petitions. We keep your case moving from intake to green card.
Babak Movahedi has practiced law for more than 35 years. He has focused only on immigration since 2018. He is admitted to the Maryland bar, the DC bar, the US Supreme Court, and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Call (202) 255-3355 today to talk to him directly about your parent petition.
Filing for a parent looks simple on paper. Form I-130 is only twelve pages. The reality is different. Every petition needs proof of your US citizenship, proof of the parent-child relationship, certified translations, and supporting civil documents from your parents’ home country. One missing item can stall your case for months.
A Maryland parent petition lawyer manages the full filing from start to finish. That includes choosing between adjustment of status and consular processing, drafting the affidavit of support, handling Requests for Evidence from USCIS, and preparing your parent for the green card interview. Movahedi Law Group has guided families across Baltimore, Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, and Howard County through each of these steps. You do not have to learn the system on your own.
Babak Movahedi is the only attorney at the firm. When you hire Movahedi Law Group, you work directly with him. There is no paralegal handoff and no rotating intake staff reading from a script. Babak personally reviews every parent petition before it goes to the USCIS Baltimore Field Office.
His credentials are built for federal immigration work. He earned his JD from Georgetown University Law Center in 1991 and an LLM in International Law from Georgetown in 1995. He is admitted to the Maryland bar, the DC bar, the US Supreme Court, and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is licensed to handle immigration matters in all 50 states. For a Maryland parent petition, that depth matters when your case touches consular processing in another country or appellate questions in federal court.
The firm runs on a virtual intake model. You fill out one questionnaire. You do not chase down forms or sit in a waiting room. Movahedi Law Group is selective about the cases it takes because Babak personally handles each one. If your parents’ petition has a clear path forward, he will tell you. If it does not, he will tell you that too.
Hiring a lawyer is not just paying someone to fill out a form. The real value sits in the work that happens before and after filing. A strong parent petition attorney audits your eligibility, gathers the right evidence, anticipates USCIS objections, and tracks your case through every stage. Movahedi Law Group treats every parent petition as a federal filing that has to survive scrutiny.
Your parents’ future status depends on small details. The wrong birth certificate translation, an outdated tax return on the affidavit of support, or a typo in your parents’ name can trigger delays. We catch those problems before they reach a USCIS officer.
A clean I-130 package includes more than the form itself. We assemble proof of your US citizenship, your parents’ birth certificates, your own birth certificate showing the parent-child link, certified English translations of any foreign documents, and the correct filing fee. Each item must match what USCIS expects in 2026. Older guides circulating online still reference outdated fees and form editions that USCIS will reject on sight.
We also document your parents’ intended status path inside the petition itself. Form I-130 now requires the petitioner to choose adjustment of status or consular processing on a single question. Picking the wrong box, or leaving it blank, slows your case. Movahedi Law Group walks you through that choice based on where your parent lives, how they entered the country, and whether they have any prior immigration history.
For stepparents, adoptive parents, or fathers of children born out of wedlock, the evidence package looks different. We know which extra documents your case needs and where to find them. That includes marriage certificates dated before the child turned 18, adoption decrees from before the child turned 16, and proof of legitimation when the petitioning child is the father.
Maryland parent petitions are processed through the USCIS Baltimore Field Office. That field office sets the local pace for receipt notices, biometrics appointments, interviews, and Requests for Evidence. We file a Form G-28 with every petition, so USCIS sends correspondence directly to our office. You do not have to translate government letters or guess what a Request for Evidence is asking for.
When USCIS issues an RFE, the response window is short, and the consequences of a weak reply are real. Movahedi Law Group drafts RFE responses that address the officer’s specific concern with targeted evidence. We also track receipt numbers, monitor case status updates, and flag delays before they become problems. If your case stalls past normal processing times, we can file a service request or a congressional inquiry on your behalf.
If your parents’ case proceeds to an in-person interview at the Baltimore Field Office, we prepare both you and your parent for what to expect. That preparation covers likely questions, document presentation, and the interpreter requirement when your parent is more comfortable in another language. Babak speaks limited Spanish and works with qualified interpreters when needed for clients across the DMV.
Not every Maryland resident can sponsor a parent. Federal immigration law sets two strict eligibility rules. You must be a US citizen, and you must be at least 21 years old. Both rules apply on the date you file Form I-130. There is no workaround and no waiver.
These rules trip up many Maryland families. People assume that holding a green card is enough. It is not. Others assume that a 19-year-old US citizen can start the process and update later. That also fails. Movahedi Law Group screens every potential parent petition against these rules at the first call. If you do not yet qualify, we tell you what to do next so your future filing is ready when you are.
The age rule is simple but unforgiving. You must be at least 21 years old on the day Form I-130 is received by USCIS. Filing one day early gets the petition rejected, and your filing fee is delayed in the refund processing. The 2026 filing fee is $625 online or $675 by paper, so a rejection is not a small loss.
The citizenship rule is just as strict. You must be a US citizen, either by birth or through naturalization. Lawful permanent residents cannot petition for parents at all. If you are close to your naturalization ceremony, Movahedi Law Group can plan the parent petition to file the moment your citizenship takes effect. We have helped clients across Silver Spring, Rockville, and Bethesda time these filings to avoid wasted months.
If you became a US citizen through adoption, a separate restriction applies. You cannot petition for your biological parents. The adoption legally severs that relationship for immigration purposes. This rule surprises many adopted Maryland residents who later try to sponsor a birth parent. We will review your full immigration history before filing to confirm you are eligible.
This is the single most common question we hear. The answer is firm. A green card holder cannot file Form I-130 for a parent. Only US citizens can. Congress wrote the immigration statute that way, and USCIS has no authority to make exceptions.
If you are a lawful permanent resident in Maryland and you want to bring your mother or father to the country, your real path runs through naturalization first. Most green card holders qualify to apply for US citizenship after five years of permanent residence. Spouses of US citizens often qualify after three. Once you take the oath, you can file the parent petition the same week.
Movahedi Law Group helps Maryland green card holders plan both filings together. We assess your naturalization eligibility, identify any criminal or travel issues that could complicate your N-400, and map out the parent petition so it is ready to file the day you become a citizen. That planning saves families months of waiting and avoids the trap of filing an ineligible petition that USCIS will deny outright.
For most Maryland citizens petitioning a mother, the process is straightforward. Your birth certificate naming your mother is the primary proof of relationship. USCIS rarely asks for more on a maternal petition. The case usually moves through the Baltimore Field Office without trouble.
Petitioning a father is more complicated when your parents were not married at the time of your birth. USCIS treats these cases differently because paternity is harder to document. You may need to prove either legitimation under the law of your father’s country or a bona fide parent-child relationship through evidence of financial support, contact, and involvement in your upbringing.
Movahedi Law Group has handled both types of parent petitions for Maryland families from many countries of origin. We know which civil documents USCIS accepts as proof of relationship and which need a notarized affidavit or DNA evidence to back them up. We will tell you upfront what your case will require so there are no surprises later.
If you are filing for your father and your parents were never married, USCIS requires extra evidence. The first option is proof of legitimation, meaning your father took a legal step under the law of his country to recognize you as his child. Some countries legitimize children automatically when the father acknowledges paternity on the birth certificate. Others require a separate court process.
The second option is proof of a bona fide parent-child relationship before you turned 21. This means showing that your father supported you financially, lived with you, or stayed actively involved in your life. Acceptable evidence includes school records listing him as the parent, photographs across multiple years, money transfer receipts, letters, and sworn affidavits from family members who witnessed the relationship.
DNA testing is sometimes used when documentary evidence is thin. USCIS accepts results from approved labs only. Movahedi Law Group can coordinate testing through an AABB-accredited lab and submit results in the format USCIS requires. We have prepared these cases for clients across Maryland and know how to build a record that a USCIS officer will accept.
The parent petition process has three main stages. You file Form I-130 with USCIS. Your parent then applies for a green card through either adjustment of status or consular processing. Finally, your parent attends an interview and receives lawful permanent resident status. Each stage has its own rules, its own timeline, and its own risks.
Where your parent lives right now decides which path applies. A parent already in Maryland on a valid status can often file for adjustment of status at the same time as the I-130. A parent outside the country goes through consular processing at the US embassy or consulate in their home country. Movahedi Law Group maps out the right path at your first consultation and handles every stage from there.
Maryland residents file Form I-130 with USCIS through a centralized lockbox, but the case is ultimately processed and interviewed through the USCIS Baltimore Field Office. That office handles cases for residents of Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Howard County, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County, and much of the rest of the state.
The I-130 filing package must include proof of your US citizenship, your birth certificate showing the parent-child relationship, a completed form signed in ink, the correct filing fee, and any required translations. USCIS rejects petitions that use outdated form editions or that leave required questions blank. The current form edition requires a single clear choice between adjustment of status and consular processing.
Once USCIS accepts your petition, you will receive a Form I-797C receipt notice with a case number. Movahedi Law Group tracks that receipt number through every update. If USCIS sends a Request for Evidence, we respond within the deadline with targeted documentation. If the case stalls past normal processing times, we escalate through service requests or congressional inquiries when appropriate.
If your parent is already in the United States in a lawful status, adjustment of status is usually the faster path. Your parents file Form I-485 at the same time as your I-130. USCIS processes both together, and your parent can stay in the country during the wait. Parents of US citizens count as immediate relatives, so a visa number is always available. That means no waiting for the Visa Bulletin to catch up.
Adjustment of status carries real advantages for Maryland families. Your parent can apply for a work permit and a travel document while the case is pending. The interview takes place at the USCIS Baltimore Field Office, not at a foreign embassy. If the case hits a snag, your parent is physically present and able to respond to evidence requests right away.
The path only works if your parent entered the country with inspection. That usually means a valid visa or a visa waiver admission. It also requires that your parent did not misuse that visa. A parent who entered on a tourist visa with the secret plan of applying for a green card can be denied for visa fraud. Movahedi Law Group reviews your parent’s full travel and immigration history before filing so we can flag problems early.
If your parent lives outside the United States, the case moves through consular processing after USCIS approves your I-130. The approved petition gets transferred from USCIS to the Department of State’s National Visa Center. Your parent eventually attends a green card interview at the US embassy or consulate in their home country.
Consular processing takes longer than adjustment of status, but it is often the only option. Parents who entered the US without inspection, who overstayed a prior visa, or who have never been to the country usually have no choice but to process abroad. The timeline varies by country and by embassy workload. Movahedi Law Group gives you a realistic estimate based on current data, not a best-case number pulled from an old blog.
One warning matters here. Leaving the United States after an overstay can trigger a three-year or ten-year bar to returning. If your parent is in Maryland now without status and you are thinking about consular processing, speak to a lawyer before your parent books a flight. The wrong move can separate your family for a decade.
Once USCIS approves the I-130, the case file moves to the National Visa Center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The NVC acts as the bridge between USCIS and the embassy. It collects the affidavit of support, civil documents, and processing fees before scheduling the interview.
The NVC stage is often where cases slow down. Missing documents, unpaid fees, or incomplete affidavits can hold the case in limbo for months. Movahedi Law Group manages the NVC stage actively. We submit documents through the Consular Electronic Application Center, respond to NVC checklists, and confirm that your parents’ case is documentarily qualified before it is scheduled.
Document requirements at this stage are strict. The NVC needs your parents’ birth certificates, passport biographic page, police certificates from every country where your parents lived for more than six months after age 16, and any marriage or divorce records. Every non-English document needs a certified translation. We help your parent gather and submit all of it from abroad.
The final step is the embassy interview. The consular officer reviews your parents’ documents, asks questions about the family relationship, and decides whether to issue the immigrant visa. Most interviews are short when the file is well prepared. A weak file invites hard questions.
Your parent should bring the original documents that match every copy submitted to the NVC, a completed medical exam from an embassy-approved panel physician, two passport-style photos, and the interview appointment letter. Missing any item can push the decision into administrative processing and delay the case by weeks or months.
Movahedi Law Group prepares your parent for the interview through a mock session before the date. We walk through likely questions about the parent-child relationship, your US citizenship, your ability to financially support them, and their own background. If the interview raises issues, we help respond to follow-up requests from the embassy and track the case until the visa is issued.
Bringing your mother or father to the United States should not turn into months of delay over a preventable mistake. One missing record, one wrong filing choice, or one weak response to USCIS can slow your case for months. Movahedi Law Group helps Maryland families prepare parent petitions the right way from the start.
When you hire Movahedi Law Group, you work directly with Babak Movahedi. He brings more than 35 years of legal experience and has focused only on immigration law since 2018. He reviews your facts, builds the filing strategy, and gives you a clear path forward.
If you are ready to file for your parent, call Movahedi Law Group at (202) 255-3355 today for an initial phone call with a parent petition lawyer in Maryland. We will answer your questions, explain your options, and help you take the next step without guesswork.
Need an immigration attorney? Movahedi Law Group helps clients handle every stage of the U.S. immigration process. With more than 30 years of legal experience, attorney Babak Movahedi works directly with you to resolve your case.