Can Grandparents Sponsor Their Grandchildren for U.S. Immigration?

When your grandchildren and their parents live abroad and you reside in the United States, it can mean that visits are few and far between. Immigration concerns are primary concerns, and the courts recognize that grandparents play important roles in the lives of their grandchildren. While there is no direct means of grandparent sponsorship for U.S. immigration, grandparents have the ability to help sponsor grandchildren indirectly. Immigration is an exceptionally complex matter, and having an experienced Michigan immigration attorney in your corner from the outset is always to your advantage.

You and Your Grandchildren

Many grandparents are very close to their grandchildren. Sometimes a U.S. citizen grandparent would like to share the privilege of U.S. citizenship with their grandchildren. While you cannot directly sponsor your grandchildren for immigration, this isn’t the end of the matter. The family relationship can be utilized to sponsor grandchildren through a parent.

When One of Your Grandchildren’s Parent is a U.S. Citizen

If one of your grandchildren’s parents is a U.S. citizen, that grandparent may be able to sponsor their grandchildren via the U.S. citizen parent. This is when the U.S. citizen parent has not met certain physically presence requirements for periods of time in the U.S. to pass citizenship to their child. Eligibility in terms of sponsorship of grandchildren for U.S. citizenship includes, but not limited to, the basic requirements:

The sponsor must be at least 18 years old at the time of filing.
The sponsor must domicile – or make their permanent home – in the United States.
The grandchild resides outside the U.S.
In the legal and physical custody of the U.S. citizen parent
The U.S. citizen grandparent must meet certain physically presence requirements for periods of time in the U.S., which have changed over the decades.
If a U.S. citizen parent has died in the preceding five years, the child does NOT need be residing in the legal and physical custody of the person.

By sponsoring your own adult child’s immigration, you help to indirectly sponsor their children – your grandchildren.

An Experienced Michigan Immigration Attorney Can Help

If you are a grandparent who has concerns about your grandchildren’s ability to immigrate to the U.S., Andrew Stacer is a compassionate Michigan immigration attorney at Stacer, PLC, who dedicates his impressive practice to helping valued clients like you effectively resolve their immigration issues, and he’s on your side. Learn more about what we can do to help you by contacting or calling us at 734-530-3414 today.