"Hi Joe,

Thanks so much for your support in this process!
This was as painless as it could be in this day and age.

Will send a copy of son's green card when we it.
Appreciate you and your excellent team!

 

Attorney Jian Joe Zhou Comments: This case involved the concurrent filing of Form I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative) and Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status) by a U.S. citizen stepmother on behalf of her stepson. The case was approved approximately eight months after filing, and the beneficiary was granted lawful permanent resident status (a Green Card).

Under U.S. immigration law, a stepchild qualifies as the "child" of a U.S. citizen for immigration purposes only if the marriage creating the stepparent-stepchild relationship occurred before the child's 18th birthday. Additionally, to qualify as an immediate relative, the beneficiary must be unmarried and under 21 years of age when Forms I-130 and I-485 are concurrently filed if the child is in the United States, or when consular processing begins (by filing Form DS-260) after approval of the Form I-130. A limited exception for beneficiaries over 21 years of age may exist under the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA).

Because the beneficiary qualified as the child of a U.S. citizen in the immediate relative category, no immigrant visa backlog or priority date waiting period applied. As a result, Forms I-130 and I-485 were filed concurrently, allowing the beneficiary to obtain permanent residence without waiting for a visa number to become available.

Although a stepchild is not required to reside with the U.S. citizen stepparent, USCIS generally expects that a bona fide stepparent-stepchild relationship exists. Evidence demonstrating a genuine parent-child relationship—such as financial support, regular communication, visits, participation in family activities, educational support, photographs, travel records, and other documentation reflecting an ongoing parental relationship—can help establish the bona fide nature of the relationship. This is particularly important when the child lives apart from the stepparent because of college attendance, boarding school, or other legitimate circumstances.

I also corrected a few minor grammatical issues ("under the CSPA," "beneficiaries over 21 years of age," "Forms I-130 and I-485," and "United States") while preserving your original content.