If you are a lawful permanent resident applying to bring an unmarried, minor child or an unmarried son or daughter to the United States to live and you are the mother of the child, you must file the following with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services:

• Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative
  
• A copy of your alien registration card
  
• A copy of the child's birth certificate showing your name and the child's name
  
• If anyone's name has been legally changed (if it differs from the name on his or her birth certificate), evidence of the name change must be submitted.

If you are a lawful permanent resident and the father or step-parent of the child, you must file the following with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services:

• Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative
  
• A copy of your alien registration receipt card
  
• A copy of the child's birth certificate showing the child's name and the names of both parents
  
• A copy of civil marriage certificate showing the names of both parents, or proof that a parent/child relationship exists or existed (if you are petitioning for a stepchild, your marriage to the child's parent must take place before the stepchild's 18^th birthday)
  
• A copy of any divorce decrees, death certificates, or annulment decrees that establish the termination of any previous marriages entered into by you or your spouse
  
• Fathers petitioning for a child born out of wedlock must provide evidence that a parent/child relationship exists or existed. For example, the child's birth certificate displaying the father's name, evidence showing that the father has made financial contributions in support of the child. A blood test proving paternity may be necessary.
  
• If anyone's name has been legally changed (if it differs from the name on his or her birth certificate), evidence of the name change must be submitted

If you are a lawful permanent resident and the adoptive parent of the child or unmarried son or daughter, you must file the following with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services:

• Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative
  
• A copy of your alien registration receipt card
  
• A copy of the child's birth certificate showing the child's name
  
• A certified copy of the adoption decree (The adoption must have taken place before the child reached the age of 16. One exception: if you adopted the child's sibling who had not yet reached age 16, the older sibling must have been adopted before reaching the age of 18.)
  
• The legal custody decree if you obtained custody of the child before adoption
  
• A statement showing the dates and places your child has lived with you, and proof that your child has lived with you and has been in your legal custody for at least two years
  
• If anyone's name has been legally changed (if it differs from the name on his or her birth certificate), evidence of the name change must be submitted.