applying for parents green card

[billu]

Hi,
I just mailed my citizenship application last week and assuming that it takes 6-8 months to get my citizenship, I want to be prepared to apply for my parents green card after my citizenship. I had a few questions, would be thankful if anyone had answers:
How soon after I get my citizenship can I apply for my parents GC ( do I need my citizenship certificate only or passport also)
Can I apply for one parent only or do I have to apply for both?
They will be coming here on visitor visa in April and plan to stay till September, is it better to apply while they are here or it does not matter? If I apply when they are here, can they stay till they get approved?
Thanks for answering the questions.

[newacct]

Hi,
I just mailed my citizenship application last week and assuming that it takes 6-8 months to get my citizenship, I want to be prepared to apply for my parents green card after my citizenship. I had a few questions, would be thankful if anyone had answers:
How soon after I get my citizenship can I apply for my parents GC ( do I need my citizenship certificate only or passport also)

Immediately after you take the oath.

Can I apply for one parent only or do I have to apply for both?

doesn't matter

They will be coming here on visitor visa in April and plan to stay till September, is it better to apply while they are here or it does not matter? If I apply when they are here, can they stay till they get approved?

They will likely be denied entry if they enter on a visitor visa with intent to do Adjustment of Status while here. If they make it in and didn't lie, they can wait until you become a citizen and do Adjustment of Status. After applying, they can stay as long as it is pending.

[daggit]

You may petition parents as soon as you're granted the certificate of citizenship. They await the process and interview in their home country. They can visit you for short periods meanwhile.

[billu]

thanks

thanks for your response. assuming that the process of getting green card for parents (here in Houston) takes 8-10 months, It would be a pretty long time for my parents to stay here since they are coming in April and I just sent in my N-400. So, I will apply and let them go back and do the interview etc in India. Do you know if the process (after mailing the GC application-doing the interview etc)is faster if they are here vs if they were in India or it does not matter?

[newacct]

It is faster if they are here because I-130 and I-485 are filed and adjudicated concurrently, whereas if they do consular processing abroad, they first have to wait until the I-130 is approved, and then it goes to NVC and the consulate for processing. Plus it doesn't really matter how long it takes when they do it here as they can apply for EAD and Advance Parole at the same time, which they can get in about 90 days, after which they can work and/or travel just like a permanent resident. Also, I am not understanding your concern about them having to stay in the US as the whole point of permanent residency is to stay in the US. They should not get permanent residency if they don't want to stay in the US most of the time; if they do not maintain residency in the US they will lose permanent residency.