If a person did not vacate the United States after their visa expired in the late 90s, and has maintained residency continuously over the last nearly 30 years, what are their options? Is an I-130 an option as there are US-born citizens who are biological children over 21 willing to sponsor? I have seen some sources suggest that you can submit the I-130 and the I-485 at the same time, and that lawful permanent resident status will be issued as soon as they're approved, but does this apply to those in this situation, who have technically been residing 'illegally?'
To be honest it seems too easy to be true and while these people would love to do this they are hesitant out of fear of deportation or other USCIS retaliation.
Will this approach work without disrupting residency in the US?
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source https://www.reddit.com/r/immigration/comments/mognfd/work_visa_expired_for_20_years_i130_i485/