Terminally-ill baby Charlie Gard has been granted permanent resident status in America in order to receive "pioneering" new treatment.
The announcement comes after the 11-month-old's mother, Connie Yates, met two international experts at Great Ormond Street Hospital on Tuesday (July 18) to discuss Charlie's condition.
The meeting, which lasted more than five hours, was also attended by medics from the London hospital.
Now, a US representative, Jeff Fortenberry, was tweeted an announcement that Charlie was granted permanent resident status.
He said: "We just passed amendment that grants permanent resident status to #CharlieGard and family so Charlie can get the medical treatment he needs."
It came after Charlie was examined by Michio Hirano, a professor of neurology at Columbia University in New York, who flew to the UK to see him on Monday (July 17).
The little boy's parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates want a judge to rule that their son, who suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage, should be allowed to undergo a therapy trial overseen by Dr Hirano in the US.
A spokesman for the couple said the family would not be commenting on the meeting "as this is a judicial matter" and they do not wish to say anything that could potentially harm Charlie's case.
Dr Hirano, who has claimed an experimental drug could potentially save Charlie, attended Tuesday's meeting with a second international expert who is subject to media reporting restrictions.
They were joined at the meeting by the Great Ormond Street team currently caring for Charlie, his mother and an independent chairman, a hospital spokesman said.
Charlie Gard latest
Dr Hirano was given full access to Charlie's medical records and hospital and clinical facilities, including diagnostic images, for four and a half hours.
Great Ormond Street said it would be for the court to decide the next steps regarding Charlie.
Specialists from the hospital say that treatment will not work, and the little boy's life support should be turned off.
His parents, from Bedfont , have already lost battles in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
They also failed to persuade European Court of Human Rights' judges to intervene.
Mr Justice Francis has considered the couple's latest claims at preliminary hearings in the Family Division of the High Court in London.
He is due to hold further hearings later this month following this week's meetings.
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