Embassy of the United States Rangoon, Burma

CHANGES TO FILING I-130 PETITIONS OVERSEAS

Effective August 15, 2011, petitioners residing overseas will no longer be able to routinely file Forms I-130, Petitions for Alien Relative, with U.S. Embassies and Consulates except in locations where U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has a public counter presence within the Embassy or Consulate. Petitioners residing overseas in countries where USCIS does not have a public counter presence will be required, starting August 15, 2011, to file their Forms I-130 by mail with the USCIS Chicago lockbox. U.S. Embassies and Consulates that do not have a USCIS presence will only be able to accept and process Forms I-130 in exceptional circumstances, as outlined below.

Forms I-130 that were properly filed at an Embassy or Consulate overseas where USCIS does not have a presence before August 15, 2011, will not be affected by this change.

Filing Instructions beginning August 15, 2011:

Beginning August 15, 2011, petitioners residing overseas who wish to file a Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, may do so as follows:

- If the petitioner resides in a country in which USCIS has a public counter presence, the Form I-130 may be filed directly with the USCIS field office (see instructions below) or through the USCIS Chicago Lockbox at one of the below addresses.

- If the petitioner resides in a country where USCIS does not have a public counter presence, the Form I-130 must be filed with the USCIS Chicago Lockbox at one of the addresses below, unless the petitioner requests and is granted an exception based on one of the criteria described below:

USCIS Chicago Lockbox addresses for regular mail deliveries:

USCIS
P.O. Box 804625
Chicago, IL 60680-4107

USCIS Chicago Lockbox address for express mail and courier deliveries:

USCIS
Attn: I-130
131 South Dearborn-3rd Floor
Chicago, IL 60603-5517

For additional information about how to file a Form I- 130 with the USCIS Chicago lockbox, please see the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov or contact USCIS by phone at 1- 800-375-5283.

Filing at USCIS Overseas field offices:

From August 15, 2011, petitioners residing in a country where USCIS has a field office, with a public counter, may choose to file the Form I-130 either through the Chicago lockbox or at the USCIS field office. Petitioners should contact the USCIS field office with any questions regarding the filing of petitions. For more information on where USCIS has overseas field offices and contact information, please Visit: http://www.uscis.gov/international. Exceptional Filing at U.S. Embassies or Consulates without a USCIS Field Office: Beginning August 15, 2011, petitioners, who do not reside in a country with a USCIS field office, but who believe that their situation merits an exception, may request an exception to allow the Consular Section at the Embassy or Consulate to accept the filing. Each request for an exception will be evaluated individually.

A petitioner seeking to file a Form I-130 at an Embassy or Consulate where USCIS does not have a presence should contact the Consular Section to request consideration of the request for exception and explain the circumstances in detail. The Consular Section will then relay the request for an exception to the USCIS field office with jurisdiction over the Embassy or Consulate. The determination of whether the case presents exceptional circumstances that warrant an exception to the general filing process will be made by USCIS. USCIS will be publishing guidance on the circumstances that may qualify as exceptional on their website at: http://www.uscis.gov/ilink/docView/AFM/HTML/AFM/0-0-0- 1/0-0-0-3481/0-0-0-6254.html

Please contact the Consular Section at ConsularRangoon@state.gov for further information.

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IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE 2012 DIVERSITY VISA PROGRAM

The results of the selection process for the 2012 Diversity Visa (DV-2012) program have been voided. Results previously available via the Entry Status Check (ESC) function of the Department of State website, dvlottery.state.gov, were posted in error and are now invalid. The results were not valid because they did not represent a fair, random selection of entrants, as required by U.S. law.

This means that we have rescinded all notices informing entrants that they had been selected for further processing in DV-2012; if you received such a notice via ESC on dvlottery.state.gov, it is not longer valid.

A new random selection process will be conducted based on the original entries for the DV-2012 program. If you submitted a qualified entry from October 5, 2010, to November 3, 2010, you do not need to reapply. Your entry will be included in the new random selection. Your confirmation number, which is required to determine the status of your entry, remains the same. We are not accepting new entries for the DV-2012 program.

We expect the results of the new random selection process to be available by July 15, 2011, via the ESC function on dvlottery.state.gov.

We regret any inconvenience this might have caused.

For further information and future updates on the 2012 DV program, please see:

http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/

http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1322.html

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Diversity Visa Fraud on the Rise

Currently, many Diversity Visa applicants in Burma are receiving fraudulent emails notifying them that they have won the U.S. Diversity lottery. Please note that the State Department will not announce DV winners until May 1, 2011. Also, those selected in the random drawing will NOT be notified of their selection by email or regular mail. Entry Status Check, which will be available starting May 1, 2011 via www.dvlottery.state.gov ,will be the ONLY means by which selectees will be notified of their selection for DV 2012. Those individuals NOT selected will be notified of their non-selection through the web-based Entry Status Check.

For more information about the DV notification process, please visit: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1322.html
We caution you not to send money to anyone asking for it from an unsolicited email. Please pass the word to your family and friends.

If you have any further questions, feel free to email the U.S. Embassy at consularrangoon@state.gov.

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Burma’s Internet Connectivity Problems

Please note that Burma’s continuing Internet connectivity problems are making it difficult for applicants within Burma to complete their DS-160 online non-immigrant visa application forms. The Embassy is closely monitoring the situation and is reviewing possible solutions.

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Burmese citizens traveling to the United States must have a valid U.S. visa. There are two primary types of U.S. visas: nonimmigrant and immigrant. The Embassy's Consular Section processes both immigrant and nonimmigrant visas for travel to the United States.

Contact Information

The Consular Office is located at the United States Embassy:

110 University Ave
Kamayut Township
Rangoon, Burma
Tel: (95)-(1)-536-509
Fax: (95)-(1)-650-480
Email:
Note:For security reasons, taxis are not permitted to park adjacent to the Embassy’s outer gates while waiting for visa applicants. If you plan to use a taxi, please make sure the taxi moves along afterwards. Taxis may not park or idle for any length of time. If you’re visiting us via taxi, please be sure it waits farther down University Road or diagonally across the street. Thank you for your cooperation.

Visa Application Questions

If you have questions, this website may be able to answer them for you. If you would like to schedule an interview date, please go to the Embassy’s NIV Appointment System. A Burmese translation of the instructions for the Embassy’s NIV Appointment System can be found here: http://photos.state.gov/libraries/burma/895/pdf/Onlineinstruction.pdf. You can also write to our email address: consularrangoon@state.gov or call 95-1-536-509 between 9:00 am and 12:00 pm any working day. Due to the heavy demand for visas, our phone lines are often busy.