new I-130 petition acceptance
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 (POST EMAIL or
PHONE NUMBER) for further information.