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Filing an I-130 in Kabul
 

I-130 Petitions

Notice: Effective August 15, 2011, petitioners residing outside the United States will no longer be able to routinely file Forms I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, with U.S. embassies and consulates. Petitioners residing overseas in countries where USCIS does not have a public counter presence will be required to file their Forms I-130 by mail with the USCIS Chicago Lockbox. As part of this change, U.S. embassies and consulates will only be able to accept and process Forms I-130 in exceptional circumstances.

 

Petitions properly filed overseas prior to August 15 will not be affected by this change.

 

Filing Routine Form I-130 Petitions -

 

Afghanistan currently does not have a USCIS public office, so petitioners must file Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, by mail to the USCIS Chicago Lockbox at one of the addresses below.

 

Regular mail:

 

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

Express mail or courier delivery:

 

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 visit the USCIS website or call USCIS at 1-800-375-5283.

 

Filing Form I-130 Petitions in Exceptional Situations –

Effective August 15, 2011, U.S. embassies and consulates may only accept I-130 petition filings from petitioners who believe they have exceptional situations that would merit an exception from filing by mail to the USCIS Chicago Lockbox.

 

Petitioners resident in Afghanistan who believe that their situation merits an exception may contact U.S. Embassy Kabul at KabulIV@state.gov to request an exception and explain their circumstances in detail.  Each request for an exception will be evaluated individually and must be authorized by USCIS.  Embassy Kabul will request the exception on behalf of the petitioner if warranted.

 

USCIS has published guidance on circumstances that may qualify as exceptional.

If your request to file an I-130 petition with a U.S. embassy or consulate is not authorized by USCIS, then you must file the petition with the USCIS Chicago Lockbox.