Immediate Relatives (IR) Visas

The Immigration and Nationality Act allows immediate relatives of U.S. citizens to immigrate to the United States. Immediate relatives are defined as:

● Spouse,

● Unmarried children under 21,

● Parents of a U.S. citizen who is 21 or older,

● Widow(er),

● Orphans adopted abroad by a U.S. Citizen or orphans to be adopted in the U.S. by a U.S. Citizen

Note! Grandparents, aunts, uncles, in-laws and cousins cannot sponsor a relative for immigration. Stepchildren and stepparents may apply for immigrant visas only if the stepchild/ parent or stepparent/ child relationship was created prior to the stepchild's/ child's 18th birthday.

All U.S. citizens must file the I-130 petition at the USCIS service center in the United States having jurisdiction over the place of residence. A list of service centers is included in the instructions with downloadable Form I-130. When the petition is approved by USCIS in the U.S., the USCIS will send you a notice of approval, a Form I-797. At the same time they will also forward the approved petition to the National Visa Center (NVC), which will contact your relative, the intending immigrant, with further information. The National Visa Center will process and forward the approved petition to the Embassy in Vilnius for the visa interview and adjudication.

IMPORTANT!

As of August 15th, according to the new USCIS regulations, petitioners residing in Lithuania will have to file I-130 Petitions for Alien Relative with the USCIS Chicago lockbox facility.

Please read the official announcement of the State Department concerning the changes to filing I-130 petitions overseas.

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