Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, Form and Fee Information

Purpose:

Use this form to establish your relationship to a relative who wishes to immigrate to the United States.

Filing and Other Special Instructions:

File your petition by mail with the USCIS Lockbox facility in Dallas or online using the USCIS website. You can find additional filing information on the Form I-130 webpage.

If you are a U.S. citizen, the Department of State may accept a petition from you if you are filing for your immediate relative (spouse, unmarried child under the age of 21, or parent (if you are 21 years of age or older) at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate in certain limited circumstances, as described in USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 6, Part B, Chapter 3. Please contact the U.S. Embassy or Consulate having jurisdiction over the area where you live for further information.

Active-Duty Military: If you are an active-duty U.S. citizen service member stationed permanently at a military base overseas, you may file this petition directly with the Department of State at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate without needing to establish exceptional circumstances.

You should file Form I-131 to apply for a refugee travel document and appear for any required biometrics service appointment BEFORE you leave the United States. If you are currently outside the United States, you may file a Form I-131 and apply for a refugee travel document if you have been outside the United States for less than 1 year at the time of filing. Please see the USCIS Form I-131 webpage for filing instructions. This office does not accept or process Form I-131 applications.

Form I-131A, Application for Travel Document (Carrier Documentation)

Purpose:

To allow lawful permanent residents (LPRs) who do not have a Green Card or reentry permit to apply for a travel document (carrier documentation) that permits a transportation carrier to allow them to board a flight or vessel to the United States without penalty.

Who May File or Receive Service:

You may apply for carrier documentation if you are an LPR and:

• You are returning from temporary international travel of less than one year and your Permanent Resident Card (also known as a Green Card or Form I-551) has been lost, stolen, or destroyed.
• You are returning from temporary international travel of less than two years and your reentry permit (Form I-327) has been lost, stolen, or destroyed.

We will measure the length of your absence from the United States from the time you departed the U.S. to the time you pay the fee for filing Form I-131A.

If you are an LPR with an expired Green Card, you may not need to file a Form I-131A. You should check with your airline or vessel before filing a Form I-131A.

Although regulations generally require an LPR to travel with a valid Green card, CBP policy permits a transportation carrier bound for the United States to board an LPR without carrier documentation if you:

• Are an LPR who has an expired Green Card that was issued with a 10-year expiration date, or
• Are an LPR with an expired Green Card with a two-year expiration date AND you also have a Form I-797, Notice of Action, for Form I-751 or Form I-829 to remove the conditions on your permanent resident status. The Notice of Action extends the validity of the Green Card for a specified length of time, generally 12 to 18 months.

Filing and Other Special Instructions:

Beginning Nov. 1, 2019, if you are a lawful permanent resident (LPR) who has lost your LPR card and/or reentry permit and you need travel documentation to return to the U.S., you can file your Form I-131A with any U.S. embassy consular section.  To make an appointment to file the Form I-131A for travel documentation at a U.S. embassy or consulate, please see the embassy website for the location where you wish to file.

Before appearing to file a Form I-131A, you must pay the filing fee for this form online using the USCIS online payment system. You may pay the fee with your credit or debit card or U.S. bank account. When you appear in person to file Form I-131A, you must bring evidence that you paid the fee, such as a printed copy of your payment confirmation page or a printed copy of your emailed receipt. As with all immigration fees, we do not issue refunds regardless of the decision on the application.

Child Born Abroad to an LPR

If you are an LPR mother and your child is born abroad during your temporary absence from the United States, your child may enter the United States without a visa before he or she turns two years old if your child is accompanied by their LPR mother or LPR father on their first return to the United States. CBP’s guidance indicates that an airline may board a child in this situation. If an airline refuses to board your child without carrier documentation, we can issue a transportation letter. You do not need to file Form I-131A or pay a fee for this service. Please contact this USCIS office for additional information.

If your child does not come to the United States when you, the LPR parent, first return to the United States, consult the U.S. Consulate or this USCIS office about the availability of an immigrant visa for your child.

If your child was conceived via Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) and the LPR mother is not the genetic or legal gestational mother of the child, the child may not be eligible for a transportation letter. Please contact this USCIS office for additional information.

Outside the U.S. For More than One Year

If you have been outside of the United States for more than one year without a reentry permit (or more than two years with a reentry permit), you will need to either seek a returning resident visa (SB-1) with the Consular Section of the U.S. Consulate or U.S. Embassy nearest to you, or consult with the USCIS office that has jurisdiction over the country in which you are traveling about an alternative travel document.

For information about maintaining your residency receiving your Green Card, see our After a Green Card is Granted page.

Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, Form and Fee Information

Purpose:

In the international context, widow(er)s mostly use this form to apply for certain benefits that we grant to various special categories of individuals who are eligible for immigration.

Who May File or Receive Service:

The widow(er) of a deceased U.S. citizen.

Filing and Other Special Instructions:

If you reside outside the United States, you may be able to file at the U.S. embassy or consulate having jurisdiction over the area where you live. Please contact the U.S. Embassy or Consulate having jurisdiction over the area where you live for more information.

Please see the Form I-360 webpage for the most current filing instructions.

Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, Form and Fee Information

Purpose:

To apply for U.S. citizenship.

Who May File or Receive Service:

Members of the U.S. military stationed overseas and their qualifying family members who reside in USCIS San Salvador’s jurisdiction.

Filing and Other Special Instructions:

Please see the Form N-400 form page or call our USCIS Contact Center at 1-800-375-5283 for the most current form filing instructions.  USCIS will then forward the application to the appropriate international office. For qualified children of active service members stationed abroad, the proper form to file is the N-600K, Application for Citizenship and Issuance of Certificate Under Section 322, noted below.

USCIS San Salvador handles citizenship applications only for overseas military personnel and their qualifying family members. You can find more information about who qualifies for this benefit on our Citizenship for Military Personnel & Family Members page. Please also see our Policy Manual for quick reference charts and information on overseas naturalization benefits for qualifying spouses, children, and parents of U.S. military personnel.

Form I-590, Registration for Classification as a Refugee

Purpose:

To determine eligibility for refugee status.

Who May File or Receive Service:

Individuals who have been referred for refugee resettlement through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.

This form is not accepted at any international USCIS office.

Filing and Other Special Instructions:

If you have questions about eligibility for a referral for refugee resettlement, please contact the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) at Blvd. Orden de Malta Sur no 2B. Santa Elena, Antiguo Cuscatlán; Phone: +503 22093507.

This field office is unable to directly receive refugee resettlement applications. For general information and processing criteria please see USCIS’ information about the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program or the Department of State’s website on refugee admissions.

Form I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of an Orphan, Form and Fee Information

Purpose:

To request a suitability and eligibility determination for prospective adoptive parents seeking to adopt a foreign-born child.

Filing and Other Special Instructions:

You must file your Form I-600A application by mail with the USCIS lockbox facility in Dallas. The USCIS National Benefits Center will process the application.  You may find additional information on the Form I-600A webpage.

You can find information on intercountry adoptions and procedures in the Adoption section of our website.

Please Note: El Salvador is a Hague Adoption Convention country. USCIS San Salvador does not handle processing of forms related to intercountry adoption from a Hague Adoption Convention country. If you are filing to adopt a child from a Hague Adoption Convention Country, you must use Form I-800A and Form I-800 and file with USCIS in the United States.

Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative, Form and Fee Information

Purpose:

To request orphan classification for a child who either is, or will be, adopted by a U.S. citizen to allow the child to enter the United States.

Filing and Other Special Instructions:

You may file your Form I-600 petition:

• By mail with the USCIS lockbox facility in Dallas; the USCIS National Benefits Center will process the petition, or
• In person with the appropriate U.S. embassy or consulate in the adoptive child’s country of origin (if certain criteria are met).

You may find updated information on the Form I-600 webpage on the USCIS website.

You can find information on intercountry adoptions and procedures on the Department of State website and in the Adoption section of our website.

Please Note: El Salvador is a Hague Adoption Convention country. If you are filing to adopt a child from a Hague Adoption Convention Country, you must use Form I-800A and Form I-800 and file with USCIS in the United States.

Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility, Form and Fee Information

Purpose:

For those otherwise approved to immigrate to the United States, but are ineligible to enter because one or more grounds of inadmissibility that may be waived applies to them.

Who May File or Receive Service:

Individuals who reside in El Salvador and can show that:

• There are exceptional and compelling humanitarian circumstances that require immediate filing and adjudication ; and
• Expedited domestic processing would be insufficient to address the urgency.

Filing and Other Special Instructions:

Except as provided below, Forms I-601 must be filed with the USCIS Lockbox in the United States by mail. You may submit a written request for expedited processing along with your application when you file with the Lockbox if you believe there are extraordinary circumstances that require expedited processing. Further instructions on requesting expedited processing domestically can be found on the How to Make an Expedite Request webpage.

To file with USCIS San Salvador:

We will grant an exception to Lockbox filing and permission to file Forms I-601 at an international office if:

• The applicant resides in a country where a USCIS office is located;
• There are exceptional and compelling humanitarian circumstances that require immediate filing and adjudication; and
• Expedited processing would not address the urgency of the circumstances.

For information about the exceptions to Lockbox filing and permission to file Forms I-601 at an international office, including examples of possible qualifying circumstances, please see the USCIS policy memorandum (PDF, 78.82 KB) on exceptions for international filing.

To request an exception to Lockbox filing and permission to file at this office, please contact USCIS San Salvador for further instructions.

Form I-212, Application for Permission to Reapply for Admission into the United States After Deportation or Removal, Form and Fee Information

Purpose:

To obtain consent to reapply for admission to the United States after having been deported or removed, or because you unlawfully returned to the United States without admission after a previous removal or after previous unlawful presence.

Who May File or Receive Service:

Those who have been granted an exception to Lockbox filing and given permission to file an associated Form I-601 at an international office, as described in the tab on Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility.

Filing and Other Special Instructions:

File with the USCIS office in the United States indicated in the Form I-212 instructions.

If you need to file both Form I-212 and Form I-601, file them together at the Lockbox address specified in the Form I-601 instructions.

If USCIS San Salvador decides that exceptional and compelling humanitarian circumstances warrant filing your Form I-601 with USCIS San Salvador, you can also file the Form I-212 with the Form I-601.

If you file Form I-601 and Form I-212 together, be sure to submit the correct filing fee for each separate form.

Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition, Form and Fee Information

Purpose:

If you are a refugee or asylee, you file this to petition for your relative to join you in the United States.

Who May File or Receive Service:

Refugees or asylees file this application in the United States for their qualifying relatives living abroad.

Filing and Other Special Instructions:

Please see the Form I-730 form page for filing instructions. If the beneficiary of a Form I-730 filed with a USCIS service center resides in El Salvador, the petition will be transferred to our office prior to approval.  We will contact you, the petitioning relative and any representative of record to initiate processing and gather additional information and documents, once we have received the Form I-730 from the appropriate USCIS service center. 

Please Note: It is important to notify this office if the beneficiary’s contact information listed on Form I-730 has changed. You should inform us of any such changes by submitting your change via phone or email to this office. Due to customs delays, it may take up to two months for a Form I-730 forwarded by a USCIS service center to reach this office. Contact this office for case status inquiries only when more than two months have passed since you received a Form I-730 Approval or Transfer Notice from the service center and you have not received any correspondence from USCIS during that two month period.

Collection of Re-entry Permit

Purpose:

To pick-up a re-entry permit that was approved through the filing of a Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, allowing lawful permanent residents to return to the United States after travel abroad in certain circumstances (PDF, 667.32 KB).

Who May File or Receive Service:

For those who have submitted an application for a re-entry permit through the filing of a Form I-131, Application for Travel Document in the United States and have requested that the re-entry permit be sent to the U.S. Consulate/USCIS in San Salvador.

Filing and Other Special Instructions:

This office does not adjudicate re-entry permits. If we are provided with contact information, USCIS San Salvador will contact the applicant when the Form I-131 has been approved by an office in the United States and the re-entry permit is ready for collection. If you believe that the permit has been sent to USCIS San Salvador and you have not heard from us, you may send us an inquiry.

Instructions on how to obtain or replace a re-entry permit are found at How Do I Get a Re-Entry Permit (PDF, 667.32 KB).

Request for Review of a Denial of Refugee Status

Purpose:

To request review of a denial of an application for refugee status (Form I-590).

Who May File or Receive Service:

Individuals who have applied for and been denied refugee status through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.

Filing and Other Special Instructions:

You can submit your request to the Resettlement Support Center (RSC) that prepared your refugee case.