February 11, 2007

Relative Petitions of Overseas US Citizens

Recent legislation has led to changes in the procedures American citizens resident abroad will follow if they wish to sponsor an immediate relative (spouse, parent or minor child) for an immigrant visa. Effective immediately, the immediate relative petition must be filed with the USCIS office responsible for the petitioner's place of residence (that is, the place of residence of the American citizen who is filing the petition). Consular offices at U.S. embassies and consulates are no longer authorized to accept relative petitions, although they will continue to provide guidance to American citizen petitioners and their family members. Responsibility for acceptance and approval of immigrant visa petitions rests solely with USCIS. American citizens with a U.S. address should submit their petitions at the CIS office responsible for their place of residence.

This procedural change will result in a processing delay for most applications. Overall it will be less convenient for overseas US citizens to petition their immediate relatives to the US.

ARCHIVE