Immigrant Visas Family-Based Immigrant Petitions

A U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident (LPR) can petition on behalf of his or her relatives living abroad for immigration to the United States. To begin the process of filing such a family-based petition, the petitioner (U.S. citizen or LPR) must complete an I-130 form, and file it with either the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Office or at an embassy or consulate. Currently, the U.S. Embassy Baghdad Consular Section is not authorized to accept immigrant visa petitions. Petitioners must file the petition in the United States or at the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan. The application fee for immigrant petitions is $185 per applicant. You do not need to appear for an interview at the initial stages, and you can send photocopies of all required civil documents with your petition. The wait for the USCIS to approve a petition and send it to the National Visa Center can range from a few months to over a year, after which the NVC forwards it to an embassy or consulate. However, if you file your petition with the USCIS, you can also request a K-3 visa (I-129F, see Other Types of Nonimmigrant Visas), which allows the beneficiary (foreign relative) to get a visa and travel to the U.S. to wait there for the petition to be approved. For more information on filing a family-based petition with the USCIS or in Amman, Jordan, visit the USCIS Web site or the Web site of the U.S. Embassy in Amman.

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