Improved Process for Petitioners Abroad will Increase Efficiency and Flexibility
WASHINGTON - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that effective Aug. 15, 2011, petitioners residing in countries without USCIS offices will be able to file a Petition for an Alien Relative (Form I-130), with the USCIS Chicago Lockbox facility. This will increase the efficiency of the relative petition filing process and give USCIS more flexibility in managing its workload. Previous regulations permitted these petitioners, who comprise about 5 percent of all I-130 petitioners, to file with USCIS or the U.S. Department of State at their local U.S. embassy or consulate.
Under the new regulation, published today in the Federal Register, petitioners residing in countries without USCIS offices may file a Petition for an Alien Relative based on the addresses provided in the revised form instructions, also available on www.uscis.gov:
For U.S. Postal Service:
USCIS
P.O. Box 804625
Attn. CSC/I-130/OS
Chicago, IL 60680-4107
For Express mail and courier deliveries:
USCIS
Attn. CSC/I-130/OS
131 South Dearborn – 3rd Floor
Chicago, IL 60603-5517
Petitioners residing in a country with a USCIS office have the option of sending their I-130 forms to the Chicago Lockbox, or they may file their Forms I-130 at the international USCIS office having jurisdiction over the area where they live.
To enable a smooth transition, petitioners should continue to file at their local U.S. embassy or consulate through Aug. 14, 2011. Beginning Aug. 15, petitioners residing abroad must file according to the new instructions.
Individuals with questions or concerns should contact the USCIS National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.
For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit www.uscis.gov or follow us on Twitter (@uscis), YouTube (/uscis) and the USCIS blog The Beacon
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