How to File an Immigrant Petition
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) bears sole authority under U.S. law to approve immigrant petitions. Under certain circumstances, this petition approval authority is delegated to Embassies.
All lawful permanent residents, and American Citizens resident in the United States or with a permanent address in the United States, must file I-130 petitions at the USCIS Service Center having jurisdiction over their place of residence. USCIS may take up to one year to approve a petition, after which the petition will be sent to the embassy for processing based on its priority date.
Petitions for fiancés can only be filed in the United States.
For more information on how to file a petition in the United States with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), please contact your local USCIS office in the U.S. or visit www.uscis.gov.