Information Message- January 26, 2007

Changes to Immigrant Visa Petition Filing Procedures

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 (I-130) must be filed with the Department of Homeland Security’s Citizenship and Immigration Services (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 I-130s, 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 should submit their I-130 at the CIS office responsible for their place of residence, coordinates for which may be found at www.uscis.gov.

This procedural change may result in a processing delay for some applicants.  The Department of State recognizes and sincerely regrets any inconvenience this may cause.

USCIS contact information may be found on their webpage at www.uscis.gov.  USCIS can be reached through their National Customer Service Center (NCSC) at 1-800-375-5283 (TTY 1-800-767-1833).  For persons who have concerns, the USCIS Ombudsman may be contacted at cisombudsman@dhs.gov.

The U.S. Embassy in Bishkek is located at 171 Prospect Mira, 720016 Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic. The phone number is 996-312-551-241. Fax: 996-517-777-202, and website: http://bishkek.usembassy.gov.