IMMIGRANT VISA SERVICES

How to File an Immigrant Petition at U.S. Embassy Beirut

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has sole authority under U.S. law to approve immigrant petitions. Under certain circumstances, this petition approval authority is delegated to Embassies.

Whether you file your immigrant petition (I-130) in the U.S. with USCIS or at an embassy or consulate is partly a matter of choice, but the form and fees are the same. You can file an I-130 petition with the USCIS by mail and no appointment is required. You do not need to appear for an interview 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, 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.

You may also choose to submit petitions for immediate relatives only at an Embassy. Embassies are generally able to accept and approve petitions from United States citizens for their spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents. Petitions for siblings or older/married children can only be filed in the United States. Petitions for fiances can only be filed in the United States.

If the case is clearly approvable, the Embassy can continue processing locally. If, however, the case is not clearly approvable, the Embassy must forward the petition to USCIS Athens for further processing. This may take six months or more. Any decision to forward a petition to USCIS Athens is final.

Please Note: Petitions for recently established relationships (i.e., a new spouse) are often NOT clearly approvable and hence delayed. Petitioners in such cases may be better served by filing their petitions 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 http://www.uscis.gov.

Any petition (I-130) which is not completely and properly filled out or which is not accompanied by the necessary documents will be returned without action.

If your petition is approved:

All correspondence related to your petition will be sent to the address listed for the beneficiary on the I-130 petition, unless another address is specified in writing. Please ensure that the address you provide is clear and complete. The petitioner is responsible for the accuracy of all information provided.

Requirements for filing any petition

• All petitioners must schedule an appointment.
  
  
  • To request an appointment, please send an e-mail to BeirutIV@state.gov or call 04-542-600 between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m., Monday through Friday.
  • Appointments to file petitions at the Embassy are given on a first-come, first-served basis. No appointment is required to file a petition with the USCIS in the U.S.


• The petitioner and beneficiary should have a legitimate existing relationship when requesting the appointment. For example, if filing for a spouse, the couple must already be married and have a marriage certificate.
• All petitioners must present: Proof of U.S. citizenship (passport valid for at least five years at time of issuance, or naturalization certificate, or birth certificate, if born in the U.S.); the petitioner’s and the beneficiary’s passports; 185 U.S. dollars (cash) or the equivalent in Lebanese pounds (cash).
• The petitioner and the beneficiary must be present at the interview.

Requirements for filing for a spouse:

• Form I-130 .
• Original marriage certificate (executed by the appropriate Civil Registrar) with an English translation and a copy of both.
• Original proof of the termination of any prior marriage(s) for the beneficiary and petitioner with an English translation and a copy of both.
• One Form G-325A Biographic Information each for the petitioner and the beneficiary.
• One photograph each of the petitioner and beneficiary.
• Evidence of the petitioner's relationship, which may include photographs of the wedding ceremony and/or wedding party.

Requirements for filing for a child:

• Form I-130 (one form for each applicant).
• Original marriage certificate with an English translation and a copy of both.
• Original proof of the termination of any prior marriage(s) for the petitioner with an English translation and a copy of both.
• Original birth certificate for the child with an English translation and a copy of both.
• A valid passport for the child. If the child is included in a parent’s passport, the child’s photograph must be attached and the child’s name must be translated into English.
  

Requirements for filing for a parent:

• Form I-130 (one form for each applicant).
• Original marriage certificate with an English translation and a copy of both.
• Original birth certificate for the petitioner with an English translation and a copy of both.

Final note:

The decision to hire an attorney or consultant is entirely up to the applicant. Procedures for submitting a petition and applying for a visa can be completed without assistance following the instructions provided. However, if applicants prefer to use outside assistance, that is their choice. There are many legitimate immigration consultants and attorneys assisting applicants for reasonable fees.

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