November 3, 2005

US Citizens Resident in Canada Can Avoid Processing Delays for Family Based Sponsorship

U.S. citizens who are residents in Canada and who wish to file I-130 immigrant visa petitions on behalf of their spouse, minor children or parents may now do so in person at the U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate having jurisdiction over their place of residence. This takes out a few steps in the process as it bypasses the submission of the I-130 immigrant visa petition with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the U.S. for an approval which is then forwarded to the National Visa Center for further processing and final scheduling at the U.S. consulate abroad. With the new procedure it will be a one stop filing through the consulate, the filings must be done in person. These new procedures do not apply to I-130 petitions filed on behalf of brothers, sisters, adult sons or daughters. These petitions will need to follow the existing procedures which include the filing of petitions at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.