USCIS Message: Form I-730 Refugee/Asylee Relative Petitions Process Change

From USCIS:

Dear Stakeholder,
To enhance customer service and bolster program integrity, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is improving the way it processes the Form I-730 Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition.
In a phased approach, USCIS has begun transferring responsibility for the final adjudication of Form I-730 petitions from USCIS service centers to USCIS international field offices in cases where the beneficiaries reside abroad and where the service center has not found a basis for denial of the petition prior to the case transfer. Procedures for I-730 cases where USCIS does not have an overseas office covering the beneficiary’s location and a Department of State officer interviews the beneficiary are not currently affected.  This improvement does not change the requirements for the Form I-730 petition. Likewise, it does not alter processing times and will not place additional requirements on petitioners, beneficiaries and representatives.
Phase One began on April 1, 2014, and only involved cases with beneficiaries residing in China. Phase Two begins onJune 13, 2016 and will involve cases with beneficiaries living in countries with USCIS international field offices, except for Haiti, Thailand and Kenya. (Please find a list of counties with USCIS field offices on the International Immigration OfficesWeb page.) For these cases, the USCIS international field office in the beneficiary’s country will conduct the interview and complete the final case adjudication in the following instances:

• The Form I-730 has not been adjudicated at a USCIS service center on or before June 13, 2016, and
• The USCIS service center has not found any reason to deny the Form I-730 before the case is transferred abroad for the beneficiary’s interview.

When we transfer a case overseas, we will send a transfer notice to the petitioner and any representative identifying the USCIS international field office responsible for adjudicating the Form I-730. When the USCIS international field office receives the petition, it will notify the petitioner, beneficiary and any representative, and will provide further processing instructions. If you receive a notification of transfer, please remember that the documentation on your case may take up to two months to reach a USCIS international field office.
For additional information about these improvements, as well as contact information for USCIS international field offices, please visit our Form I-730 Web page.
Kind Regards,
USCIS Public Engagement Division

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