USCIS Forms I-130
Petition for alien relative
The I-130 is how a US citizen or permanent resident asks USCIS to recognize a family relationship, the first step to bringing a spouse, child, parent or sibling to the United States. Here is the whole process in plain language.
I-130, At a glance
Rev 2026- Who files
- US citizen or LPR
- Filing fee
- $625 online · $675 paper
- Typical timeline
- 12–24 months
- Filed with
- USCIS, online or mail
USCIS updates fees and processing times without notice. Confirm the current figures on USCIS.gov before you file, or ask us and we'll check them with you.
Processing times vary by form, category and field office. Look up the current time for your own case with the USCIS processing times tool.
Who can you petition for?
US citizens can petition for a spouse, children, parents and siblings. Permanent residents can petition for a spouse and unmarried children. The relationship category decides how long the wait is, immediate relatives of citizens have no annual visa cap.
The evidence USCIS expects
- 01Proof of your status, birth certificate, naturalization certificate or green card
- 02Proof of the relationship, marriage or birth certificates, prior-divorce decrees
- 03For spouses: evidence the marriage is bona fide, joint finances, lease, photos, affidavits
- 04Passport photos and translations for any non-English documents
How the process runs
- 01
Prepare & file
We assemble the petition and evidence, check every line, and file online or by mail.
- 02
Receipt & waiting
USCIS issues a receipt notice (I-797). We track the case and respond to any request for evidence.
- 03
Approval
The approved petition moves to the next stage, adjustment of status (I-485) in the US, or consular processing abroad.
- 04
Green card
Your relative interviews, and permanent residence is granted. We prepare them for the interview too.
Common mistakes we catch
Missing prior-marriage terminations, untranslated documents, inconsistent dates across forms, thin bona-fide-marriage evidence, and fees paid on the wrong schedule. Any one of these can add months. This is exactly what our preparation service exists to prevent.