Great news for refugees seeking to reunite with family in the United States!

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced a change to how they process petitions for following-to-join refugees (FTJ-R) on Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition. This update aims to make the family reunification process smoother and more efficient.

What's Changing?

Effective May 6th, 2024, all FTJ-R petitions will be processed by a dedicated team within USCIS's International Operations Division. This shift centralizes the initial domestic processing stage, streamlining things for both those petitioning and their beneficiaries.

What if I Have a Pending Petition?

USCIS will automatically transfer any pending FTJ-R petitions from the Asylum Vetting Center to the International Operations Division. You'll receive a transfer notice in the mail with details about the process. Make sure your mailing address on file with USCIS is up-to-date! If it's changed, you can find instructions on updating it on the Form I-730 webpage (link provided below).

Where Do I Still File My Petition?

The filing location for Form I-730 petitions remains unchanged. All petitions should still be submitted to the USCIS Texas Service Center.

How Can I Get More Information?

USCIS International Operations is not open to the public, but you can find everything you need to know about filing Form I-730, processing steps, and how to submit inquiries on the USCIS website (link provided below).

This is a Positive Step Forward

USCIS's commitment to improving the process for FTJ-R petitions is a positive step towards faster family reunification for refugees. Centralizing processing should help expedite petitions and support those seeking refuge in the United States.

Stay Informed!

Visit the USCIS website (https://www.uscis.gov/) for more information and updates on immigration procedures and policies.

Credit for this blog post goes to the official USCIS announcement released on May 29th, 2024. We appreciate USCIS for providing this important information.