ALERT: Effective May 6, 2024, all Form I-730 following to join refugee (FTJ-R) petitions are being processed at the USCIS International Operations Division rather than the Asylum Vetting Center. We shifted this workload to better serve Form I-730 petitioners and beneficiaries by establishing a dedicated team with primary responsibility for initial domestic processing of FTJ-R petitions. This will help us process this critical family reunification program more efficiently.
We will automatically transfer any pending Form I-730 FTJ-R petitions filed by refugee petitioners from the Asylum Vetting Center to USCIS International Operations and send the petitioner a transfer notice. If you have a pending Form I-730 FTJ-R petition, please refer to the transfer notice you receive for more information about the transfer of your petition. Please note, USCIS International Operations is not open to the public and does not accept requests or inquiries made in person.
Because the Asylum Vetting Center no longer completes initial domestic processing of Form I-730 FTJ-R petitions, the Asylum Vetting Center cannot respond to any Form I-730 FTJ-R inquiries. Please do not go to or make inquiries at the Asylum Vetting Center or any asylum office because office staff are not able to receive or respond to any Form I-730 inquiries.
Alert Type infoREMINDER: Please submit a passport-style photograph or a recently taken clear photograph of each family member you are petitioning for. If you do not provide the required photo, we may issue a Request for Evidence (RFE), and it could take longer to process your petition.
If you are a principal refugee admitted to the United States within the past 2 years or a principal asylee who was granted asylum within the past 2 years, you (the petitioner) may use this form to request that your spouse and unmarried children under 21 years of age (the beneficiaries) join you in the United States. In certain circumstances, unmarried children over 21 years old may be eligible for following-to-join immigration benefits. For more information, see our Child Status Protection Act page. In some cases, we may grant a waiver of the 2-year filing deadline for humanitarian reasons. See the Instructions for Form I-730 (PDF, 91.53 KB) for more information.
Form I-730 ProcessingThe processing of Form I-730 petitions depends on various factors, including your status as a principal asylee or refugee and the current location of your beneficiary. Form I-730 processing is divided into three steps:
Receipt and Initial Domestic Processing
The Service Center Operations Directorate (SCOPS) receives all Form I-730 petitions. SCOPS performs initial domestic processing of Form I-730 following-to-join asylee (FTJ-A) petitions. The Refugee, Asylum and International Operations Directorate (RAIO) performs initial domestic processing of Form I-730 following-to-join refugee (FTJ-R) petitions at USCIS International Operations. Generally, USCIS processes Form I-730 petitions in the order we receive them.
If we need additional evidence, we will issue you a request for evidence (RFE) and give you an opportunity to respond.
Beneficiary Interview and Additional Processing
Once we complete initial domestic processing of your Form I-730 petition, and if we determine that your relative appears eligible as a follow-to-join asylee or refugee, we will send your petition to the appropriate office to interview your spouse or child and continue processing. After receiving your petition, the interviewing office will notify you, your spouse or child, and any representative of record, and provide additional instructions.
If the beneficiary is located within the United States, we will forward the petition to the appropriate USCIS domestic field office based on the beneficiary’s residence. We will send you a transfer notice listing the USCIS field office. You can find more information on USCIS domestic field offices on the USCIS Field Offices page.
If the beneficiary is located outside of the United States, we will forward the petition through the Department of State’s (DOS) National Visa Center (NVC) to a USCIS international field office or a U.S. embassy or consulate with jurisdiction over the beneficiary’s residence.
If your beneficiary is located outside of the United States in a country where USCIS has an international field office with jurisdiction over the country where your beneficiary lives, your beneficiary will be interviewed by USCIS. You will receive a transfer notice listing the USCIS international field office that will interview your beneficiary and complete processing. Currently, USCIS maintains international field offices in China, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Kenya, Mexico, Qatar, and Turkey. Please note that the USCIS Nairobi Field Office also processes Form I-730 following-to-join refugee petitions for beneficiaries located in Burundi and Uganda. You can find information about USCIS international offices on the USCIS International Immigration Offices page.
If your beneficiary is located outside of the United States in a country with no USCIS international field office presence or jurisdiction, a DOS embassy or consulate will interview and complete processing of your beneficiary on USCIS’ behalf and will determine your beneficiary’s eligibility to travel to the United States. If your beneficiary will be interviewed at a DOS embassy or consulate, you will receive an approval notice from USCIS after initial domestic processing of your petition is complete. You can find more information about U.S. embassies and consulates on the DOS U.S. Embassy Locator page, which also includes details on whether the U.S. embassy or consulate is open for interviews and additional processing.
Department of State Returns
If DOS interviews and processes the beneficiary outside the United States and finds a basis for ineligibility, DOS will return the petition to the domestic USCIS processing component for further review of the decision. We will then review the Form I-730 petition and may re-open the petition and request additional information, deny the petition, or reaffirm the petition and return it to DOS for continued processing.