Skip to content

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Fill out Form I-130 online

Petition for Alien Relative

Form I-130 is the petition a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or non-citizen U.S. national files with USCIS to establish a qualifying family relationship with a relative who wants to live in the United States permanently. It is the first step in helping that relative immigrate and apply for a Green Card. Filing or approval of the petition does not by itself give the relative any immigration status or benefit.

Fill out Form I-130Blank form from the USCIS

The form opens in our PDF editor with its own fields ready to type into. You can fill it in without an account; downloading the filled PDF needs a free account. A free account gets 15 credits a day, enough for one form a day.

Edition
Edition 04/01/24
Pages
12
Fillable fields
450
Checked against the USCIS
November 8, 2026

GuruPDF is not affiliated with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. This page explains the form in plain words; it is not legal or tax advice. Always check the official instructions before you file.

Who uses Form I-130

  • U.S. citizens filing for a spouse, a child or son or daughter of any age, or a parent or brother or sister (for a parent or sibling, the citizen must be 21 or older)
  • Lawful permanent residents filing for a spouse or an unmarried child or son or daughter
  • Non-citizen U.S. nationals, who have the same petition rights as lawful permanent residents
  • Interpreters and preparers who help a petitioner, who complete and sign Parts 7 and 8

Before you start

  • Proof of your status: for example a U.S. birth certificate, naturalization or citizenship certificate, Form FS-240, an unexpired U.S. passport, or both sides of your Green Card
  • Documents that prove the relationship, such as a marriage certificate, birth certificates or an adoption decree, and proof that any earlier marriages ended
  • Your addresses and employers for the last five years, and each parent's name, date of birth, country of birth and where they live now
  • The beneficiary's details: full name, date and place of birth, addresses, marital history, spouse and children, and any I-94, passport or travel document numbers
  • If you are filing for your spouse: a completed Form I-130A and two identical color passport-style photos each of you and your spouse, taken within 30 days of filing (check the photo rules in the instructions)
  • A full English translation, with a signed translator certification, for any document in another language

How to fill out Form I-130

  1. Part 1. Relationship

    In Item Number 1, select one box for the relative you are filing for: spouse, parent, brother/sister, or child. If you are filing for a child or parent, Item Number 2 asks how you are related (for example, stepchild/stepparent or adopted child). Items 3 and 4 ask about adoption.

  2. Part 2. Information About You (Petitioner)

    Give your A-Number, USCIS Online Account Number and Social Security number if you have them (Items 1-3), then your name, other names, and birth details (Items 4-9). Enter your mailing address and your physical addresses for the last five years (Items 10-15), your marriages and spouses (Items 16-23), and your parents' information (Items 24-35). Items 36-41 cover whether you are a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident and how you got that status; the instructions say a non-citizen U.S. national selects lawful permanent resident in Item 36 and does not need an A-Number in Item 1. Items 42-49 ask for your employment for the last five years, current job first.

  3. Part 3. Biographic Information

    Items 1-6 ask about you, the petitioner: ethnicity, race, height in feet and inches, weight in pounds, eye color and hair color. Do not use metric units.

  4. Part 4. Information About Beneficiary

    Enter your relative's numbers, name, other names and birth details, and whether anyone else has ever filed a petition for them (Items 1-10). Then give their physical address, any U.S. address where they plan to live, any foreign address and contact details (Items 11-16), their marital history (Items 17-24), and their spouse and children (Items 25-44). Items 45-56 cover time in the United States, I-94 and passport details, current employment and any immigration proceedings. Items 57-60 ask for their name and address in their native script if it does not use Roman letters and, for a spouse, the last address where you lived together.

  5. Part 4, Items 61 and 62: where your relative will apply

    Complete only one. Item 61 is for a relative in the United States who will apply for adjustment of status at a USCIS office; give the city and state. Item 62 is for a relative who will apply for an immigrant visa at a U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate abroad; give the city, province and country.

  6. Part 5. Other Information

    Items 1-5 ask whether you have ever filed a petition for this beneficiary or any other alien, and if so the name, place, date filed and result. Items 6-9 list other relatives you are also filing separate petitions for, and your relationship to each.

  7. Parts 6 to 9. Statement, signatures and extra space

    In Part 6, select Item 1.a or 1.b to say whether you read the form in English or through an interpreter, select Item 2 if a preparer helped, add your phone and email (Items 3-5), and sign and date (Items 6.a and 6.b). An interpreter completes and signs Part 7, and a preparer completes and signs Part 8. Use Part 9 for any answer that does not fit, giving the page, part and item number for each one.

After you fill it out

You send the signed petition to USCIS with the filing fee and your supporting evidence. Paper petitions are mailed to a USCIS lockbox that depends on where you live and whether your relative files Form I-485 at the same time, so check the current address on the USCIS Direct Filing Addresses page and the fee on the USCIS Fee Schedule (Form G-1055). USCIS also accepts Form I-130 filed online through a USCIS online account, which is a separate process from mailing a paper form. After filing, USCIS sends a receipt notice and may ask for biometrics, more evidence or an interview.

Signing: Print the form and sign Part 6, Item 6.a. by hand in ink; USCIS will not accept a stamped or typewritten name and rejects an unsigned petition. A photocopy, fax or scan of the original hand-signed petition is accepted for filing.

Watch out for

  • Complete only one of Part 4, Item Number 61 (adjustment of status in the United States) or Item Number 62 (immigrant visa abroad). USCIS says not to complete both and not to leave this section blank.
  • If you are filing for your spouse, Form I-130A, Supplemental Information for Spouse Beneficiary, must be completed and submitted with this petition. Your spouse must sign it unless they are overseas.
  • USCIS rejects the petition if it is not signed, if Part 1 is blank, if Part 2 is missing your full name, date of birth, mailing address or marital information, or if Part 4 is missing the beneficiary's full name, date of birth, physical address or marital information.
  • If you mail the form, all pages must be from the same edition, with the edition date and page numbers visible at the bottom. Missing pages or pages from another edition can lead to rejection.

Questions about Form I-130

Does an approved Form I-130 give my relative a Green Card?

No. Approval establishes the family relationship but does not give the relative permanent resident status or permission to immigrate. After approval, the relative may apply for a Green Card, with Form I-485 in the United States or through an immigrant visa abroad, but some relatives must first wait until an immigrant visa is available; for immediate relatives one is always available.

Do I need a separate Form I-130 for each relative?

Yes, you file one petition for each eligible relative unless they count as a derivative beneficiary. In some categories the beneficiary's spouse or unmarried children under 21 are derivative beneficiaries and are listed in Part 4 instead. A U.S. citizen filing for a spouse must file a separate petition for each child, with a copy of the receipt notice for the spouse's petition.

Which relatives can I not file for?

The instructions say you cannot file for a grandparent, grandchild, nephew, niece, uncle, aunt, cousin or parent-in-law, and they list other cases, such as some adoptions and step relationships. There is also no category for a lawful permanent resident's married son or daughter; if an unmarried son or daughter marries before immigrating, the petition is denied or automatically revoked.

What do I enter if a question does not apply to me?

Type or print "N/A" unless the form says otherwise, and "None" when a number answer is zero. Enter dates as mm/dd/yyyy; if you only know an approximate date, use the same format and explain it in Part 9.

What if I become a U.S. citizen while my petition is pending?

Tell USCIS. Before a decision, send a short letter to the USCIS office on your receipt notice with copies of your naturalization certificate and receipt notice; after approval, notify the National Visa Center through its Public Inquiry Form.

Official information

Page text last reviewed November 7, 2026.

Related forms