Instructions for Filing an I-130 & I-360 with the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services office in London

Who can file their I-130/I-360 at the London Field Office?

The USCIS Field Office London will only accept I-130 petitions from United States Citizens who reside within our jurisdiction.  United States citizens whose principal residence is not in our jurisdiction, and/or who entered our jurisdiction as a tourist visitor must file the petition with the Chicago Lock Box.  See more at USCIS.gov 

In order to meet the residency criteria to file with this office; the United States citizen must satisfy two requirements:

• The United States citizen must show evidence (valid UK Entry Clearance) that he/she has permission from the UK Home Office to legally reside in the United Kingdom; and
• The United States citizen must also show that he/she has resided in the United Kingdom for at least six months from the date of arrival following approval of the UK Entry Clearance.

For example, if a U.S. citizen obtains a UK Entry Clearance that was approved/granted on April 1, 2012 and subsequently arrives in the UK on April 5, 2012, the earliest date that this office will accept the I-130 will be October 5, 2012.

Alternatively, U.S. citizens resident in the United Kingdom also have the option of filing their I-130 petition directly with the Chicago Lock Box.  

U.S. citizens who reside in the United States or do not meet the above UK residency requirements must file their petition with the Chicago Lock Box.

Lawful permanent residents must file their I-130 petition with the Chicago Lock Box.

How do I file the Petition?

Download and utilize the following checklists to file your I-130; they contain easy-to-follow detailed instructions.

• I-130 Checklist for Alien Spouse [PDF - 71kb]
• I-130 Checklist for Alien Child [PDF - 70kb]
• I-130 Checklist for the Parent [PDF - 67kb]
• I-130 Checklist for Sister or Brother [PDF - 68kb]
• I-130 Photo Requirements [PDF - 67kb]

To help you complete these forms we have a sample of a completed I-130 form [PDF - 593Kb].

Forms

• Form I-130 (PDF - 201kb)
• Form I-360 (PDF - 227kb)
• Form G-325A (PDF - 568kb)
• Credit Card Payment Form (PDF - 49kb)
• Form G-1145 – E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance (PDF - 1kb) although instructions on the form relates to the Lockbox filing, please use this form to advise the London Field Office of your email address so that we can properly notify you of your filing of the I-130.

Processing Times

Upon receipt of the I-130, USCIS will send an email to the U.S. petitioner or his/her designated attorney on record confirming the date the I-130/I-360 was filed.   U.S. petitioners will then be able to view on this web page the date we are currently processing petitions.   All I-130s/I-360's are adjudicated in the order they are received.   We ask that you please refrain from contacting this office for status checks while your application is pending.

What happens after the I-130/I-360 is approved?

Filing your I-130/I-360 petition is only the first step of a two-part process. If your immediate relative petition is approved, the U.S. petitioner will receive a Notice of Approval. The original I-130/I-360 will normally be transferred to the Immigrant Visa Unit at the U.S. Consulate in the country where the beneficiary resides (unless you have specified otherwise on the I-130). The Immigrant Visa Unit will then process the immediate relative beneficiary for an immigrant visa.

For beneficiaries residing in the UK: If you have questions concerning the second part of the processing which includes (interview, medical, DS-230, DS-2001, Affidavits of Support, police certificates, etc. you will need to contact the U.S. Consulate.  Please call 09042-450-100 (Calls to this line are charged at £1.23/min plus network extras; callers from outside the U.K. and some mobile and network providers cannot access this number) for further information.