Form I-730 Following-to-Join Refugee Processing Shifts to USCIS International Operations

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is shifting initial domestic processing of Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition, for following-to-join refugees (FTJ-Rs) within the USCIS Refugee, Asylum and International Operations Directorate. Effective May 6, 2024, we transferred Form I-730 FTJ-R petitions to International Operations from the Asylum Vetting Center. This workload shift will change where USCIS completes initial domestic processing of Form I-730 FTJ-R petitions that are pending or filed on or after May 6, 2024.

What You Need to Know
If you are the petitioner of a pending Form I-730 FTJ-R petition:

• We will mail a transfer notice to you. Refer to the transfer notice for more information.
• You should ensure that the address associated with your pending Form I-730 is current. If you need to update your address for Form I-730, refer to the Special Instructions section of the Form I-730.

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.

This does not change the filing location for Form I-730. All petitioners must continue to file Form I-730 petitions at the USCIS Texas Service Center. This workload shift does not affect the processing of Form I-730 following-to-join asylee petitions.

USCIS International Operations is not open to the public and does not accept requests or inquiries made in person. For more information about filing a Form I-730 petition, the processing steps, and how to submit an inquiry or other request for service, see the Form I-730 webpage.

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 visit or make inquiries at the Asylum Vetting Center or any asylum office because staff are not able to receive or respond to any Form I-730 inquiries. 

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