Effective May 6, 2024, all Forms I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition, filed for following to join refugees (FTJ-R) are being processed at the USCIS International Operations Division rather than the Asylum Vetting Center. Any pending Form I-730 FTJ-R petitions filed by refugee petitioners will be automatically transferred from the Asylum Vetting Center to USCIS International Operations. According to the statement from USCIS, they 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.
What to Expect
- If you have a pending Form I-730 FTJ-R petition, USCIS will mail a transfer notice to you. Petitioners should refer to their transfer notice for more information.
- Petitioners should make sure the mailing address associated with their pending Form I-730 petition is current.
- If a petitioner needs to update their address, see the Special Instructions section of the Form I-730 webpage for information about updating an address for Form I-730.
- This workload shift 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.
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.
Erickson Insights & Analysis
Erickson Immigration Group will continue to monitor developments and share updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or case-specific questions.