How Can I Expedite My Sister's Immigrant Visa to Come to the United States?

You need a visa to move to the United States.

United States citizens can sponsor siblings to come to the U.S. Even though immigrant visas are issued on a first-come, first-serve basis, there are circumstances that warrant a visa being expedited. Requests to expedite a visa are approved at the discretion of the Director of Immigration. If you can prove that a visa needs to be expedited due to an emergency situation, the Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services may grant your request.

Instructions

1. Write a letter stating why your sister's visa needs to be expedited. Write "Expedite Request" at the top of your letter. Submit this letter with the Form I-130 Petition for Alien Relative (see Resources). Your state of residence determines where you mail your I-130 form and Expedite Request letter (see Resources). Be sure to place your Expedite Request Letter on top of your I-130 Form and enclose a check for the filing fee of $355 payable to the Department of Homeland Security.

2. If your sister's visa petition form I-130 application has already been filed, you may call the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283. They will forward your request and the reasons why you are requesting expedition to the office that is handling your sister's visa.

3. Schedule an appointment at the local immigration office. You may schedule an appointment at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website by clicking InfoPass (see Resources). Remember to bring all documentation that supports your expedite request to your appointment. For example, if your expedite request is based on an illness in the family, you would want to bring documentation from a doctor.

4. Write a letter to the local field office. Mail the expedite request letter to the field office along with supporting documentation. They will forward the information to the processing center that is handling your sister's visa petition. Your local field office can be found on the United States Citizenship and Immigration website (see Resources).

References

• Expedite Criteria

Resources

• I-130 Petition for Alien Relative Form
• Petition for Alien Relative Mailing Locations
• Info Pass Appointment Scheduler
• Local Field Office Locator