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Petitioners residing in Kazakhstan are no longer able to routinely file Forms I-130, Petitions for Alien Relative, with U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Astana and Almaty. Petitioners residing in Kazakhstan are required to file their Forms I-130 by mail with the USCIS Chicago lockbox.  Consular sections in Astana and Almaty are only able to accept and process Forms I-130 in exceptional circumstances.

USCIS Chicago Lockbox addresses for regular mail deliveries:

USCIS
P.O. Box 804625
Chicago, IL 60680-4107

USCIS Chicago Lockbox address for express mail and courier deliveries:

USCIS
Attn: I-130
131 South Dearborn-3rd Floor
Chicago, IL 60603-5517

For additional information about how to file a Form I-130 with the USCIS Chicago lockbox, please see the USCIS website or contact USCIS by phone at 1-800-375-5283.

Exceptional Filing at U.S. Embassies or Consulates without a USCIS Field Office:

Petitioners, who do not reside in a country with a USCIS field office, but who believe that their situation merits an exception, may request an exception to allow the Consular Section at the Embassy or Consulate to accept the filing.  Each request for an exception will be evaluated individually.

A petitioner seeking to file a Form I-130 in the consular sections in Astana or Almaty should contact the Consular Section (usakz@state.gov) to request consideration of the request for exception and explain the circumstances in detail.  The Consular Section will then relay the request for an exception to the USCIS field office in Moscow.  The determination of whether the case presents exceptional circumstances that warrant an exception to the general filing process will be made by USCIS.  For more detailed information please visit the USCIS website.

Applicants who believe they are entitled to immigrant status based on a relationship to a United States citizen or lawful resident alien, should request that relative to file a petition with the nearest office of the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service (USCIS) in the United States.

For detailed information please see the family immigration information page.

For information on Employment Based Immigrant Visas go to travel.state.gov.

To obtain the Petition form see the form I-130 page, USCIS website.

Additional Numerical Limitations

In addition to the numerical limitations for each category of immigrant visa described above, there are limits on the number of immigrant visas per year which can be issued to natives of any single country. Some of these numerical limits are based on formulas, which change in relationship to each other, so that it is not possible to state a specific figure for each sub-category.

Whenever there are more qualified applicants for a category than there are available numbers, the category will be considered oversubscribed and immigrant visas will be issued in the chronological order in which the petitions were filed until the numerical limit for the category is reached. The filing date of a petition becomes the applicant’s priority date. Immigrant visas cannot be issued until an applicant’s priority date is reached. In certain heavily oversubscribed categories, there may be a waiting period of several years before a priority date is reached.

The visa classification K-1 applies to aliens proceeding to the United States to marry American citizens.

• The couple must have met in person within the past 2 years.
• The U.S. citizen Fiancé must file an I-129F Petition with the USCIS in the U.S.
• If the I-129F is approved, and the visa issued, they must marry within 90 days of the alien’s admission to the United States.

Following the marriage, the alien spouse must apply to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) to establish a record of entry for conditional permanent residence status. After two years, the alien must apply to the USCIS for removal of the conditional status.

There is a specific non-immigrant visa available for Fiancés of United States Citizens. The couple must have met in person within the past 2 years. The U.S. citizen Fiancé must file an I-129F Petition with the USCIS in the U.S. If the I-129F is approved, and the visa issued, they must marry within 90 days of the alien’s admission to the United States. For details see the Spouse and Fiancé(e) information page.

Applicants who have a communicable disease; have a dangerous physical or mental disorder; are drug addicts; have committed serious criminal acts, including crimes involving moral turpitude, drug trafficking, and prostitution; are likely to become a public charge; have used fraud or other illegal means to enter the United States; or are ineligible for citizenship, must be refused a visa.

The two-year foreign residence requirement for former exchange visitors is also applicable. If found eligible, a visa will be issued, valid for one entry during a period of 6 months.

Applicants who believe they are entitled to immigrant status based in proposed employment in the United States must have their prospective employer file Petition Form I-140 with the USCIS in the United States. Prior to filing a petition the proposed employer must also obtain certification from the U.S. Dept. of Labor, to certify that there are no qualified workers available for the proposed employment in the United States.

See the employment-based visas page for further information.

Every applicant must pay the non-refundable, Machine-Readable Visa (MRV) application fee.

The fees page of this site has a schedule of the current fees for different services.

Beware of Diversity Immigrant Visa Scammers Sending Fraudulent Emails and Letters!

The U.S. Embassy in [Country] reminds citizens and residents of [Country] to use caution when working with private entities to apply for visas to the United States, particularly for Diversity Immigrant Visas.  The embassy regularly monitors reports of fraudulent facilitators, e-mails, letters, websites, phone calls, SMS, and print advertisements offering visa services.  None of these people are associated with the U.S. Embassy in [Country] nor does the embassy endorse, certify, or approve of any of these services. For more information, please read our page on Diversity Visa Scams.  Don’t fall victim!

Entry Instructions

The Entry Process

Returning Residents or immigrants who lived in the United States previously as lawful permanent residents and are returning to live in the United States after a temporary visit of more than one year abroad, for reasons beyond their control, must file a DSP 117 form (there is a non refundable fee as per the visa fees page) with a Consular Officer at the Auckland Consulate. If the application is approved the applicant must obtain certain documents, have a medical examination by a consular panel physician, and undergo an immigrant visa interview. The returning resident visa Category SB1, is valid for six months for re-entry to the United States.