Immigrant Visas
Immediate Relatives Visa
The first step in applying for an immigrant visa is for the U.S. citizen (petitioner) to file Petition for Alien Relative, Form I-130 (pdf), with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). A separate petition must be filed for each person immigrating.
U.S. Citizens resident in Germany may file the petition with the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in Frankfurt;
U.S. Citizens resident in the United States should contact their local USCIS office for further information.
U.S. Citizens resident in other countries should contact their local U.S. Embassy for further information.
Note:
• A petition cannot be filed for a spouse until the marriage ceremony has taken place. How do I get married in Germany?
• The natural child of a U.S. citizen may have claim to U.S. citizenship. A petition cannot be filed until it has been established that the child is not a U.S. citizen.
• In order to speed up the immigrant visa process it is possible to begin the administrative processing of the immigrant visa application before the petition is approved if the U.S. citizen and immigrant visa applicant reside in Germany and the U.S. citizen is filing the I-130 (pdf) with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in Frankfurt, and received by the Immigrant Visa Unit in Frankfurt.
