USCIS Shifts Workload for Form I-730 Following-to-Join Refugee Petitions

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. 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.

If you have a pending Form I-730 FTJ-R petition, we will mail a transfer notice to you. Please refer to your transfer notice for more information. Please make sure the mailing address associated with your pending Form I-730 petition is current. If you need to update your address, see the Special Instructions section of the Form I-730 webpage for information about updating your address for your 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.