How to file an I-130 petition:
U.S. citizen petitioners residing in Korea must file the Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, by mail with the USCIS Lockbox or online at https://www.uscis.gov/i-130. Please visit USCIS website for details.
Exceptions for certain U.S. military service members and U.S. government employees:
Consular officers at U.S. Embassy Seoul may accept filing of the Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, filed by a U.S. citizen who is a U.S. government or military employee assigned to the U.S. Embassy Seoul, U.S. Consulate Busan, or a military service member stationed in Korea, for any immediate relative. This exception does not apply to service members assigned to an international organization, to service members on temporary duty orders, to Personal Service Contractors, or to U.S. Direct Hire employees on temporary duty or official visits.
Please schedule your appointment online by clicking here. (Both the petitioner and the beneficiary are required to attend the scheduled interview to file a form I-130 at the Immigrant Visa Unit, US Embassy Seoul.)
If you do not meet the requirements described above but still schedule an appointment, your I-130 petition will not be accepted. Also U.S. Embassy Seoul may not accept filing of the Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative if the petitioner has already filed a Form I-130 with the USCIS in the U.S. for the same beneficiary. If exigent circumstances exist, the petitioner should request expedited processing for the petition filed in the U.S. Please refer to the USCIS website for information about the process to request expedited adjudication.
For information on how to file an I-360 petition for a spouse of a deceased U.S. citizen, please click here.