Embassy of the United States

Immigrant Visas

Spouse of a U.S. Citizen

A U.S. citizen may petition for his/her foreign national spouse to obtain legal permanent residence in the United States. An immigrant visa (CR-1 or IR-1) must be obtained prior to arrival in the United States in order to enter as a legal permanent resident.  Minor children included in a parent's passport require their own petition.

HOW TO APPLY:

1.     Download and complete the following documents:

• Form I-130 Petition for Alien Relative (completed and signed by the petitioner). http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-130.pdf
  
  
• Form G-325A Biographic Information Questionnaire (one completed and signed by the petitioner and another by the beneficiary). http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/g-325a.pdf 
  
  
•  Form DS-230 Part 1 - Biographic Data (completed and signed by the beneficiary). http://foia.state.gov/forms/newscripts/formlist.asp?type=V

2.     Gather the following personal documents:

• Passport of the petitioner (U.S. citizen) - original & photocopy of the biographic data page 
  
   
• Passport of the beneficiary (spouse) - original & photocopy of the biographic data page
  
  
• Photographs of the petitioner & the beneficiary
  
  
• Marriage certificate - original & photocopy
  
   
• Photographs of the wedding ceremony and / or wedding party
  
   
• Divorce decree(s) / annulment of previous marriage(s) / death certificate(s) of previous spouse(s) from the petitioner and beneficiary, if any, original & photocopy

The Embassy will accept original documents in Arabic without a translation.  Documents in languages other than Arabic (for example Farsi, Hindi, or Urdu) must be accompanied by an English translation.

Provide photocopies of all original documents.  If you fail to do so, you will be charged $1 or KD0.300 per copy

3.      Make an appointment: For appointments and inquiries, you may reach the Immigrant Visa Unit via e-mail at: Kuwaitiv@state.gov 

There is no guarantee that the petition will be approved on the appointment date.  The Immigrant Visa Unit can not predict the length of time required for each petition to be completed.  Much depends on the applicant and how quickly he or she can prepare the required documents.  

INFORMATION REGARDING THE DAY OF YOUR INTERVIEW 

IMPORTANT NOTES:

Fee - a non-refundable fee of US $355.00 or KD106.500 must be paid at the Embassy on the day of your initial appointment.

Qualifications - Embassy Kuwait will only accept immediate relative immigrant visa petitions from American citizens who are residents of Kuwait.  To demonstrate residency in Kuwait, American Citizen petitioners must be able to show that they have permission to reside here and that they have been doing so continuously for at least six months prior to filing the petition. 

Individuals with a temporary status in Kuwait, such as students or tourists, do not meet this residency requirement.  The only exceptions to this rule involve members of the armed forces; emergency cases involving life and death or health and safety; and other cases determined to be in the U.S. national interest.

All Legal Permanent Residents, as well as American Citizens resident in the United States or with a permanent address in the United States, must file their I-130 petitions at the USCIS Service Center having jurisdiction over their place of residence (as indicated on the I-130:  http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-130.pdf).

Physical presence - both the petitioner and the beneficiary must be physically present at the time of the interview.

Interview cancellation - In the event that you need to cancel your interview, please send an email to kuwaitiv@state.gov before your appointment date.

Photograph Guidelines - each applicant, regardless of age, must present 3 recent 5 cm x 5 cm, front-view, color photographs on a white background.

The Embassy has briefed the following photo studios on our standards and requirements.  The information below is provided as a convenience to our applicants and does not constitute an endorsement by the Embassy.