Immigrant Visas

Where to File Petitions For Immigrant Visas

The Consular Section in Rangoon, Burma will accept petitions for immediate relative immigrant classification from American citizens who are resident in the consular district, including members of the armed forces, as well as true emergency cases, such as life and death or health and safety, and others determined to be in the U.S. national interest.

To demonstrate residency in the consular district, American citizen petitioners must be able to show that they have Burmese Government permission to reside in the consular district and that they have been doing so continuously for at least six months before filing the petition. U.S. citizens who are in the country on a temporary status, such as student, tourist, or someone with a Burmese limited validity visa to enter and remain in country, would not be considered to meet the residency standard.

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

The Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have developed a mechanism whereby USCIS will perform required criminal background checks on American citizen petitioners, as required by the Adam Walsh Act, for any immigrant visa petitions accepted abroad by consular officers.