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Ice on Immigration: The
different immigration bureaucracies
By L. Patricia Ice, Featured
Columnist
Question: I am a United States citizen and I filed
an I-130 Petition for Alien Relative for my wife who is citizen of
Canada. From what I understand filing the I-130 Petition was the first
step for her to eventually become a United States lawful permanent
resident. My wife is currently living in Canada and I noticed that the
I-130 Petition went to the United States Citizenship and Immigration
Services in Missouri and then it was forwarded to the National Visa
Center in New Hampshire. What is the difference between these two
offices and what does each do?
Answer: You filed your I-130 Petition with the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) United States Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS) office. USCIS is a unit of the DHS, a
federal agency charged with the implementation of immigration policies
mostly within the borders of the U.S. The National Visa Center (NVC) is
a unit of the United States Department of State (DOS). The DOS is the
agency charged with the implementation of immigration policies at U.S.
embassies and consulates in foreign countries. The DHS and the DOS are
two different federal agencies. Since your wife is in Canada, and will
receive her immigrant visa to enter the U.S. as a lawful permanent
resident in Canada, both agencies will play a part in processing her
paperwork.
The DHS-USCIS office in Missouri does the initial
processing of the I-130 Petition for Alien Relative. When it is
finished, that office sends the paperwork to the DOS-NVC office in New
Hampshire. The NVC will process your wife's affidavit of support,
immigrant visa application and other documents. Finally, all of your
wife's paperwork will be sent to a DOS-U.S. Consulate in Canada where
she will hopefully receive her immigrant visa to enter the United States
as a lawful permanent resident. To find out more about the processes
visit the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov and the DOS website at
travel.state.gov.
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