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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.