IMMIGRANT VISAS

How to File a Petition

All lawful permanent residents and American Citizens resident in the United States or with a permanent address in the United States will file I-130 petitions at the USCIS Service Center having jurisdiction over their place of residence as indicated on the USCIS website.

Effective immediately, Embassy Tripoli will accept petitions for immediate relative immigrant classification from American citizens who have been resident in Libya for at least six months. 

On rare occasion we can also accept petitions in true emergency cases, such as life and death or health and safety, and others determined to be in U.S. national interest.

Any petition (I-130) which is not completely and properly filled out or which is not accompanied by the necessary documents will not be accepted.

If a petition is submitted to the Embassy, a consular officer will have the authority to approve it. If the consular officer decides that the case is not clearly approvable, the Embassy must forward the petition to USCIS Rome for further processing. This USCIS process may take six months or longer. Any decision to forward a petition to Rome is final.

To file a petition for your spouse, child, or parents you must be prepared to document your relationship to the beneficiary, your U.S. citizenship and your residency in Libya. Though the consular section has attempted to include all basic requirements in these instructions, cases may require additional documentation. If you have any questions about documentary requirements, please contact the consular section directly.

If you are an American citizen filing a petition for your family member, you will need:

• A completed Form I-130 Petition for Alien Relative.

   

• A completed Form G-325A Biographic Information for you.

   

• A completed Form G-325A Biographic Information for your relative.

   

• Proof of your U.S. citizenship (a passport valid for at least five years at time of issuance, a naturalization certificate, or birth certificate).

   

• Your relative's proof of citizenship and identity.

   

• Your family member’s birth certificate, TWO ORIGINAL COPIES OFFICIALLY ISSUED FROM THE LIBYAN CIVIL RECORDS مستخرج من سجل ولادةTRANSLATED TO ENGLISH. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT COPIES FROM THE FAMILY BOOK WILL NOT be ACCEPTED as birth certificates .

   

• One (50mm x 50mm) photograph of you and one of your relative.

   

• The petition-filing fee of $355, payable in cash.  (USD or LYD equivalent.)

   

If you are filing a petition for a spouse…

The Embassy cannot accept any petition in which one or both spouses are under the age of eighteen (18).

You may need your marriage decree issued by the Libyan government (religious documents are insufficient evidence of relationship).
You may need proof of termination of any prior marriages.

If you are filing a petition for a parent…
If you have been legally adopted, you may not petition for your birth parent.
If your name or your parent’s name is different from the names on your birth certificate you must provide evidence of the legal name change
You may need a copy of your parents’ civil marriage certificate and a copy of any divorce decrees, death certificates, or annulment decrees that would show that any previous marriage entered into by your mother or father was ended legally.

If you are filing a petition for a child….
You may need an original marriage contract between you and the child’s other parent.
If the child is included in a parent’s passport, the child’s photograph must be attached and the child’s name must appear in the passport in Roman letters.

Your family member must come with you to fill out additional forms at the time you file the petition.

An appointment is required to file a petition with the American Embassy in Tripoli. Please call us at (091) 220-0125 to schedule an appointment.

All documents must be originals or certified copies.

All documents must be officially translated into English.