I-130 Filing Address 2026: Where to Send Your Petition

Your I-130 petition goes to a specific USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) lockbox facility — and mailing it to the wrong one is among the most common, most avoidable reasons petitions get delayed or returned. As of 2026, USCIS routes Form I-130 filings across four lockbox facilities: Chicago, Dallas, Elgin, and Phoenix. Which one receives your petition depends on where you live, whether you're filing concurrently with Form I-485, and your relationship to the beneficiary. The stakes are concrete: an incorrect I-130 filing address can set your case back by weeks, and USCIS will not expedite processing to compensate. This guide covers every filing scenario — from routine domestic filings to overseas submissions and concurrent packages — so you send your petition to the right place the first time.

What is Form I-130?

Form I-130, also known as the Petition for Alien Relative, is the document you use to establish a qualifying family relationship with a foreign national you want to sponsor for U.S. permanent residence — a green card. U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (LPRs) file Form I-130 with USCIS to begin the family-based immigration process.

Filing Form I-130 does not itself grant a visa or give the beneficiary any immigration status. It creates an approved record of your relationship that, once a visa number becomes available, allows the beneficiary to proceed with either consular processing abroad or an adjustment of status (Form I-485) if they are already inside the United States. A separate petition must be filed for each eligible relative.

There are two broad categories of beneficiaries:

• Immediate relatives: Spouses, unmarried children under age 21, and parents of U.S. citizens (if the petitioner is 21 or older). These petitions are not subject to visa backlogs — visas are available immediately upon I-130 approval.
• Family preference categories: Adult children, married children, and siblings of U.S. citizens, plus spouses and unmarried children of LPRs. These are subject to annual visa limits and can involve multi-year waiting periods.

Direct filing addresses for Form I-130

Your I-130 filing address in 2026 depends on two factors: whether you are filing Form I-130 alone or concurrently with Form I-485, and where you currently reside. Sending your petition to the wrong facility will not automatically disqualify it, but USCIS may return your package, and you'll need to resubmit — adding weeks or months to your timeline.

USCIS lockbox facilities

You have four USCIS lockbox facilities to choose from when filing by mail, and the one you use depends on your specific situation:

• Chicago Lockbox (Illinois): Handles most concurrent I-130/I-485 filings for U.S.-based petitioners, routing to the Chicago facility via the state-based chart for family-based forms.
• Dallas Lockbox (Texas): The destination for most petitioners residing outside the United States who are filing by mail, as directed by the State Department's guidance for overseas petitioners.
• Elgin Lockbox (Illinois): Opened in 2022 to handle increased filing volume. Accepts standalone I-130 filings from residents of most U.S. states, and is also used for overseas petitioners filing certain categories.
• Phoenix Lockbox (Arizona): Handles standalone I-130 filings for residents of Alaska and several western states.

Each lockbox publishes two addresses: one for U.S. Postal Service (USPS) deliveries, typically a P.O. Box, and one for FedEx, UPS, and DHL deliveries at a physical street address. Using the wrong address format for your carrier will cause a routing failure, so confirm which applies before you mail.

Filing by current location

The USCIS Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-130 page is the authoritative source for current routing. The table below summarizes the structure, but always verify against the live USCIS page before you mail — routing assignments change and an outdated address will cost you time.

Filing from within the United States

If you are filing Form I-130 alone (without Form I-485), your lockbox depends on your state of residence. The general breakdown:

• Residents of Alaska send their standalone I-130 to the Phoenix Lockbox.
• Residents of most other states — including Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Washington — file with the Elgin Lockbox. The full state list is on the USCIS direct filing addresses page.
• U.S. territories including Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands follow specific routing listed in the USCIS table — check the official page for the territory-specific address.

If you are filing Form I-130 concurrently with Form I-485, routing changes entirely. In that case, use the address from the USCIS Lockbox Filing Locations Chart for Certain Family-Based Forms, which routes most concurrent filers to the Chicago Lockbox based on state.

Important note: USCIS updates lockbox routing regularly. Always check the Lockbox and Service Center Filing Location Updates page for any changes that postdate this guide.

Filing from outside the United States

If you live outside the United States and are filing by mail, send your petition to the USCIS Elgin Lockbox (for most routine I-130 filings) or the Dallas Lockbox as directed by the State Department for overseas petitioners. The Dallas Lockbox addresses are:

USPS deliveries: USCIS Attn: I-130 P.O. Box 650264 Dallas, TX 75265

FedEx, UPS, and DHL deliveries: USCIS Attn: I-130 2501 S. State Hwy, 121 Business Suite 400 Lewisville, TX 75067

You may also file online via myUSCIS regardless of where you live, which eliminates the lockbox routing question entirely.

Special filing locations for exceptional situations

If you are a U.S. citizen living abroad and petitioning for an immediate relative — a spouse, an unmarried child under 21, or a parent — you may request to file at the nearest U.S. Embassy or consulate. This is not a standard option. It requires the USCIS Field Office Director with jurisdiction over that location to determine the embassy or consulate may accept and adjudicate the case, and each request is evaluated individually.

If your request for direct consular filing (DCF) is denied, you must file online or mail your petition to the Dallas Lockbox.

How to determine your correct I-130 filing address

Getting your I-130 filing address right requires checking three variables in sequence. Skipping a step — or assuming last year's address still applies — is how petitions end up at the wrong facility.

Petitioner's current residence

Your physical address at the time of filing determines your lockbox assignment for standalone I-130 petitions. This is your address, not the beneficiary's. If you live in the United States, use the state-by-state table on USCIS's direct filing addresses page. If you live outside the United States, you route to the Elgin or Dallas Lockbox depending on your filing method.

Beneficiary's location

Your relative's location matters primarily for what comes next — not for the I-130 mailing address itself. If your relative is already in the United States with valid immigration status, they may be eligible to file Form I-485 at the same time you file Form I-130, which shifts you from the standalone lockbox address to the concurrent filing address. If they are outside the United States, your approved I-130 will be forwarded to the National Visa Center (NVC) for consular processing once approved.

Form type and category considerations

Some family-based petition types use different forms or have modified routing — and filing the wrong form to the wrong address is a harder mistake to recover from than a simple lockbox error. The key distinctions to know:

• Widow(er) petitions: Filed on Form I-360, not Form I-130. Separate routing applies.
• Special immigrants: Certain categories — including religious workers and Iraqi or Afghan nationals who assisted U.S. forces — use Form I-360 or other designated forms with their own filing addresses.
• Self-petitions under VAWA: Handled separately with confidentiality protections and a different filing location.

If you are filing a standard family-based I-130, none of these exceptions apply. But it is worth confirming your form type before you send anything.

Filing locations chart for family-based forms

USCIS publishes a consolidated chart that covers filing addresses for several family-based forms — including I-130, I-131, I-360, I-485, I-765, I-824, and I-864 — based on your eligibility and location. For your I-130, the chart is most useful when determining the concurrent filing address, since concurrent filers cannot rely on the standalone I-130 address table.

Use the table below as a starting point, then verify against the current USCIS Lockbox Filing Locations Chart:

Routing rules change, and an outdated address can set your case back by weeks.

Immediate relative petitions

Immediate relative petitions — for spouses, parents, and unmarried children under 21 of U.S. citizens — are the highest-volume I-130 category and carry no visa backlog, meaning there is no wait for a visa number to become available. Because visas are always immediately available for this group, these petitioners are also the most likely to qualify for concurrent filing with Form I-485, which changes your filing address and can meaningfully compress your overall timeline.

Family preference category petitions

Family preference petitions cover four groups: adult unmarried children of U.S. citizens (F1), spouses and unmarried children of LPRs (F2A and F2B), married children of U.S. citizens (F3), and siblings of U.S. citizens (F4). These petitions follow the same lockbox routing as immediate relative petitions for the I-130 itself. The key difference is that concurrent I-485 filing is typically not available until a visa number becomes current — and for categories like F4, that wait can exceed a decade depending on the beneficiary's country of birth.

Special immigrant categories

If your situation may qualify as a special immigrant category, confirm which form applies before you file. Certain family-based special immigrants — including religious workers and special immigrant juveniles — file on Form I-360 rather than Form I-130, and the filing addresses are different. Filing the wrong form to an I-130 address will result in rejection.

Filing outside the United States

If you are a U.S. citizen or LPR living abroad, your filing options depend on your country of residence and whether USCIS maintains an international field office nearby.

Routine I-130 petitions through consulates

Your standard options as an overseas petitioner are online filing through myUSCIS or mail submission to the Dallas Lockbox. USCIS accepts I-130 petitions from overseas petitioners regardless of whether the beneficiary is in the same country.

Once your petition is approved, USCIS forwards it to the NVC, which coordinates with the relevant U.S. Embassy or consulate to schedule the beneficiary's immigrant visa interview. This consular processing path is the typical route for beneficiaries who are not in the United States.

Exceptional filing situations

If you believe your circumstances qualify for direct consular filing (DCF), you can contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or consulate to request acceptance. This option is available only to U.S. citizens and only for immediate relative petitions. Each request is evaluated individually, and approval is not guaranteed. If the consulate denies your request, you must revert to the standard process: file online or via the Dallas Lockbox.

DCF was more commonly used before USCIS expanded online filing access for overseas petitioners. Filing online through myUSCIS is now generally faster and avoids the uncertainty of the DCF process entirely.

U.S. citizens residing in the United Kingdom or Ghana

USCIS offices in the United Kingdom and Ghana previously accepted Form I-130 filings directly from resident U.S. citizens. That authority ended in March 2020 for both locations. If you now reside in the UK or Ghana, follow the standard overseas process: file online through myUSCIS or mail your petition to the Dallas Lockbox.

Required documents and filing fees

Sending your I-130 to the correct address matters only if the package itself is complete. Missing documents and incorrect fees are leading causes of I-130 rejections — and a rejected package means restarting the process from the beginning.

Checklist of required initial evidence

Your document requirements vary depending on your relationship to the beneficiary. Across all categories, your initial filing package should include:

• Proof of your petitioner status: A copy of your U.S. birth certificate, naturalization certificate, or green card (Form I-551), depending on whether you are a U.S. citizen or LPR.
• Proof of the qualifying relationship: Marriage certificates for spousal petitions (plus Form I-130A, Supplemental Information for Spouse Beneficiary), birth certificates for parent-child petitions, and proof of legal adoption if applicable.
• Evidence of a bona fide marriage: For spousal petitions, USCIS requires documentation showing the marriage is genuine — not entered solely for immigration purposes. Acceptable evidence includes joint lease or mortgage documents, joint bank account statements, shared insurance policies, birth certificates of children born to the couple, and affidavits from third parties.
• Translations: Any document in a foreign language must include a complete English translation and a signed certification from the translator confirming accuracy and competence.
• Completed Form I-130, signed at Part E: Unsigned forms are automatically rejected. USCIS returns the entire package, and you must resubmit with a valid signature.

Do not send original documents unless USCIS specifically requests them. Submit legible copies and retain originals for potential future interviews.

Current filing fees for 2026

Your filing fee depends on how you submit:

• $625 for Form I-130 filed online through myUSCIS
• $675 for Form I-130 filed by paper mail

A separate fee is required for each I-130 petition. If you are sponsoring multiple family members, each petition requires its own payment — you cannot combine them into a single transaction. Doing so may result in rejection of the entire package.

If you are filing Form I-485 concurrently, that form carries its own separate fee (currently $1,440 for most applicants under the 2024 USCIS fee schedule). The two fees must be paid independently.

Payment methods and processing

As of October 28, 2025, USCIS transitioned most paper-based filings to electronic payment. Checks and money orders may no longer be accepted at lockbox facilities for Form I-130 submissions. Before you mail your package, confirm the current accepted payment methods on the USCIS Form I-130 page, as lockbox payment requirements can change. For online filings through myUSCIS, payment is processed digitally at submission.

Concurrent filing with Form I-485

If your relative is already inside the United States on valid immigration status and a visa number is immediately available, you may be able to file Form I-130 and Form I-485 together in a single package — and doing so changes your I-130 filing address. This is one of the most effective ways to compress the path to a green card for eligible immediate relatives.

When to file together

Concurrent filing is available primarily to immediate relatives of U.S. citizens: spouses, parents, and unmarried children under 21. It is also available to preference category relatives when a visa number is current at the time of filing. Because immediate relatives face no visa backlog, they are the most common and most straightforward candidates for this approach.

You cannot file concurrently if your relative is outside the United States, or if a visa number is not immediately available. In those situations, the I-130 must be approved first, then the beneficiary either waits for a current priority date or proceeds with consular processing abroad.

Address considerations for concurrent filing

When filing Form I-130 and Form I-485 together, do not use the standalone I-130 address table. Instead, use the address from the USCIS Lockbox Filing Locations Chart for Certain Family-Based Forms, which routes by the beneficiary's state of residence. For most states, this is the Chicago Lockbox. Both forms must be mailed together to the same address in a single package, with separate fee payments enclosed.

Alternatively, you can file your Form I-130 online and have your relative mail their Form I-485 separately. In that case, include a copy of the I-130 online receipt notice in the I-485 package.

Processing benefits and timeline

Simultaneous submission eliminates the sequential wait between I-130 approval and I-485 filing. USCIS reviews the petition and application at the same time, beginning background checks and adjustment of status processing while the I-130 is still pending.

The median I-485 family-based processing time as of FY2025 data is approximately 8.2 months — significantly shorter than filing them sequentially, where the standalone I-130 average of around 11 months precedes a separate I-485 process. Many immediate relative cases filed together are resolved in under a year. Your relative can also simultaneously file Form I-765 (Employment Authorization Document) and Form I-131 (Advance Parole), allowing them to work and travel while the green card application is pending.

Form filing tips and special instructions

The right address is the foundation of a clean filing, but the care you take in packaging and mailing is what gets your petition processed without unnecessary interruptions.

Proper mailing procedures

Before you send your package, review the USCIS Lockbox Filing Tips. The most critical points:

• Use the address that matches your shipping method: USCIS lockbox facilities have separate addresses for USPS and commercial carriers. Using a FedEx address when shipping USPS — or vice versa — causes routing failures.
• Clip Form G-1145 to the front of your petition: This is the E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance form. USCIS will send you an email or text confirmation when they receive your package.
• Avoid fasteners that can damage processing equipment: Do not use binder clips, staples, or rubber bands unless the instructions specifically direct you to.
• Sign Part E: USCIS automatically rejects unsigned Form I-130 petitions. The printed form includes signature reminders, but this is still one of the most common rejection reasons.

Tracking and delivery confirmation

Use a carrier that provides tracking and delivery confirmation. USPS Certified Mail, FedEx, UPS, and DHL all provide delivery records you can reference if your receipt notice is delayed. Keep your tracking number until you receive official Form I-797 from USCIS. If you have confirmed delivery but no receipt notice within 30 days, contact USCIS at 1-800-375-5283.

What happens after filing

After USCIS receives and accepts your petition, your case moves through these stages:

1. Receipt notice (Form I-797): Issued within a few weeks of acceptance. It confirms your case number and priority date — keep it. You'll need both for all future correspondence.
2. Biometrics appointment (if applicable): Required for Form I-485 concurrent filings. USCIS will send a separate appointment notice with the location and date.
3. Case processing: USCIS reviews the petition and may issue a Request for Evidence (RFE) if documentation is incomplete. Respond by the deadline stated in the RFE notice — missing it can result in denial.
4. Interview (if required): Many I-130 and I-485 cases now require an in-person interview at a USCIS field office, or at a U.S. Embassy or consulate for consular processing cases.
5. Approval and visa issuance: For adjustment of status cases, USCIS issues the green card directly. For consular processing, the approved I-130 travels to the NVC, which schedules the immigrant visa interview.

Conclusion

The I-130 filing address you use in 2026 depends on three things: where you live, whether you're filing alone or together with Form I-485, and your petition category. Always confirm your address against the live USCIS Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-130 page before mailing — routing changes, and a stale address from a previous filing or a third-party guide will cost you time. A correct address, a complete document package, and the right filing fee give your petition the best possible start.

Frequently asked questions on I-130 filing address

What address do I send Form I-130?

Your I-130 filing address depends on where you live and whether you're submitting Form I-130 alone or concurrently with Form I-485. Domestic petitioners filing only Form I-130 are routed to either the Elgin or Phoenix Lockbox depending on their state. If you're filing concurrently, use the address from the USCIS Lockbox Filing Locations Chart for Certain Family-Based Forms — most filers go to Chicago. Petitioners outside the United States mail to the Elgin or Dallas Lockbox. Always verify current addresses at USCIS.gov before mailing.

Where should I mail my USCIS application?

USCIS application mailing addresses vary by form type, eligibility category, and your location. For Form I-130, filings are routed to one of four lockbox facilities: Chicago, Dallas, Elgin, or Phoenix. Each has a separate address for USPS and commercial carriers — using the wrong one for your shipping method can cause routing failures and delays.

Should you carry your green card?

Yes. If you've been issued a green card (Form I-551), federal law requires you to carry it on your person at all times as a lawful permanent resident. Your green card is your primary proof of immigration status and is required when re-entering the United States after international travel. If your card is lost or stolen, file Form I-90 with USCIS to request a replacement.

Where to file Form I-130 and I-485?

When submitting Form I-130 and Form I-485 together in a concurrent package, you must use the address from the USCIS Lockbox Filing Locations Chart for Certain Family-Based Forms — not the standalone I-130 address. Both forms go to the same lockbox in a single mailing, with separate payments. For most U.S.-based filers, this routes to the Chicago Lockbox. Alternatively, you can file Form I-130 online and have your relative mail their Form I-485 separately, with a copy of your online receipt notice included.