Immigrant Visas

Visa Petitions

Immediate Relative Category

BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
(request appointment by phone, e-mail, fax or mail – see the contact information of the immigrant visa section to the right)

Who Can File - only a U.S. citizen, who is resident in Switzerland (A,B, C, Ci or L permit holder) or in Liechtenstein can file (petition) in person for an immediate relative family member,  provided the petitioner has maintained continuous residency in the consular district for a minimum of the preceding six months, the beneficiary is physically present in the consular district, and the petitioner has all the originals of the following required documents and pays applicable fees in cash or with all major credit cards except American Express:

• U.S. passport valid for ten years or U.S. birth certificate (not hospital certificate);
• Marriage certificate (civil documents please).  For Switzerland marriages, please request the international version from the Swiss Civil Registrar’s Office, to obviate the need for certified translations;
• Evidence of the termination of all previous marriages of both petitioner and beneficiary, i.e., divorce, death, annulment certificates;
• all documents not in English must be accompanied by a complete English translation. The translator must certify that the translation is accurate and that he or she is competent to translate.

Important Additional Information

• U.S. citizens residing in the U.S. should file their petition with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in the U.S. See website www.uscis.gov
• Absent all the required original documents, the petition cannot be approved. If a case is not clearly approvable it must be sent to USCIS for adjudication.