Form I-130
Form guide
Form I-130 is where almost every family case begins: the petition that proves a qualifying family relationship exists. The petitioner — the U.S. citizen or permanent resident — files it for the relative. Approval does not grant status by itself; it opens the door to the green card step.
Part by part
Who you are, your status, and how you got it — with your certificate, passport, or green card as proof.
Your relative’s identity, addresses, and immigration history, matching their documents exactly.
How you are related and the evidence for it — for spouses, that the marriage is real, not just legal.
The petitioner signs. Spouse cases add Form I-130A, signed by the spouse seeking the green card.
Watch for
Swapping petitioner and beneficiary — the sponsor files, the immigrant benefits
Thin evidence that a marriage is real: no joint accounts, no photos together, no shared address
Forgetting Form I-130A in spouse cases
Dates and spellings that disagree between forms and documents
Every one of these is a completeness problem — the kind the software checks for before your packet is marked ready.
Where it appears
Form I-130
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