DS-117 Application to Determine Returning Resident Status

The SB-1 returning resident application. A permanent resident who has been outside the United States for more than a year, or beyond the validity of a reentry permit, uses it to ask a consular officer to find that the stay abroad was caused by circumstances beyond their control. Approval leads to a returning resident visa rather than an abandonment finding.

StateEdition unverified - State publishes the DS-117 through its eForms system without an edition date on the forms pagePaper only

Fee: $180, plus the immigrant visa application fee and a medical examination if the SB-1 is approved
Fee waiver: Not available
Who files: Permanent residents stranded outside the United States for more than a year.
Where to file: At the U.S. embassy or consulate with jurisdiction, well before travel.

Usually filed with

Part of these processes

What changed in 2025 and 2026

Consular officers apply the 'beyond your control' test strictly. The alternative for someone whose residence is genuinely gone is a new immigrant petition, or Form I-407 to abandon status formally.

Official page. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/forms.html. Download the form there, never from a third-party site; check the edition date and fee before filing.