New York · est. 2013Saturday, September 5, 2026
Inside Immigration

Plain-language guides to US immigration, asylum and USCIS procedure.

Forms

I-730 Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition

Brings a refugee's or asylee's spouse and unmarried children under 21 to the United States with the same status, or gives it to them if they are already here. It must be filed within two years of the principal's grant of asylum or admission as a refugee, unless USCIS excuses the delay for humanitarian reasons. There is no fee.

Fee
$0
Fee waiver
Not available
Who files
A person granted asylum or admitted as a refugee, petitioning for a spouse or child who was already a spouse or child at the time of the grant.
Where to file
By mail to the USCIS Texas Service Center.
Processing time
22.1 months (FY 2026 national median through June 30, 2026)

Usually filed with

Part of these processes

What changed in 2025 and 2026

  • Processing has roughly tripled since FY 2024, from 7.3 months to 22.1 months. The two-year deadline runs from the grant date, not from the filing date, and a marriage or a child's twenty-first birthday after the grant does not qualify.

Official page. https://www.uscis.gov/i-730. Download the form there, never from a third-party site; check the edition date and fee before filing.