What is the I-130 for?
It is a first step. On its own it does not grant residence: it establishes the relationship so that, later, the relative can continue their process inside or outside the country.
One petition is filed per relative. When the relative is a spouse, the instructions also require the I-130A supplement with the spouse's details.
What happens afterwards, in what order, and how long each category waits depends on the case. That part is legal and Paso Libre does not answer it; it describes the form.
Who usually files it?
- According to the USCIS instructions: a U.S. citizen petitioning for a spouse, a child, a parent, or a sibling.
- According to the USCIS instructions: a permanent resident petitioning for a spouse or an unmarried child.
- According to the USCIS instructions: the petition is signed by the petitioner, not the relative. The relative is the beneficiary.
These are the situations the official instructions describe. Paso Libre does not decide whether any of them is yours.
How Paso Libre helps
We guide you step by step in Spanish. You review, sign, and mail. We ask about you, about your relative, and about the relationship between you, one question per screen, and transfer your answers into the boxes of the I-130 and, where it applies, the I-130A.