Immigrant Visas

How to Immigrate to the U.S. - The Petition

Most immigration to the United States is based upon petitions filed by an American citizen family or an American employer.  The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has sole authority over the acceptance and approval of immigrant petitions.  USCIS allows Consular Sections worldwide to accept petitions for a limited number of immigrant visa classifications.

The U.S. Embassy in Doha, Qatar, accepts petitions for immediate relative immigrant classification from American citizens who are resident in Qatar for the preceding six months or longer, including members of the armed forces, as well as true emergency cases, such as life and death or health and safety, and others determined to be in the national interest.  Examples of family emergency include minor children who would be unexpectedly left without a caretaker.  Family reunification or new marriages alone are not emergencies.  Examples of national interest include facilitating the travel of United States military and other USG direct hire employees assigned overseas who are pending transfer on orders and need to petition for immigrant classification of their spouse and minor children at posts overseas.

To demonstrate residency in Qatar, American Citizen petitioners must be able to show that they have held a valid Qatar residence permit and have resided in Qatar continuously for at least six months before filing the petition.  Individuals who are in the country on a temporary status, such as a temporary work contract or tourist, would not be considered to meet the residency standard.

All lawful permanent residents, and American Citizens resident in the United States or with a permanent address in the United States, will file I-130 petitions at the USCIS Service Center having jurisdiction over their place of residence. As there is no USCIS representation in Qatar, for more information on how to file with the USCIS, please contact your local USCIS office in the U.S. or visit http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-130.pdf.  Any petition (I-130) which is not completely and properly filled out or which is not accompanied by the necessary documents will be returned without action.

American citizens with further questions on this change who are resident in Qatar should contact the Consular Section at the U.S. Embassy in Doha via telephone at [974] 488-4101, ext. 6118, or via email at IVConsularDoha@state.gov.

If your petition is approved by USCIS, all correspondence related to your petition will be sent to the address listed for the beneficiary on the I-130 petition, unless another address is specified in writing. Please ensure that the address you provide is clear and complete. The petitioner is responsible for the accuracy of all information provided.

The decision to hire an attorney or consultant is entirely up to the applicant.  Most petitions can be completed without legal assistance.  However, if applicants prefer to use outside assistance, that is their choice. There are many legitimate immigration consultants and attorneys assisting applicants for reasonable fees.

If you have further questions, you may contact the Immigrant Visa Unit by telephone at 488-4101 ext.6500, Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.