On December 10, USCIS rescinded a November 2020 policy requiring interviews of all petitioners filing Form I-730. Instead, USCIS will return to its prior long-standing practice of making case-by-case determinations on whether to interview Form I-730 petitioners. As a reminder, the Immigrant Visa Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo is interviewing ALL immigrant visa classes, for all relationships, including F2A and F2B. The embassy does NOT require petitioners to attend the interview, not for any immigrant visa class. The applicant may consider bringing photos or proof of correspondence. These documents should show how the relationship has evolved over time, to help support the case. The embassy looks forward to providing the highest levels of customer service to immigrant visa applicants. This includes making sure that petitioners do not spend the time or money unnecessarily to attend the interview in person.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has rescinded a controversial 2020 policy that required in-person interviews for all petitioners filing Form I-730, the Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition. This change is a significant win for humanitarian efficiency and family reunification.
Restoring Case-by-Case Discretion
The Form I-730 allows principal refugees and asylees in the U.S. to petition for their spouse and unmarried children (the beneficiaries) to join them. Historically, USCIS interviewed only the beneficiary abroad. However, it reserved the right to interview the petitioner (the refugee/asylee in the U.S.) if there were questions about the relationship or other eligibility factors.
- Created Massive Burdens: It imposed significant, unnecessary logistical and travel burdens on refugees and asylees who had already undergone extensive vetting for their principal status.
- Increased Processing Times: Requiring these interviews consumed valuable USCIS resources. It dramatically slowed the overall adjudication of I-730 petitions, delaying family reunification.
The Impact on Family Reunification
This return to discretion is consistent with Executive Orders. By removing the blanket mandate, USCIS officers can prioritize final decisions. Thus, they can focus their limited interview resources only on cases with genuine, identified discrepancies or concerns. USCIS maintains its authority to interview any petitioner or beneficiary necessary to ensure program integrity and robust security checks.