OPERATIONS INSTRUCTIONS - Gani

Service Law Books
OI 204 Petition to classify alien as immediate relative of a United States citizen
or as a preference immigrant.
OI 204.1
OI 204.2
OI 204.3
OI 204.4
OI 204.5
OI 204.6
OI 204.7
OI 204.8
OI 204.9
Processing
Petitions for relative (other than orphans)
Child defined in section 101(b)(1)(F)
Third and sixth preference petition
Approved petition
Inadmissibility
Possible loss of United States citizenship
Waiver of section 243(g) sanctions
Pub. L. 97-359 Amerasian
App.to OI204.4(d)
Credentials evaluating services
OI 204.1 Processing
(a) General.
When an approvable relative petition is personally presented abroad, it may be adjudicated regardless of
the place of residence of the petitioner. The officer shall forward Form I-130A to the appropriate Files Control
Office.
Immigration officers shall expedite I-130 relative visa petitions on behalf of detained aliens or refugees.
The officer shall write "Detained Aline" or "Refugee" in the remarks block of the I-130. (Revised)
Under no circumstances shall a Service employee suggest or indicate to a petitioner in the United States
that he depart from the United States and file his petition with a foreign office of the Service or at an
American consular post solely for the purpose of obtaining prompt action on his petition.
(b) Check of Service records.
A visa petition shall not be approved or revalidated until the name of the principal beneficiary, and the
names of any spouse and children who may derive preference status through their relationship to him, have
been checked against the Service Lookout Book. If such check or other information reveals the existence
of relating files, they shall be obtained and considered before making a determination upon the visa petition.
However, the Service Lookout Book does not need to be checked with respect to any beneficiary who is
under 14 years of age or whose relating "A" file has been reviewed; or with respect to beneficiaries of a
nonimmigrant visa petition whose names are unavailable at the time of adjudication. If it is necessary,
pursuant to this OI, to check the names of either the principal or derivative beneficiaries against the Service
Lookout Book, the names of all the beneficiaries who are 14 years of age or older shall be checked.
A check of Central Office records may also be made with respect to the petitioner or beneficiary, but only
when it is believed such a check would produce pertinent information.
When a Central Office record check is requested, Form G-180 shall be forwarded to the Central Office. To
facilitate attachment of the returned Form G-180 to the relating petition, there shall be noted in the "alias"
block on each form prepared "VP-beneficiary" or "VP-petitioner," as appropriate; on Form G-180 prepared for
a beneficiary without a file, insert under "Remarks" the word "Petitioner" and show his name. If it will be
helpful to the adjudicating office, the form number of the petition may also be inserted under "Remarks".
After the Service Lookout Book has been checked, a stamp bearing the legend "SLB-CHECKED" shall be