DHS/U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
Petition for Widows/Widowers of U.S. Citizens (Form I-360)
Who may submit Form I-360 at the USCIS Moscow Field Office?
A widow or widower of a U.S. citizen residing within the jurisdiction of the USCIS Moscow Field Office may file Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, in order to be classified as an immediate relative. To receive this benefit, a petitioner must meet all of the following requirements:
- The petitioner and deceased U.S. citizen must have been married for at least two years
- The deceased must have been a U.S. citizen at the time of death
- The petitioner must file Form I-360 within two years of the U.S. citizen’s death
- The petitioner and the U.S. citizen must not have been legally separated at the time of death
- The petitioner must not have remarried
What is the filing fee for an I-360 petition?The fee is $375.00 for Form I-360. Information on fees is available at http://www.uscis.gov. Please note that the USCIS Moscow Field Office does not accept payments of fees. The fee for this petition must be fully paid by credit card or in cash (U.S. Dollars or Russian Rubles) to the consular cashier at the time of filing. The consular fee receipt must then be submitted to the USCIS Moscow Field Office along with the Form I-360 and supporting documents.
How to file: When filing Form I-360, please submit only legible photocopies of original documents. Original documents are not initially required, but may be requested later in the process. Any documents not written in English must be accompanied by a certified English translation. The petitioner must submit:
- Form I-360
- The marriage certificate of the petitioner and the U.S. citizen
- Divorce certificates, divorce decrees, or death certificates to establish termination of any previous marriage(s) of the petitioner or U.S. citizen, if any
- Evidence of U.S citizenship of the deceased (i.e. birth certificate if born in the United States; naturalization certificate or certificate of citizenship; Form FS-240, Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States; U.S. passport, which was valid at the time of death)
- The death certificate of the U.S. citizen
- Receipt of fee payment
Please bring the completed form, required documents, and the consular fee receipt to the USCIS window (#20) located within the U.S. Embassy at Novinskiy Bulvar 19/23. We are available to accept petitions on any working day between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
What happens after the petitioner files the Form I-360?
The USCIS Moscow Field Office may require the petitioner to appear in person for an interview to obtain additional information.
The USCIS Moscow Field Office may send the petitioner a written request for further evidence in support of the petition, to be sent by a specified date.
If the USCIS Moscow Field Office approves the Form I-360, the petitioner will receive a Notice of Approval. The U.S. State Department consular immigrant visa unit in Moscow will subsequently contact the petitioner in order to process an immigrant visa for the petitioner.
If the documents on the record do not establish the petitioner’s eligibility, the USCIS Moscow Field Office may send the petitioner a Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID) stating reasons why the USCIS Moscow Field Office intends to deny the petition. The NOID will include a deadline by which the petitioner must submit to the USCIS Moscow Field Office any statements or documents rebutting the reasons for the intended denial. Whether or not the petitioner chooses to respond, the USCIS Moscow Field Office must render a decision based on the record after the rebuttal period has passed.
