Form I-130A, Explained
WHAT IS THE SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FORM, AND WHO NEEDS TO COMPLETE IT?
What Is the I-130A Form?
USCIS Form I-130A, officially titled “Supplemental Information for Spouse Beneficiary,” is a required document for marriage-based Green Card applications. It provides U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) with additional background information about the spouse seeking a Green Card. The form focuses on the spouse’s residential and employment history over the past five years, as well as details about their parents.
Download Form I-130A (PDF) directly from USCIS, or fill it out the easy way through Idocs. Get started today!
Why Is Form I-130A Important?
Form I-130A supplements the family sponsorship form, known as Form I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative). It must be filed together with Form I-130 when applying for a marriage-based Green Card. This form is essential for providing USCIS with the necessary details to assess the authenticity of the marriage and the eligibility of the spouse for immigration benefits.
Cost of Filing the I-130A
There is no filing fee for Form I-130A. It serves as a supplementary document to the family sponsorship form, which already has an associated fee.
Processing Time
The processing time for Form I-130A aligns with that of the family sponsorship form, as they are filed together. There is no separate processing timeline for the I-130A. You can refer to the overall processing time for marriage-based Green Cards for more details.
I-130A Eligibility
Who Needs to Complete the I-130A?
The spouse seeking a marriage-based Green Card must complete and include Form I-130A with their family sponsorship form. If the spouse lives in the United States, they must sign the form. If they live abroad, they still need to complete and file the form, but the sponsoring spouse (a U.S. citizen or Green Card holder) will submit it to USCIS.
Who doesn’t need to complete the I-130A?
Form I-130A is specific to marriage-based Green Card applications. It is not required for those filing a family sponsorship form for other relatives, such as children or parents.
How to Apply for Form I-130A?
Form I-130A should be filed together with the family sponsorship form (Form I-130) in a single application package. The filing address depends on whether you’re submitting a standalone I-130 or concurrently filing it with a Green Card application (Form I-485). USCIS provides a chart to help you determine the correct address based on your situation.
I-130A FAQ
The supporting documents required for the I-130A are the same as those required for the family sponsorship form. You do not need to provide duplicates of those documents because they are part of the same application package.
According to the official I-130A instructions, you must provide a complete address and employment history for the past five years — without any gaps. That can be challenging for people who haven’t kept perfect records of their previous addresses and jobs (most people don’t), especially when they cover a period of five years. You’re lucky if you’ve lived and worked in the same place that whole time.
Fortunately, there are ways to track down these records. Itseasydocs has detailed guides on completing both your residential history and your employment history, with helpful tips for finding this information from various sources and dealing with incomplete records.
The I-130A isn’t a lengthy form (only six pages). It is, however, a necessary part of any marriage-based green card application, so it’s important to make sure that all the information you enter in the I-130A is accurate.