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United StatesFamilyLast checked October 30, 2026

Refugee/asylee relative petition

follow-to-join, Form I-730 · Official name: Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition

A person admitted to the US as a refugee, or granted asylum, as the principal applicant can petition for their spouse and unmarried children under 21 to join them, or to receive the same status if already in the US. The petition must be filed within 2 years of the refugee's admission or the asylum grant, and the family relationship must have existed before then. USCIS lists no filing fee. Relatives abroad who follow a refugee are processed as refugees, and that travel is affected by the refugee entry suspension under Executive Order 14163.

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3 entry rules for United States based on recent travel

These apply to people who were recently in certain countries. Sign in and add your trips to see whether any apply to you.

Entry restrictions apply to 40 passports for United States

The government has suspended some or all visas for holders of these passports. Exceptions exist; see the source.

  • Afghanistan
  • Angola
  • Antigua & Barbuda
  • Benin
  • Burkina Faso
  • Burundi
  • Chad
  • Côte d’Ivoire
  • Cuba
  • Dominica
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Eritrea
  • Gabon
  • Gambia
  • Haiti
  • Iran
  • Laos
  • Libya
  • Malawi
  • Mali
  • Mauritania
  • Myanmar (Burma)
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Palestinian Territories
  • Republic of the Congo
  • Senegal
  • Sierra Leone
  • Somalia
  • South Sudan
  • Sudan
  • Syria
  • Tanzania
  • Togo
  • Tonga
  • Turkmenistan
  • Venezuela
  • Yemen
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe

Source: Proclamation 10949 - Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals To Protect the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats (Federal Register, 10 Jun 2025)Source: Proclamation 10998 - Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals To Protect the Security of the United States (Federal Register, 19 Dec 2025)Source: Proclamation 10998 full text (GovInfo)Source: U.S. Department of State - Suspension of Visa Issuance to Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United StatesSource: Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for FY2027 (Federal Register, 2 Oct 2026) - cites Proclamation 10998 as in force

Life in United States

Finance

3

Currency

US Dollar

USD

US Dollar

Cost of living

100

Price level · US = 100

World Bank price levels, 2025

Tax

10–37%

Income tax (national)

social security 7.65%

Federal rates; most states and some cities add their own income tax. 37% starts above USD 626,350 (single, 2025).

Official rates, 2026 · headline only

Living

1

Happiness

6.8

#22 of 145 countries

World Happiness Report 2025

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Who it’s for

Spouses and unmarried children under 21 of principal refugees and asylees in the United States.

Eligibility

  • Petitioner: principal refugee or asyleePetitioner

    You must have been admitted as a principal refugee or granted asylum, still hold that status or be a permanent resident, and file within 2 years.

    • Filing deadline: within 2 years of refugee admission or asylum grant
    • USCIS may extend the 2-year deadline for humanitarian reasons
    • Derivative refugees or asylees cannot petition
    • Naturalised US citizens cannot file
    Official wording

    The petitioner must have been admitted as a refugee or granted asylum as the principal applicant (not as a derivative relative), must still have refugee or asylee status or be a permanent resident, and must file within 2 years of admission as a refugee or the asylum grant. Naturalised US citizens cannot file. USCIS may extend the 2-year deadline for humanitarian reasons.

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  • Who can be petitioned forRelative

    You can petition for a spouse or an unmarried child who meets the timing rules below.

    • Spouse: marriage must have existed before your refugee admission or asylum grant
    • Child: unmarried and under 21 when you first applied for refugee or asylum status
    • Child: conceived or born before your admission or asylum grant
    Official wording

    A spouse, if the marriage existed before the petitioner was admitted as a refugee or granted asylum; and an unmarried child who was under 21 when the petitioner first applied for refugee or asylum status, and who was conceived or born before the petitioner's admission or asylum grant.

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  • Separate petition for each relativePetitioner

    File one Form I-730 for each eligible family member.

    • One petition per relative
    Official wording

    One Form I-730 is filed for each eligible family member.

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SourceI-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petitionuscis.govChecked Oct 30, 2026

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