What is Form I-130 of the National Visa Center?

Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, determines the relationship between a United States citizen or legal permanent resident and an alien relative who wants to live in the United States legally, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Each alien relative requires a separate form.

Form I-130 is not a visa, but it needs to be approved before the alien relative becomes eligible to receive a visa number, as USCIS explains. The petitioner needs to submit a Form I-485 with the Form I-30 to a lockbox facility in Chicago, Illinois or Phoenix, Arizona. As of June 2015, the form costs $420 to file.