I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers
Use this form to petition for an alien worker to become a lawful permanent resident in the United States.
Form Details
Dates are listed in mm/dd/yy format.
If you complete and print this form to mail it, make sure that the form edition date and page numbers are visible at the bottom of all pages and that all pages are from the same form edition. If any of the form’s pages are missing or are from a different form edition, we may reject your form.
If you need help downloading and printing forms, read our instructions.
The filing address depends on whether you are filing Form I-140 by itself or with another form. Check the Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-140 for instructions on where to mail your form.
Form I-140 may be filed at any time. However, effective July 16, 2007, all labor certifications expire 180 days from the date of certification. We must receive any Form I-140 based on an approved labor certification before the 180-day validity period has elapsed. We will reject a petition that contains an expired labor certification. In instances where the ending date of the labor certification’s validity period expires on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, we will accept the petition if we receive it by the next business day. We will reject petitions with expired labor certifications filed after the next business day.
You can find further guidance on the Form I-140 instructions and on the Petition Filing and Processing Procedures for Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers webpage.
You can find the filing fee for Form I-140 by visiting our Fee Schedule page.
You can pay the fee with a money order, personal check, cashier’s check, or pay by credit card or debit card using Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions. If you pay by check, you must make your check payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
When you send a payment, you agree to pay for a government service. Filing fees are final and non-refundable, regardless of any action we take on your application, petition, or request, or if you withdraw your request. If you pay by credit card or debit card, you cannot later dispute the payment. Use our Fee Calculator to help determine your fee.
If you are submitting multiple forms, pay each filing fee separately. We are transitioning to electronically processing immigration benefit requests, which requires us to use multiple systems to process your package. We may reject your entire package if you submit a single, combined payment for multiple forms.
View the checklist of required initial evidence.
For more details on requirements of each classification, please see Volume 6, Parts E and F of the USCIS Policy Manual.
Filing Tips for Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers
Complete all sections of the form. We will reject the form if the following fields are missing:
- Part 1 – Information About the Person or Organization Filing This Petition
- Family Name OR Company or Organization Name;
- Mailing Address;
- IRS Employer Identification Number or Social Security number (does not apply to Part 2. Petition Type 1.a., alien of extraordinary ability or 1.h., national interest waiver);
- Question 5 must have a selection of either Yes or No regarding your organization’s non-profit/government research status;
- Self-petitioners should select No when answering question 5.
- Question 6 must have a selection of either Yes or No regarding your organization’s number of full-time employees;
- Self-petitioners should select Yes when answering question 6.
Note: Responses to questions 5 and 6 are used to determine whether the petitioner qualifies to file with a reduced Asylum Program Fee. If you provide the full $600 Asylum Program Fee with your petition, and do not indicate that you qualify for a reduced Asylum Program Fee, we will accept the full payment provided.
- Part 2 – Petition Type
- Part 3 – Information About the Person for Whom You Are Filing
- Date of Birth
- Part 8 – Contact Information, Certification, and Signature of the Petitioner or Authorized Signatory
- Petitioner’s or Authorized Signatory’s Signature
When filing a Form I-140 and Form I-485 together, do not combine your supporting documents. We recommend assembling each form package in the following order:
- Form I-140
- Check or money order or Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions;
- Form G-1145, Request for e-Notification (if applicable);
- Form G-28 (if applicable);
- Form I-140; and
- Supporting documentation.
- Form I-485
- Check or money order or Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions;
- Form G-1145, Request for e-Notification (if applicable);
- Form G-28 (if applicable);
- Form I-485; and
- Supporting documentation.
Filing Tips: Review our Tips for Filing Forms by Mail page for information on how to accurately complete, assemble and mail your form(s). Also note our special filing tips for EB-2 with National Interest Waiver.
Don’t forget to sign your form. We will reject any unsigned form and will reject or deny any improperly signed form. Forms must include a valid signature as provided in the form instructions. USCIS will not accept:
- A typed name on the signature line;
- A signature by an attorney, representative, or family member signing for the requestor;
- A signature created by a typewriter, word processor, stamp (manual or electronic), autopen, or similar device;
- An electronic signature rendered external to the USCIS online account, signatures created using commercial signature software, and signatures that do not comply with signature guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual and the DHS Electronic Signature Guidance; or
- An image of a handwritten signature that is subsequently and separately affixed to the benefit request by either physical or electronic methods. For example, cutting and pasting a picture of a signature onto an unsigned benefit request.*
If you are submitting a copy of an original benefit request containing an original handwritten signature, USCIS retains the right to request the original, signed petition.
*A signature is generally valid if the original handwritten signature on the benefit request is later photocopied, scanned, faxed, or similarly reproduced. The copy must be of the original benefit request containing the original handwritten signature.
E-Notification: If you want to receive an email and/or a text that we have accepted your form at a USCIS lockbox, complete Form G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance, and clip it to the first page of your form.