The sponsor can file the initial application as part of a consular processing – USCIS filing sequence if the following conditions are met:
- The sponsor lives in a country that has a USCIS international office;
- The applicant is an immediate relative of the sponsor;
- The sponsor has legal status in the jurisdiction of the country where the USCIS international office is located;
- The applicant can stay lawfully in the jurisdiction of the USCIS international office while his application is being processed.
These international offices generally have much faster processing times than U.S.-based operations. Here are the countries with USCIS offices: