Immigrant Visa Application Process
If you are looking to visit the United States for a short time or looking to get completely settled in the US. Then you will require applying for visas. Visas are much like a stamp in the resident’s passport that allows you to travel and live in different countries. The same is the case with the resident who wishes to visit the United States. A US visa grants you to visit or live in the US. It depends on the type of visa you are applying for.
Having a US visa doesn’t mean that your entry is guaranteed into the US. The officers will decide your entry into the US at the U.S point of entry who can either grant you or detain you if they have a valid reason. Some of the reason includes security concerns or other suspicions.
Moreover, if you fulfilled all the requirements, submitted all the relevant documents to the embassy, and successfully passed the interview, you do not harm the US, visitors, and residents. Then you will be granted to enter the US if you have a visa.
What is an immigrant visa?
An immigrant visa is a type of US visa that allows the holder to live permanently in the United States. It allows the holder to live and work in the United States, and also they can get involved in the extracurricular activities of the United States. You won’t have to extend or renew this visa as it is a valid permanent visa. This permanent visa can only be revoked if you are involved in any illegal activity in the United States.
With an immigrant visa, you can also travel to abroad countries without getting your visa revoked or canceled. However, if you are traveling outside the country for more than a year, then you will need to have a re-entry permit to prevent your visa from getting canceled. For more information, you can refer to the re-entry guide USCIS.
However, if you are living in the United States with an immigrant visa and you are not involved in any of the violations, then you can also apply for US citizenship and if your application for citizenship gets approved. Then, you will legally become a US citizen. For immigration visas, you can also refer to the green card guide. In the green card guide, you will also get to know about the marriage green card documents and all your doubts will be cleared.
How to apply for an immigrant visa?
The second type of US visa, the immigrant visa, has its requirements set by the USCIS. To apply for the immigrant visa, you are required to follow the below-given application procedure:
File a petition
If you are willing to apply for the immigrant due to the employment or family reunion. In such a case, either your employer or your immediate family member in the U.S needs to submit the petition to the USCIS. After submitting, the deciding authority will review your petition. Before it gets approved, you are not allowed to take any other steps, as if your application gets denied, all your payments will not be counted, and all your efforts will get wasted.
After the approval of your petition, it will be redirected to the National Visa Center, which will allow you to follow the rest of the steps to get a visa interview.
After that, you will get a letter from the NVC that will contain the essential information that will guide you to the further steps of the application process.
The essential information contained will be NVC Case Number, Beneficiary ID Number, and Invoice ID Number.
In the next step, you will have to choose an agent that agent will act as your point of contact who will manage all the things related to your visa. While selecting the agent, you need to be sure that your agent is legal and requires knowledge related to the immigration process. You can also choose yourself as the agent, friend, attorney, immediate family member, or sponsoring employer.
Choose the agent
To select an agent, you will need to fill the application form DS-261, which will contain the agent’s name and its permanent address. After that, this form will be sent to the NVC. You will have to wait for at least 2 to 3 weeks till your form gets approved.
Pay the fees
The next step is to pay your immigration fees. When you are applying for an immigration visa, you are required to pay at least two fees.
- Fees for US immigration visa
- Affidavit of support fee
For the payment of fees, you can use a credit card or debit card. Ensure that you complete this step online as per the guidance given in the National Visa Center letter provided to you. For this step, you will require to have your NVC number and invoice ID number with you.
Submit US immigration application form
If you’ve decided to apply for the immigration visa, you must fill the Form DS-260, Application for Immigrant Visa, and Alien Registration. You should not file this application form until you get the interview invitation and the date is current. To fill this application form, you will need NVC Case Number, Beneficiary ID Number, and Invoice ID Number. After you have submitted this form, you will obtain a confirmation page and number.
You will require submitting some of the personal details are as follows:
- Phone number
- Occupation
- Education
- Family information: Parents, spouse/previous spouse, children
- Previous US Travel Information
- Full name in English characters
- Full name in Native Alphabet
- Date
- Place of Birth
- Nationality
- Home Address
Moreover, there are some of the questions that you will require to answer related to:
- Medical and Health information,
- Criminal Information
- Security Information
- Immigration law violation information, etc.
All your answers to the question should be in English. If you are unaware of the English language, then you should hire a certified translation agency USA. Also, while filling both the application form, you need to make sure that the application form is filled in English letters.
You must answer all the questions, but there are still some optional questions so that you can choose not to answer them. At the end of the application, you will see the sign application button. You have to make sure that you click on that button. If you forgot to click or did not click on the button, your US visa is refused.
After filling the form, submit it, and you will get a confirmation page. Kindly print that page and keep it with yourself, as you will have to take that page with you when you go for the interview. This confirmation page act as proof that you have submitted the application.
Supporting document for immigrant US visa
Apart from some basic supporting documents, based on the kind of visa you are applying for. Also, you might be required to submit some additional ones. Ensure that all your documents are submitted should be in the English language. Also, the document needs to be submitted to the NVC as per the details given in the letter.
Moreover, for translating your supporting documents in English you will require to hire USCIS translation service.
Attend the interview
As per your present date, the National Visa Center will arrange a visa interview for you and your immediate family member or the employer sponsoring you. The advance date is given to the applicants to prepare the documents required to bring at the time of the interview. At the interview center, the office service will ask the question from you related to your visa immigration and, depending on the interview, and your submitted document will decide whether you are eligible to receive the immigrant visa or not.
Documents to Be Carried For US Visa Interview
While applying for the immigrant visa, you will require to take the listed documents when you are going for the visa interview:
- Present and all the old passports,
- Police clearance certificate issued by the regional passport office.
- The medical examination report,
- Needed documents depending on the type of visa
- You will require carrying the DS-260 confirmation page stamped at the Visa Application Centre.
What if I need to take an emergency Visa interview appointment?
You can apply for the emergency US visa interview appointment. Only those applicants can get an emergency visa interview appointment with relevant medical and humanitarian emergencies. Some emergencies include attending a funeral, getting admission into foreign universities, and some urgent business trips.
To get an emergency visa interview appointment, the candidates require presenting the needed supporting documents. Moreover, the candidates can apply for the emergency appointment by duly filling the DS-160 application form and buying a valid fee receipt prior to the interview.
If you cannot prove that you urgently require an emergency visa interview appointment or if the immigration authorities found that you have given irrelevant reason for travel. It will not only deny your emergency US visa interview, but it will also affect your visa application, and in some cases, your visa will be also be denied.
Listed below are some of the eligiblity conditions in which you won’t be eligible for the emergency visa interview appointment to the USA:
- If you are willing to attend a marriage ceremony.
- For becoming a part of pleasure trips
- Helping pregnant relatives.
- Participating in annual business/educational conferences.
FAQs
What if I missed my Visa interview appointment for US Visa?
If you have missed your visa interview appointment due to any of the reasons, you will require rescheduling it.
How do I pay my US Visa application fees?
You can use the debit card or credit card to make the payment of your visa application fee, or you can choose to pay it via bank draft in favor of the US consulate general.
How to renew my US Visa?
You can renew your US visa online mode by providing essential information such as Email Id, phone number, and name. The processing time of the US visa may take up to a few weeks or maybe earlier. It depends on how promptly you receive an appointment from the US embassy.
What if I don’t have a police clearance certificate? Will I be allowed to attend my scheduled Visa immigrant Visa interview to the USA?
If you do not have a police clearance certificate, you won’t be granted to enter the US Embassy New Delhi or US embassy Mumbai. PCC is one of the essential documents to enter the United States.
Under what circumstances my immigrant Visa application may remain pending?
Your immigrant visa might be rejected under section 221(g), which applies if your application doesn’t have the needed information or you require to submit some additional documents.
How do I apply for a US Visa?
You can apply for the US visa online by submitting a filled application form and the needed supporting documents.
What is the meaning of FNU in US Visa?
FNU means First name unknown. If you do not have a surname or first name. Then your only single name will be printed on both the section of your visa page, and hence your first name will be printed as FNU.
What if my passport is about to expire in 2 months and I need to apply for a US Visa?
As mentioned early the validity of your passport should be six months when applying for the visa, so you need to apply for the new passport if your passport is about to expire within two months.
What is H4 Visa?
It is referred to as the type of visa for the H visa holder dependent. It is mainly granted to the children and spouses to enter the US, but they are not permitted to work.
What is an SB1 Visa? Who needs it?
It is a returning resident visa. It is mostly for the people who have gone for the long trip to the abroad countries for more than a year, or they have visited out the US beyond the validity of the reentry permit. Then to return to the US or become a permanent resident, they will require applying for the new immigrant visa.
What if I have a valid Visa to the US, but my passport is expiring soon?
In such a situation, you will require to apply for a new passport, and when to travel to the USA, you will have to carry both an old and new passport. Also, you might be required to apply for a new visa.
What do I do if my US Visa gets damaged?
If mistakenly your US visa gets damaged, then you will have to apply for the new visa again.