Immigrant Visas

How to Apply for an Immigrant Visa

In general, in order to be eligible to apply for an immigrant visa, a foreign citizen must first be sponsored by a U.S. citizen relative or by a prospective employer. This process, often called "petitioning," is the first step in the application process, and is done in the United States. (Limited exceptions are "immediate relative" petitions which may be accepted abroad under some circumstances. See below.) If the petition is approved and is current, the petition allows a prospective immigrant to begin the visa application process. Generally, approved petitions are forwarded to a U.S. consulate in the country in which the applicant is residing. In such cases the applicant will be notified by mail and provided with instructions on the application process.

(Please note, most immigrant visas are numerically limited, meaning that only a certain number of immigrants in most visa categories may immigrate to the U.S. in a given year. Therefore, although someone may have an approved petition they may -- depending on the visa category, --not be eligible to begin visa processing for many years. However, unlike most other immigrant categories, "Immediate Relatives" are not subject to numerical limits under immigration law. You can check the current "priority date" for various immigrant visa categories here.

The major immigrant categories are:

• Immediate Relatives
• Special Immigrants
• Family-sponsored
• Employment-sponsored

The Diversity Visa Program provides a certain number of permanent resident visas annually.  These visas are drawn from countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S.  For more information click on the Diversity Visa Program and the 2008 Diversity Visa Lottery.

Finally, special immigrant processing (such as following-to-join, refugee/asylee cases) may also be processed by the consulate. In such cases, processing will commence upon formal notification from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). Processing for certain cases may also require receipt of relevant documents from USCIS as well. All applicants for such cases will be notified by the consular section that their cases are ready for processing. Like all cases handled by the IV section, you will receive appropriate written instructions for processing your case.

The State Department website is also a good place to start for additional information on immigrant visa information.  For information on immigrant visas and the subjects below, please click on the links below to go directly to the relevant webpage for:

• Family Immigration
• Adopting a Child
• Marriage to a Foreign National
• Employment Visas

THE APPLICATION PROCESS

NOTE: Those individuals who have been notified of appointments, or who have their case number (beginning with the letters SPG and followed by 10 numbers) may check the consular section's current monthly appointment schedule. It is available at this link: Schedule for Immigration Visa Interviews.

Initial visa interviews are done in two parts: a document intake is done in the morning of the visa interview date with the visa interview done in the afternoon with a consular officer. (Please note, attorneys are not permitted to be present during visa interviews.) The immigrant visa processing fee is USD 335 per person plus – from March 8, 2005 – a surcharge of USD 45. These fees are payable only in cash; either U.S. or Singapore dollars may be used to pay these fees.

If a visa cannot be approved that day due to documentation problems, applicants will be informed of what documents he or she needs to bring. The application will then be temporarily refused under INA Section 221(g). Applicants may return to the IV unit on any morning the Embassy is open between 9:00-11:00 a.m. when they have acquired all relevant documents.

If a visa is approved, it will generally be ready for pickup within 3-5 working days. Applicants' passports must be left with the Embassy during this processing time, so please make plans accordingly.