Family member immigrant visa applications.
Relatives of intending immigrants who plan to base their immigrant
visa applications on family relationship must obtain a Form I-130,
Immigrant Petition for Relative, from the Bureau of Citizenship and
Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security (BCIS).
The petitioning U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident must submit
the Form I-130 to the BCIS office. Once BCIS approves the petition,
they will send the petitioner a notice of approval, Form I-797. BCIS
will also forward the approved petition to the Immigrant Visa Processing
Center, which will contact the intending immigrant with further information.
Immigrant visa ineligibility.
The immigration laws of the United States, in order to protect the
health, welfare, and security of the United States, prohibit the issuance
of a visa to certain applicants. Examples of applicants who must be
refused visas are those who: have a communicable disease such as tuberculosis,
have a dangerous physical or mental disorder, or are drug addicts;
have committed serious criminal acts; are terrorists, subversives,
members of a totalitarian party, or former Nazi war criminals; have
used illegal means to enter the United States; or are ineligible for
citizenship.
Documents for a visa application.
The petitioner/sponsor must provide an Affidavit of Support, Form
I-864. All Applicants must submit certain personal documents such
as passports, birth certificates, police certificates, and other civil
documents. The consular officer will inform
visa applicants of the documents needed as their applications
are processed.
Medical Examinations.
Before the issuance of an immigrant visa, every applicant, regardless
of age, must undergo a medical
examination. The examination will be conducted by a doctor designated
by the consular officer. Costs for such examinations must be borne
by the applicant, in addition to the visa fees.
Visa Fees.
The cost of each immigrant visa application processing fee (per person)
is (US) $335. Fees must be paid for each intending immigrant regardless
of age, and are not refundable. Local currency equivalents are acceptable.
Fees should not be sent to the consular office unless requested specifically.
The INS charges additional fees for filing petitions.
Immigrant visas will be issued in the chronological order in which
the petitions were filed.
Whenever there are more qualified applicants for a category than
there are available numbers, the category will be considered oversubscribed,
and immigrant visas will be issued in the chronological order in which
the petitions were filed until the numerical limit for the category
is reached. The filing date of a petition becomes the applicant's
priority date. Immigrant visas cannot be issued until an applicant's
priority date is reached. In certain heavily oversubscribed categories,
there may be a waiting period of several years before a priority date
is reached.
Immigration of family members to the United States is based on a relationship
to a US citizen or legal permanent resident.
