You might have wondered what are the various immigrant visas to the US which you can use to go to the United States where you can live and work permanently, this article will show you all the routes and the easiest way for that your dream to come true.
What is an Immigrant Visa?
Immigrant visas to the US are types of visas that allow the holder the right to stay in the United States permanently where he can also work, study or participate in any activity that you like, And this visa doesn’t expire.
Upon getting any of the immigrant visas to the US, renewing or extending the visa is no longer needed, it stays valid forever except you are in any illegal activity in the United States then your visa will be revoked.
This visa isn’t constraining and doesn’t limit your movement to anywhere you want to.
What is the U.S Immigrant Visa Types?
there are various types of immigrant visas and they can be categorized based on the permanent Visa you get. There are two major types of the immigrant visa, they are :
- Immediate Relative and Family-Sponsored
- Employer-Sponsored
This type of immigrant visa implies that you want to join your close family who is already a permanent resident in the United States. They can be your spouse, parent etc. If your family reside permanently in the United States or you have a fiance who resides there then you are eligible for this type of immigrant Visas to the US.
IR-1, CR-1 Visa: US Spouse Visas
This is the first type of US marriage visa, and they are given when you are legally married to a citizen of the United States although living together doesn’t mean you are married, therefore you will have to prove that you are married with some documents.
The K1 visa
This type of visa is given when you are engaged to a US citizen who is to go to the US for 90 days. within these 90 days, the couple is expected to get married so that they can start filling out a petition for a spouse visa.
K-2 Visa: Children of K-1 Visa Holders
This type of visa is issued to unmarried children who are under the age of 21 of the K-1 visa holder.
K-3 Visa: Spouse of a Green Card Holder
This visa is made to create a short time the married couple are away from each other, while one of them is waiting for the petition that they made to be approved
As the petition is in the process the spouse can get the K-3 so that he or she can live in the United States
K-4 Visa: Children of K-3 Visa Holders
This type of visa is given to the K-3 visa holder children who are under the age of 21 years, who is a US citizen.
IR-3, IH-3, IR-4, IH-4: Intercountry Adoption of Orphan Children by U.S Citizens
This type is issued when a citizen of the United States who wishes to adopt a child from another country other than the United States, the children can get either one of these four Visa
IR-2, CR-2, IR-5, F-1, F-3, F-4: Certain Family Members of U.S Citizens
These types of visas are for family members of those who are US citizens or the people that they are going to marry.
Employment Sponsored Visa
This category of immigrant visas to the US is the type that allows holders to be able to work permanently in the US. the government of the US put a limit on the number of employment, which is based on the visa the issue out which is around 140,000 per fiscal year.
There are various types of Employment-based Visa and they are :
- Eb-1 Visa: First Priority Workers
- Eb-2 Visa: Second Priority Workers
- Eb-3, EW-3 Visas: Third Priority Workers
- Eb-4 visa: Fourth Priority Workers – Certain Special Immigrants
- EB5 visas: Fifth Priority Workers
US Immigrant Visa Application Process
Unlike the Nonimmigrant Visa, immigrant visas to the US are very different while doing your Visa application so as the requirements. Although they both begin at the US consulate or embassy, you have to follow these guides for you to apply door the immigrant visa type. The various process is:
File the petitions
Applying for a visa based on a family member or Employment, the family or Employer in the US has to submit a petition on your behalf at the USCIS.
After submission, it is then reviewed by the authority responsible for it and you have to wait to see if you are been approved or not. You cannot go through the rest steps if your petition hasn’t been approved.
Once your petition is granted, you will have to go to the National Visa Center NVC, where you are to follow the other steps to get your Visa interview.
After which you will get a letter from the NVC that entail information that will help you through your process. Some of this information is NVC case number, beneficiary ID number etc
Choose an agent
Getting an agent is very important as that agent will be a point of contact to any matter that concerns immigrant visas to the US. You should formally and legally get an agent for you to be able to process your immigration visa.
You can get an agent by choosing an attorney, family member, friend or you can get for yourself
Pay the US immigrant visa fees
Paying your Visa Fees is very important and there are at least two fees that you are expected to pay while applying:
- Immigrant Visa Application Processing Fee
- Affidavit of Support Fee
You are to pay these fees by credit card or check and you will be expected to complete this step online which is based on the guidelines found in your NVC letter.
You will need your NVC case number and invoice ID number for you to be able to proceed with the step
Submit US immigrant visa application form
while applying for any of the immigrant visas to the US, you are expected to fill the form DS-260, application for an immigrant visa and alien registration.
Your interview and if your date is current will determine if you should complete your application, and to fill for the DS-260 form you will need the NVC case number, beneficiary ID number and invoice ID number. And then, you will get a confirmation page and number when you have submitted it.
While submitting your application, you will have to give out your personal details such as:
- Full name in English characters
- Full name in Native Alphabet
- Date of Birth
- Place of Birth
- Nationality
- Home Address
- Phone number
- Occupation
- Education
- Family information (Parents, spouse/previous spouse, children)
- Previous US Travel Information
Also, there will be a need for them to ask some questions on security and your background such as:
- Medical and Health information,
- Criminal Information
- Security Information
- Immigration law violation information
- Miscellaneous, etc.
The questions must be in English, with English letters.
upon completion of your form, you are to submit it and then print the confirmation page. You are to take this page with you when you are going for your interview as proof that you have submitted the application.
Submit supporting documents for US immigrant visas
Otherside the required documents, you may be asked to submit additional documents. It is important for you to remember that all your documents must be in English and any of them that are not in English should be accompanied by an official and notarized translation. You are to submit this document to the NVC Based on the information that you received in the letter.
Attend your interview
According to your current date, the NVC will schedule an interview with you and any of your accompanying family members. This is mostly done one month in advance to give the applicant enough time to prepare the necessary documents and also for the interview.
While being interviewed you will be asked questions by an official and that will determine if you will be eligible.
What are the US Immigration Forms?
Whichever type of many immigrant visas to the US you are applying for there are different forms that you must fill out and submit during the process. Before the immigration process, there has to be someone that will fill out a petition on your behalf to the USCIS.
The petition that you will submit will be dependent on the type of visa and your purpose, but this also means that the petitioner will be asking the US government to approve the applicant for immigrant visas to the US.
The different forms have various fees that the petitioner should pay before they can be processed.
Some of these forms are :
- Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiance
- Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative
- Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker
- Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur
- Form I-800A, Determination on Suitability
- Form DS-260, Immigrant Visa Electronic Application
How to find U.S Immigration Services?
You are to pass through various institutions and services to complete your task while deciding to apply for immigrant visas to the US.
The services and institutions that you will pass through depending on the visa that you hold and can be as follows:
- US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
- National Visa Center (NVC)
- US Department of Labor (DOL)
- US Embassy in your home country
conclusion
The steps for applying for immigrant visas to the US has been made easy and simple for you to permanently stay in the United States.
