Immigrant Visas

How to Apply - Residents of the United States

Visa Petitions for Residents of the United States

American citizens and Legal Permanent Residents of the United States wishing to apply for their relatives who reside abroad must file a petition with the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Additionally, an employer may file a petition on behalf of a prospective employee that resides abroad. The steps in the Immigrant Visa process generally are as follows:

1. A relative or organization in the U.S. files a petition (I-130, I-140, or I-600) with the BCIS office closest to them. A relative may file a petition with the Consular Section in Lomé only if they have been resident in Togo for at least 6 months.

 

2. When BCIS approves the petition, they send it to the National Visa Center (NVC). If visas are currently available for your type of petition, NVC will immediately contact you to start gathering your documents. If your petition is NOT current, NVC will contact you when it becomes current, which could be several years later.
3. When NVC determines that you are documentarily qualified, they forward your entire file to the Consular Section and send you a letter notifying you of your appointment date and time.

A consular officer interviews you on the day of your appointment and that officer determines your eligibility for the visa. You will either be issued the visa or given an explanation of why you are ineligible for the visa. Usually, overcoming an ineligibility simply involves bringing in more documents. However, some more serious ineligibilities require a waiver from BCIS, which takes additional time and documentation.