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FAMILY-BASED IMMIGRANT VISAS
Family based immigrants are defined as:
brothers, sisters, and adult or married sons and daughters of US
citizens, or the spouse of a
Numerical Limitations Whenever there are more qualified
applicants for a category than there are available places, the
category is considered oversubscribed. Immigrant visas are 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. Check the
Visa Bulletin for the latest priority
dates. (You can also
sign up to receive the monthly updates of the Visa Bulletin by email
by following the Visa Bulletin link).
Family First Preference (F1) -
Unmarried sons and daughters
of
Family Second Preference (F2) -
Spouses, minor unmarried
children and unmarried sons and daughters (age 21 or older) of
lawful permanent residents.
Family Third Preference (F3) - Married sons and daughters of
Family Fourth Preference (F4) -
Brothers and sisters of
STEP
The
Important Notice:
STEP TWO: Gather required
documents and prepare for the Immigrant Visa
Interview
Once you have received the
"Instruction Package for Immigrant Visa Applicants", the intending
immigrant (your immediate relative) must follow the instructions
regarding the visa fees and documentation.
When the
STEP THREE: The Immigrant
Visa Interview
Once the Immigrant Unit in
Your relative will need to have a medical
exam. The fee for the medical exam is in addition to fees paid
directly to the
Applicants wishing to do document
screening with the IV section can come to the Consular section
(window 4) every Monday to Friday from 07.30 – 11.30. No appointment is necessary.
For each document, the applicant must bring in the original
document and a photocopy.
The original document will be returned to
you.
Appointments are necessary for immigrant
visa interviews, but the petitioner is not required to attend.
Visa interviews are a discussion between
the consular officer and the applicant. The
All visa applicants between age 14 and 80
will have two fingerprints scanned at the time of the
interview.
Each applicant, regardless of age, must
appear in person for his/her interview. At that time, all the
documents will be evaluated and a decision made. There can be no guarantee
regarding the outcome of the interview, and applicants are advised
not to make travel arrangements until after the visa has been
approved.
You should plan to be at the Embassy
throughout the entire morning.
Applicants may be found ineligible in accordance with immigrant visa
law. For example, if you have a communicable disease, have committed
criminal acts, or you are likely to become dependent upon public
assistance you will be found ineligible. The two years foreign
residency requirement for former exchange (J) visitors is also applicable. If
you are found ineligible, the consular officer will advise you if
the law provides for a waiver.
The fee for the application and
issuance of the immigrant visa is USD 355 plus a USD 45 immigrant
fee surcharge (total = USD 400). This fee is in addition to
the USD 355 paid to file the I-130 to start the process. Fees are subject to change at
any time.
STEP FOUR: After the Visa is
Approved and Issued
Once you have received your immigrant
visa, you must enter the United States within 6 months of visa
issuance to obtain an alien registration receipt or "green" card
(Form I-151 or I-551) that will allow you to live and work in the
United States.
At the port of entry DHS
officials will take the immigrant visa and assign you
an "alien number."
They will stamp your passport with
this number and make a notation that you are registered for an alien
registration card.
It normally takes between 2 weeks and
3 months for DHS to process and send the alien registration card to
you.
In the interim, the passport stamp
permits employment and travel until the card arrives. - You may
depart and return to the U.S. before you receive the alien
registration receipt card, as long as the DHS stamp in you passport
has not expired.
Should you wish to leave the U.S. and
your stamp has expired and you have not yet received your alien
card, you
should contact DHS in the U.S. before departure to ensure permission
to return to the U.S.
If, in the future, you plan to live
outside the U.S. for more than 12 months, you must apply for a
re-entry permit in the U.S. BEFORE departure. The maximum
validity of this document is two years. If the relocation is
permanent, you should formally abandon your permanent resident
status.
Without a re-entry permit, any
absence from the U.S. of 12 months or longer, or any residence
established outside the U.S., is considered grounds for loss of
permanent resident status.
Social Security Cards: When completing the DS-230, Part
II, you can ask the Social Security Administration to assign you a
Social Security Number (SSN).
Your
IMPORTANT NOTICE: If at the time of admission to the United States, you will have not celebrated the second anniversary of your marriage, which is the basis of your immigrant status, you are subject to the provisions of section 216 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Under these provisions, you will be granted conditional permanent residence by an officer of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at the time of your admission to the United States. You and your spouse will be required to file a joint petition (Form I-751) with the DHS to have the conditional basis of your status removed. This petition must be filed within the ninety-day period immediately preceding the second anniversary of the date you were granted conditional permanent resident status. If a petition to remove the conditional basis of your status is not filed within this period, your conditional permanent status will be terminated automatically and you will be subject to deportation from the United States. You will be provided with written information about this status when your visa is approved and issued, which you should retain and use as a reference.
Still confused? Please check out our most frequently
asked questions page. Or, for more information, please contact one of
our visa assistants by phone at + 62 (21) 3435-9000, by e-mail at
jakiv@state.gov or by fax at + 62 (21)
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