The United States of America is one of the dream destinations of immigrants. More than a million people travel to this country per year. These people want to start a new life in a country of endless opportunities. But, to achieve this dream, they must follow some steps and fit the visa requirements. What are immigrant visas? If you want to find an answer to these and more, then you are in the right place. In this blog, you will learn types of US immigrant visas and get priceless information about each of them.
The Visa Policy
If you are not a holder of a visa waiver passport, then you should apply for a visa to visit the USA. There are various visa types for foreigners who want to travel to the USA. Each visa type has its requirements and norms that candidates need to answer. If you want to learn more detailed information about the USA visa types, go to the 'Services' section on our website.
- Temporary Worker Visas
- Business Visa
- Immigrant Visas
- Immigrant Visa for a Spouse of a US Citizen (IR1 or CR1)
- Visa for a Fiance (K-1)
- Employment-Based Immigrant Visas
- Green Card
- Electronic System for Travel Authorization
- Non-Immigrant Visas
- Tourism & Visitor Visa (B-2)
- Transit Visa (C)
- Student Visa (F-1 or M-1)
- Exchange Visitor Visa (J-1)
- Media, Journalist Visa (I)
- Crewmember Visa (D)
Types of US immigrant visas
What are immigrant visas? Immigrant visas let people from various parts of the world travel and live in the United States. Depending on the purpose of the visit, profession, and other factors, the immigrant visa has several visa categories and subcategories. Generally, we can divide them into two groups: Relative/Family-Sponsored and immigrant work visas US. The list of immigrant visas:
- Relative/Family-Sponsored: Spouse Visa ( IR1, CR1), Fiance Visa ( K-1), Family members of US citizen ( IR2, CR2, IR5, F1, F3, F4), Family members of legal permanent citizens ( F2A, F2B).
- Immigrant work visas US: Priority workers (E1), People with advanced degrees and exceptional capability (E2), Professionals/other employees (E3, EW3), Investors (C5, T5, R5, I5), Special immigrant (S).
Spouse Visa
Spouses of US residents can apply for a USA visa to live in the country. They will need to provide some details and documents to prove their marriage. It is only for people who have a legal marriage. If you just live together with someone, you can not apply. Also, if the person has more than one spouse, only one of them will get the right to immigration. If you fit these terms, you can follow other steps. During the application, you will need to provide documents, pay the fee and attend an interview (if your age is between 14 – 79).
- DS-260 Form
- The confirmation page of the appointment
- Valid passport or another travel document (should be valid 180 days beyond the planned stay duration and has a minimum of 2-3 free pages)
- Affidavit of support by a US citizen (sponsor)
- Photo (colorful, 5x5, and taken within the last 180 days)
- Prove of applicant's status in his (her) country
- Medical test result
- Marriage certificate
- The documents of marriage termination
- Birth certificate
- Police records
- Army records
- Evidence of financial means (you should prove that you have enough money to cover your expenses)
- Photocopies of hotel and flight ticket reservations
Followingly, while arranging an interview online, you will need to pay the visa application fee. How much is the immigrant visas fee payment? It is 350 USD for all nationalities.
Fiance Visa
Fiance Visa is a type of visa that allows a foreign fiance to travel to the USA and marry a US resident. Marriage should be within 90 days of arrival. They can apply for a permanent residency after marriage and obtaining a Fiance visa. Firstly, you will fill the Form I-129F, which you can get from the USCIS office. Filling the form may seem complicated to you. That is why read the instructions and sample on the official website. You will continue your application on the official website. There you will need to fill another form: DS-160. At the end of the procedure, you should print the DS-160. Moreover, you will pay the charge and arrange a date for the interview online. Immigrant visas fee payment 160 USD for all nationalities. You will present the following documents:
- Confirmation page of the appointment
- Valid passport or another travel document
- Photo
- Evidence of applicant's status in his country
- Birth certificate
- Police Certificate (Applicant must get it from the country of residence and all other locations where he (she) have lived for more than 180 days after the age of 16)
- The result of the medical test
- Proof of relationship with the US resident
- Divorce or death certificate (If the applicants were married before)
- Proof of financial means
- Photocopies of flight ticket and hotel booking
Employment-Based Visa
Every year between 1 October and 30 September, people from all over the world get a chance to apply for Employment-Based Visas. These visas allow foreigners to work in the USA. The total number of applications is almost 140000 per year. Also, there are several subcategories of Employment-Based Visas depending on the profession, age, skills, and so on.
- Priority workers and applicants who have unique capabilities: Famous scholars, academics, athletes, people who worked as an administrator in branches of international companies can apply for this visa. These people must have strong background and achievements to apply for work in the USA.
- People who have a minimum bachelor's degree, five years of experience in the applied area, talented in art, science, and so on are eligible for second preference. Candidates will need a labor certificate from the Department of Labor and obtain Form I-140.
- Unskilled, skilled, and professional foreign citizens can apply for a USA visa type 3. There are three types of subcategories, and they have some special terms for each of them. For example, professional workers must hold at least a bachelor's degree. It can be the diploma of the university/college in the USA and its international coequal.
- Forth preference has plenty of subcategories. Some of the people that are included in this group are religious workers, graduates holding a medical diploma, certain retired NATO-6 civilians, and so on.
- The last subcategory in the list of immigrant visas is for foreign investors who can bring benefits to the economy and create new work chances.
Such as in other visa categories, you will need to provide some documents, pay the visa charge, and attend an interview. How much does it cost? The payment is 445 USD for all nationalities, and you will pay the fee online such as other mentioned categories.
Interview
A visa interview is the last and one of the most crucial steps of the visa application procedure. As we mentioned above, you will choose the date of the interview while paying the visa fee. You should be there on time. So, try to be in there at least an hour before.
During the interview, you will need to answer several questions. These questions will be about your plans, your personal life, the purpose of the visit, and so on. The most important thing about the interview is relaxing and answering all the questions properly. Do not try to hide something because it may cause a visa rejection. How many hours will the interview last? Generally, we can say that you will be there for 2-3 hours. It lasts for a couple of hours because, besides answering questions, you will need to do some documentation.
Finally, do not forget to take the Appointment Confirmation letter with you.
Immigrant visas status
The visa processing time may last for several weeks. During that time, you can want to check your immigrant visas status. You can do it through the official website. There you will choose the type of visa that you want to check and your visa case number.
Visa rejection
It is no secret that not all applications end successfully. Some visa applications can be declined, and there can be various reasons. The most common cause is related to documentation. Missing or fake documents will cause a rejection. If you are not able to provide any paper for some reason, do not hide it and inform the embassy about the situation. Another cause for visa refusal is not being able to cover expenses. Also, there can be some specific reasons for refusal, depending on the applied visa type. For example, if you applied for a fiance or spouse visa, you should prove your relationship with a US citizen. People who want to apply for a spouse visa must be married (living in the same house without marriage is not enough). Foreigners who want to obtain a fiance visa will need to present photos and other proof that they have met in real life (webcam meetings are not counted).
Shortly, if you want to receive a visa, you must fit all requirements. So, check all terms before making your application.
