Consular Processing Procedures
For any would-be immigrant coming to the U.S. from another country, the normal way to apply for and obtain U.S. lawful permanent residence (a "green card") is through a procedure called consular processing. Its key feature is that, after some communication with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the U.S. (USCIS), the immigrant will deal primarily with, and attend a visa interview at, a U.S. embassy or consulate, likely in his or her home country. Learn more about what's involved, here.
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How Long Is the Wait for Your Priority Date to Become Current?
If you are a foreign-born person being sponsored for a family- or employment- based green card, and you are in a category of applicant that faces annual numerical limits on visas, you may face a lo
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The Day of Your Consular Interview
If you are applying for a U.S. visa (immigrant or nonimmigrant) or green card from overseas, you will be expected to attend an interview at a U.S. consulate.
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How Much It Costs to Get a Green Card by Consular Processing
If you are thinking of applying for a U.S. green card (lawful permanent residence), you are probably wondering how much it will cost. The U.S.
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Must I Give Consulate a Police Certificate From a Country Where I Lived for Less Than Six Months?
I am applying for a visa to immigrate to the United States through my brother who is a U.S. citizen.
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What should I do if my visa packet envelope gets ripped, torn, or is otherwise opened or damaged?
Question The courier company who delivered my visa package to me damaged it. The envelope that I’m supposed to give to the immigration officer at the airport — it says “do not open” -- is ripped. Can I go ahead and travel and just give the officer the ripped envelope? Answer When you got the
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What Happens Between I-130 Approval and Consular Interview
After an immigrant visa petition (Form I-130) has been approved by USCIS on yo
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Immigrants Coming from Overseas: How to Pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee
Procedures and tips for immigrants entering the U.S. via consular processing and needing to pay the immigrant fee in order to cover production of their green card.
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Consular Processing Forms Change: Forms DS-230 and DS-3032 Being Replaced
If you’ve read Nolo books such as How to Get a Green Card or Fiancé and Marriage Visas or U.S. Immigration Made Easy, you know that applicants for a U.S. green card (lawful permanent residence) who are coming from overseas must fill out forms and documents as part of their “consular processing.”
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One More Fee to Pay If You’re Getting an Immigrant Visa (Green Card Via a U.S. Consulate)
If you are immigrating to the U.S. from overseas, you will first interact with a U.S. consulate in your home country, which is run by the U.S. State Department (DOS).
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Latest State Department Rules for When Visa Applicants Must Supply Police Certificates
At one time, the general rule for people applying for immigrant visas to the U.S. (which lead to a green card) was that they needed to supply a police certificate (detailing their arrest records) for any country, or locality, in which they had lived since the age of 16. More recently, however, the U.S.
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Who Can Request That NVC Speed Up Case?
You'll need a good reason to ask the NVC for faster processing.
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How Much Income an Immigrant's Sponsor Needs to Show According to the Poverty Guidelines
Family sponsors of immigrants applying for a U.S. green card must prove that they can financially support the immigrant as well as their own household at 125% of the dollar amounts shown in the U.S. Poverty Guidelines. These amounts can be found on immigration Form I-864P, published by U.S. Citizenship
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What Sponsors Should Know Before Signing Form I-864 Affidavit of Support
If you are sponsoring someone for a family based green card (U.S.
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When an Immigrant's Sponsor May Have to Show Higher Income Than the Poverty Guidelines Require
Under normal circumstances, a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident who is petitioning for a family member to receive a U.S.
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Filling Out Form I-864 for Immigrating Family Member
If you are petitioning for a spouse, parent, child, or other family member to receive a U.S.
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Strategies When an Immigrant's Sponsor's Income and Assets Are Too Low
What if all of the income and assets of the U.S. citizen or permanent resident attempting to sponsor a family immigrant isn’t enough to meet the U.S. Poverty Guidelines? Here are some possibilities for making up the financial shortfalls. Sponsor Finds a New Job If you don't wish to rely on friends
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Who Is Exempt From Submitting Form I-864 Affidavit of Support
Most immigrants applying for a family-based U.S. green card (lawful permanent residence) must, as part of the application process, have their petitioner (the U.S. citizen or permanent resident who filed their I-130 visa petition) fill out and submit an Affidavit of Support on Form I-864. (This form is
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Filling Out Form I-864A (By the Immigrant Sponsor's Household Member)
Form I-864A, Contract Between Sponsor and Household Member, is for use in only a limited type of green card (lawful permanent residence) applications: Specifically, it should be used in cases where the U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident who is petitioning for a family member to immigrate does
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