Visa Categories
A beneficiary’s immigrant visa category is determined by the type of petition filed on his/her behalf with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). In most cases, the visa category directly results from the type of relationship between the petitioner and beneficiary. While many immigrant visa categories are immediately available, others are numerically limited by law, meaning that beneficiaries of these visa types must often wait some period of time before their petitions are eligible for processing. Numerically Limited Visas cannot be processed until their priority date is current.
Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens are eligible to interview for visas immediately after the petitions filed on their behalf are approved by USCIS and transferred to the U.S. Embassy in Beirut. An “immediate relative” is defined as a parent, spouse, or child (meaning both unmarried and under 21 years of age) of a U.S. citizen. Each immediate relative must have a separate petition filed on his/her behalf.
Family Relation-based Visas Available to U.S. Citizen Petitioner
Non-Numerically Limited Visas Available to U.S. Citizen Petitioners:
- IR1/CR1 Visas: Spouses
- IR2/CR2 Visas: Children
- IR3/IR4 Visas: Adopted and Orphan Children
- IR5 Visas: Parents
- K1 Visas: Fiancé/es
- K3 Visas: Spouses
Numerically Limited Visas Available to U.S. Citizen Petitioners:
Numerically Limited Visas Available to Lawful Permanent Resident petitioners
Employment-Based Visas
- Employment First Preference (E1)
- Employment Second Preference (E2)
- Employment Third Preference (E3)
- Employment Fourth Preference (E4)
- Employment Fifth Preference (E5)
Other Visa Categories