General Information

The Immigrant Visa Unit processes applications for persons entitled to live and work permanently in the United States.

In general, there are three avenues for immigrating to the United States: Family-Sponsored Petitions, Employment-Based Petitions, and the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (also known as the "Green Card" lottery). For detailed information regarding each category of Immigrant Visas, please consult the Bureau of Consular Affairs and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services websites.

Important Information:

• Effective April 13, 2012, the fees for immigrant visas have changed. For more information please see Immigrant Visa Fees. 
• Immigrant visa applicants must have valid passports expiring at least two months after the expiration date of the immigrant visa. Immigrant visas are typically issued with a validity period of six months; therefore, applicants should have at least eight months of passport validity at the time of their visa interviews. Passports should be in good condition and not significantly damaged to avoid delays in visa processing or difficulties leaving the country.
• Effective June 4, 2012, applicants filing Forms I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility, should do so directly with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Lockbox in the United States. Applicants should refer to the USCIS website for more information about how to file

• As of November 21, 2012 the following information regarding the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act ("IMBRA") will be available to applicants for K1 and K3 non-immigrant visas, and for CR1, IR1, F21, C21, FX1, and CX1 family based visa applicants.

IMBRA requires that the United States government provide, to an immigrating fiancé(e) or spouse of a citizen or resident of the United States, an information pamphlet on legal rights and resources for immigrant victims of domestic violence. One of IMBRA’s goals is to provide applicants with accurate information about the immigration process and how to access help if a relationship becomes abusive.

The pamphlet will provide information about:

-    domestic violence;

-    the legal rights for victims of domestic violence in the United States;

-    services available for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault;

-    immigration options available to victims of domestic violence, sexual assaults, or other crime;

-    International Marriage Brokers regulation by the Government;

-    Criminal background information available to K visa applicant about U.S.Citizen’s fiancé(e)

 The pamphlet is available in multiple languages and can be found on the webpage of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.