Immigrant FAQs

I want to work and live in the U.S. How can I become an immigrant?

Please visit State Department’s website through this link: http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1326.html.

My child was below 21 at the time of petition filing. He/She is now older than 21. Can he/she get a visa as well?

Your child may be able to receive a visa even after the age of 21 under the”Child Status Protection Act (CSPA)” (click on link for more information). We will determine whether or not the CSPA applies for your case during the interview.

Why do you require police certificates for an immigrant visa application? I have not been in trouble with the law.

U.S. regulations require each visa applicant aged 16 years or older to submit police certificates. The term “police certificate” refers to a statement from the law enforcement authorities of a country which certifies whether or not any criminal convictions have been ascribed to your name in that country.

Please Note: Police certificates from Iran are not required.

Where can I find information about obtaining police certificates?

Follow these steps:
1. Determine the countries from which a police certificate is required. An applicant must obtain a police certificate from the local police authority:

If you...
have been living in your country of nationality at their current residence for more than 6 months
And you...
you are 16 years old or older

If you...
lived in a different part of your country of nationality for more than 6 months
And you...
you were 16 years or older at that time

If you...
lived in a different country for more than 12 months
And you...
you were 16 years or older at that time

If you...
were arrested for any reason
And you...
you were any age at the time of the arrest

(Note: Present and former residents of the United States need NOT obtain any U.S. police certificates)

2. Contact the appropriate police authorities. Additional information on how to obtain a police certificate can be found on the Reciprocity by Country (click to follow the link) page.

Important Notice About Police Certificates Some countries require a specific Police Certificate: Request form to properly request and obtain Police Certificate(s). The Reciprocity by Country (click to follow the link) page indicates those countries. Please be advised, police certificates from certain countries are unavailable.

3. You must submit police certificates which:
- cover the entire period of the applicant’s residence in that area;
- have been issued by the appropriate police authority;
- and include all arrests, the reason(s) for the arrest(s), and the disposition of each recorded case.

For how long is a police certificate valid?

For your country of residence, a police certificate is considered valid for 12 months from the date of issuance. Police certificates obtained from other countries where you previously resided are valid indefinitely, provided that you do not return to the country and reside for six months or more.

When should I arrive for my visa interview?

Applicants should arrive at the Embassy’s Consular Section at the time of their scheduled interview. Applicants who arrive late may miss their interview. Find out when your interview is scheduled at: http://turkey.usembassy.gov/interview_schedule.html.

How long can I expect to be at the Embassy when I come for my immigrant visa interview?

Appointments are scheduled for 8:30AM. You should allow approximately two hours for the visa interview. In some cases you may need to wait for your interview until 12:00PM.

Can the interview date be expedited?

No. Due to the limited availability of certain types of visas, some applicants have been waiting more than 12 years since their petitions were first filed. In the interest of fairness, the Consular Section cannot entertain requests to expedite interview appointments. However, we will attempt to accommodate requests in life or death situations.

I need to change my appointment date. What should I do?

If you will not be able to attend your already scheduled interview, you may request to change or postpone your interview date through the CSC web page at usvisa-info.com. As of 19 December 2012, the Consular Section will not be able to reschedule appointments for applicants. Please visit the CSC web page at http://usvisa-info.com and follow the instructions on the web page. Applicants/petitioners can also call the Visa Information Service at 0850 252 6355 from Turkey or (703) 439 2348 from the United States to schedule their appointments.

Your new interview date will be set according to the Consular Section’s schedule. Please note that in periods of high demand; this may be several months later. After you successfully reschedule your interview, you may check you new appointment date here: http://turkey.usembassy.gov/interview_schedule.html

Will I get my immigrant visa on the day of the interview?

No. If all the paperwork and administrative processing are complete at the time of the interview, preparing an immigrant visa and packet will take at least 3-4 workdays. Your passport and visa packet will be returned to you by Turkish Postal Service (PTT) for you to pick up from a PTT branch of your convenience.

All visa applicants need to select a visa pick-up location before coming to the Embassy for their interview. To select a passport pick up location please visit the CSC web page at http://usvisa-info.com and follow the flow of the web page. Applicants/petitioners can also call the Visa Information Service at 0850 252 6355 from Turkey or (703) 439 2348 from the United States to register their pickup locations.

If additional administrative processing is needed after the interview, you should check our website: http://turkey.usembassy.gov/iv_administrative_process_status.html for your case number/s. Once the case number/s appears, then you may return to the Embassy to bring in your passport and any missing documents.

Please Note: K1 fiancé(e) visa processing may take 7-10 days.

How do I know when my priority date will be current?

In most cases, the priority date is the date the petition was filed with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) (Click on this link to go to the USCIS website). Immediate Relative (IR and CR) and Fiancé (K-1) cases do not have priority dates since there are no numerical limits on these categories. Other categories have priority dates.

Current priority dates can be viewed here: http://travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_1360.html.

What is an Affidavit of Support?

The Affidavit of Support is a contract between a sponsor and the applicant that is required for some immigrant visas. The sponsor agrees to provide financial support for the applicant until the applicant becomes an American citizen or can be credited with 40 quarters (ten years or more) of work. The sponsor must show that he/she has income equal to or greater than 125 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (PDF 6KB) (click on link to access Guidelines) for his/her household size. Depending on the type of visa, either the Form I-864 (PDF 435KB)or I-134 (PDF 435KB)(click on links to access forms) will be required for this purpose.

My petitioner is currently retired or unemployed. Does he/she still need to submit an Affidavit of Support?

Yes. All petitioners must accept legal responsibility for financially supporting the family members for which they petition.

In the case that the petitioner’s financial resources are insufficient to meet the necessary legal level to sponsor their beneficiary or beneficiaries, they will need to find one or more person/s willing to take on the same legal responsibility and file an affidavit of support for the beneficiary or beneficiaries in question. If an additional sponsor is a qualifying household member of the petitioner (a “co-sponsor”), then they must provide an I-864A Form(PDF 955KB)(click on link to access form) as well as the necessary supporting documentation. In the case that the additional sponsor in question is not a qualified household member (a “joint sponsor”), then he/she must provide an I-864 Form (PDF 435KB) (click on link to access form) and the necessary supporting documentation.

Am I able to act as a sponsor/co-sponsor/joint sponsor for a petition?

According to U.S. law, a sponsor must be at least 18 years old and either an American citizen or a Legal Permanent Resident (LPR). The sponsor must also have a domicile (residence) in the United States. Petitioners living abroad may still be eligible to be a sponsor if they can show that their residence abroad is temporary, and that they have maintained a domicile in the United States. For more information about domicile, you may follow this link: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_3183.html#_Domicile.

Who does not require an I-864 or I-134?

- Biological (natural-born) children of American citizens (IR-2 immigrant visa category) who will enter the United States before the age of eighteen will by law automatically acquire American citizenship.
- Orphans adopted by an American citizen abroad (IR-3 immigrant visa category) where the adoption is full and final.
- Self-petitioning widows or widowers of American citizens (IW immigrant visa category).
- Immigrants who have already worked or can be credited with 40 qualifying quarters of work as defined in title II of the Social Security Act.

I don’t understand the concept of domicile.

Please follow this link: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_3183.html#_Domicile for further information about what constitutes a domicile and how domicile requirements can affect immigrant visa applications.

I received a letter/e-mail from the Embassy’s Consular Section indicating that my case has “retrogressed”...

I received a letter/e-mail from the Embassy’s Consular Section indicating that my case has “retrogressed” and that my priority date is no longer current. What should I do?

Retrogression occurs only when the State Department has pushed back the monthly cutoff of priority dates (click on link for more information on priority dates) because the current demand has exceeded the visa numbers available for issuance.

Understandably, all applicants wish to obtain an immigrant visa as soon as possible, but U.S. immigration law requires that immigrant visa numbers be made available strictly in order of priority date. The numerical limitation cannot be waived, regardless of the circumstances.

Embassy of the United States Ankara, Turkey

Visas

Immigrant Visas