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Immigrating To The U.S. Through Consular Processing Is A Viable Option To Many People

Consular processing requires you to be a qualified relative of a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident and live outside the U.S. If this applies to you, you may be eligible to come and live permanently in the United States. Your U.S. citizen or legal permanent relative, also known as the petitioner, will need to submit an I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative) to USCIS on your behalf.

Understanding The Consular Processing System

When submitting the I-130 through consular processing, two facts must be established to support the visa petition. First, there must be sufficient evidence to prove a family relationship exists. Second, the petitioner must have the immigration status required for the petition to be approved. Documents for consular processing such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, documents that establish the marriage is bona fide, naturalization certificates and passports should be included with your petition.

Once the visa petition is approved, the beneficiary of the petition will need to determine whether they can proceed with the nonimmigrant visa application process. How soon the person can immigrate depends on the kind of visa petition that was filed. People who qualify as an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen can immigrate quickly. However, people that fall within a visa preference category will be required to wait until their priority date becomes current before they can apply for a visa. Information on current visa availability and processing dates is provided by the U.S. Department of State on a monthly basis on their Visa Bulletin. The U.S. Department of State will notify the person living abroad when they are eligible to apply for their immigrant visa. The applicant has one year following notification from the U.S. Department of State to apply. Failure to apply within that time period will terminate their petition.

In order to begin the process, the applicant will need to pay the required visa application fees and complete the necessary applications. This process may take many months. However, once that visa applicant appears for their consular processing interview and is approved, they will quickly be able to travel to the U.S.

Reach Out To Me Today To Get Started.

To get help with consular processing and to speak with an immigration attorney, contact me at my law firm by calling 720-896-3989, or by sending me an email with a brief description of your situation.