Visa Category
A beneficiary’s immigrant visa category is determined by the type of petition filed on his or 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 can not be issued 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 Post. An “immediate relative” is defined as a parent, spouse, or minor 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 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 Lawful Permanent Resident petitioners
F2A Visas: Spouses and/or Children
F2B Visas: Unmarried Sons and Daughters
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
SB1 Visas: Returning Residents
DV Visas: Diversity Visa Lottery
Following-to-Join
Visa Services
Immigrant Visas
IV Announcement
General Information
