Immigrant Visas

Step 1 - In general, to be eligible to apply for an immigrant visa, a foreign citizen must be sponsored by a U.S. citizen relative(s), U.S. lawful permanent resident, or by a prospective employer, and be the beneficiary of an approved petition. Learn about the different processes for the major immigrant categories by clicking here.

Step 2 - After the immigrant petition has been approved (excluding DV applicants) by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), then the next step is preliminary processing for a visa with the Department of State, National Visa Center.

Use the links in the right column to navigate to the Immigrant Visas of interest.

Non-Immigrant Visas

Aliens seeking to enter the United States for a temporary period of time are classified as non-immigrants. Because there is generally no limit as to the number of non-immigrants who may enter the United States during any year, it is usually much easier and quicker to obtain a nonimmigrant visa than an immigrant or permanent resident visa. While there are literally dozens of nonimmigrant visa categories, many of these are very specific and not widely used, or can be obtained without much difficulty directly from a US consulate abroad.

In applying for most nonimmigrant visas from the consulate, the applicant will submit form DS-156 (Non-immigrant Visa Application) to the consulate, together with the documents and attachments required by said application form. In addition, all male applicants between the ages of 16 and 45 must complete Supplemental Nonimmigrant Visa Application form DS-157. Individual posts have been given the discretion to require submission of the form from women also.

For information about the most common non-immigrant visas, including information on how to apply for these visas, simply click on the links in the column to the right.