Family-Based Immigration

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING ELECTRONIC DEVICES:

The US Embassy does not permit laptops, tablets or large electrical/electronic devices to be brought into the consular waiting room.  Please do not bring your electronic devices to your visa interview or any other appointment you have with the Consular Section.  The Embassy provides no storage for your electronic devices and customers coming to their appointment with a prohibited item(s) will not be permitted to enter the Embassy.

 The following small personal electronic devices may be brought into the consular waiting room, so long as they comply with all other Embassy procedural security requirements:

Cellphones

Smart phones

iPods and MP3 players

Handheld gaming devices

Smartwatches

Wearable electronic fitness devices

Update on Executive Order 13769:

The provisional revocation of January 27, 2017, which had revoked all valid visas of nationals of Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen in accordance with Executive Order 13769, “Protecting the Nation from Terrorist Attacks by Foreign Nationals,”  is now lifted, and those visas are now valid for holders otherwise eligible for their visas.  Anyone with a valid visa may now use it to travel to the United States and does not need to apply for a new visa.

Two groups of family-based immigrant visa categories, immediate relatives and family preference, are provided under the provisions of U.S. immigration law, specifically the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).  You may wish to review our Directory of Visa Categories  on usvisas.state.gov to learn more about these two categories of immigrant visas, as well as other types of immigrant visas to the United States, including our Diversity Visa Program.

To apply for an immediate relative or family preference immigrant visa, follow the steps on the Immigrant Visa Process on usvisas.state.gov.  Once you have completed those steps, review the instructions given to you by the National Visa Center (NVC), along with the information presented on this website, for further guidance and instructions.