Visa Cycle For Family Based Immigrant Visa To The USA

Once you have established that you are in a position to sponsor your blood relative to the USA on family based immigrant visa, and you want to sponsor your blood relative for settling in the USA, you have to start the process of this family based immigrant visa at the earliest. This cycle takes a long time of around 8 to 12 years to complete depending upon the priority of your case.

The first step is to file the visa petition for your relative in the form DS-130. You will have to show your financial condition in the USA by various bank statements, your salary stub, proof of your US citizenship, and your family details. You are also required to fill in the form DS-325A seeking biographic information about you and your family. You are required to establish your blood relation with your relative you want to sponsor. You will need documents like birth certificates for you and your beneficiary, Marriage certificates for both you and your relative, the family details of your relative to establish how many total persons would be eligible for the immigrant visa. If any of such documents are not available, then proper affidavit, duly notarized, has to be submitted. Once these forms are submitted to INS, you will receive a notice of approval for the petition filed by you in the form number I-797. This notice will have a registration number and the date of approval marked on it. The copy of this approval notice is also sent to your beneficiary. This approval letter becomes the main basis of your application. It takes around 6 months to one year to receive such approval notice, depending upon the priority of your beneficiary. It is suggested to preserve this document very carefully. In case, you or your beneficiary change residences after the issuance of this notice, make sure to notify these changes to INS authorities promptly.