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Immigrant
Visas: AFTER A PETITION HAS BEEN FILED: DOCUMENT PREPARATION
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Where
can I check on the status of an Immigrant Visa petition?
Please contact the National Visa Center, which is the clearinghouse
for all petitions filed in the United States for cases that will
be processed overseas:
NATIONAL
VISA CENTER
32 ROCHESTER AVE
PORTSMOUTH, NH 03801-2909
PHONE: (603) 334-0700
What
happens after a petition has been filed?
-
If the petition was filed in the U.S.
with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services,
if they approve the petition, it will be forwarded to the National
Visa Center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The National Visa
Center will then inform the beneficiary (and the petitioner)
that an approved petition has been received. Then:
-
If the petition is for an “Immediate Relative”
(IR), the National Visa Center will immediately send the
beneficiary (visa applicant) the Instructional Package for
Immigrant Visa Applicants (formerly Packet 3). This includes,
among other things: the Immigrant Visa Supplemental Information
Sheet Form DSL-1083, Application for Immigrant Visa and
Alien Registration Form DS-230
and Affidavit of Support Form
I-864.
-
If the petition is for a “Family Preference”
(F) (which are numerically limited by statute, see What
is a Priority Date?), the National Visa Center will
send the beneficiary (visa applicant) the Instructional
Package for Immigrant Visa Applicants (formerly Packet 3)
as soon as a visa number is available.
- If
the petition is filed at the U.S. Embassy in La Paz (only IR
petitions are allowed), the petitioner and beneficiary will
be informed whether the petition was approved and if so will
receive the Instructional Package for Immigrant Visa Applicants
(formerly Packet 3).
-
Once the beneficiary (visa applicant) receives Packet 3 they
should begin gathering the required documents as detailed in
the instruction of Packet 3. When all documents, (including
the notarized Affidavit of Support Form
I-864), are ready, the beneficiary (visa applicant) returns
the completed instructions for Immigrant Visa Applicants (DS-2001)
and Biographic Information Sheet (DS-230 part 1) to the National
Visa Center or to the U.S. Embassy in La Paz-only if
they have already received Packet 3 from the Embassy.
DO NOT SUBMIT SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS AT THIS TIME.
What’s the difference between “Immediate
Relative” and “Family Preference”?
Immediate
Relatives (IR)
are of U.S. Citizen petitioners only –
These categories of immigrant visas are not subject
to numerical limitation, thus there is no waiting period
for these visa categories. The following are “Immediate
Relatives”:
-
Spouse of a U.S. Citizen (IR1)
-
Unmarried Child (under age 21) of a U.S. Citizen (IR2)
-
Orphan Adopted Abroad by a U.S. Citizen (IR3)
-
Orphan to be Adopted in the U.S. by a U.S. Citizen (IR4)
-
Parent of a U.S. Citizen at least 21 years of age (IR5)
Family-Sponsored
("F") Preferences
– These categories are subject to numerical limitation and
are subject to a waiting period based on the
date the petition was filed (also known as the priority
date). The waiting period varies depending on the visa category
(F1-F4). The following are Family-Sponsored Preferences:
-
Unmarried son or daughter, age 21 and over, of a U.S. citizen
(and, if any, the son's or daughter's own children under age
21): (F1)
-
Spouse or child, under age 21, of a Lawful Permanent Resident
Alien (and, if any, the spouse's other own children under age
21): (F2A)
-
Unmarried son or daughter, age 21 and over, of a Lawful Permanent
Resident Alien (and, if any, the son's or daughter's own children
under age 21): (F2B)
-
Married son or daughter, age 21 and over, of a U.S. Citizen
(and, if any, the son's or daughter's spouse and children under
age 21): (F3)
-
Brother or sister of a U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age
(and, if any, the brother's or sister's spouse and children
under age 21): (F4)
For
family sponsored “Preference Petitions”, the U.S.
Embassy in La Paz must wait until the priority date on the petition
is available before starting to process the case and sending the
applicant Packet 3. The major reason for lengthy waits, i.e. priority
dates that are months or several years earlier than your inquiry,
is the fact that each year many more people apply for immigrant
visas then can be satisfied under the annual numerical limit set
by law for preferences cases.
What
is a priority date?
The priority date is the date the immigrant visa petition was
filed. In the case of an employer-sponsored petition, the priority
date is the date the labor certification was filed with the Department
of Labor. The Visa
Bulletin is a monthly publication that gives the changes in
availability of priority dates.
How
can I get the Visa Bulletin?
The Visa
Bulletin is published on the webpage: http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/frvi_bulletin.html.
In addition to the webpage, the Visa Bulletin can be accessed
and downloaded from the Consular Affairs electronic bulletin board.
Those with a computer and modem should dial (001)301-946-4400.
The login is “travel” and the password is “info”.
There is also a twenty-four hour recording that gives the monthly
priority dates: Dial (001) 202-663-1541. Individuals may also
obtain the Visa Bulletin by fax. From a fax phone, dial (001)
202-647-3000. Follow the prompts and enter in the code 1038 to
have the Visa Bulletin faxed to you. The Visa Bulletin can be
contacted by E-mail at the following address: VISABULLET@SA1WPOA>US-STATE.GOV
(However, the Visa Bulletin is not distributed by E-mail).
Once
the National Visa Center (NVC) receives your completed DS-2001
and DS-230 (part 1) from Packet 3 how long does it take for your
case to arrive at the U.S. Embassy in La Paz from the NVC?
It takes the Embassy approximately six weeks to receive cases
from the NVC. Once the case is received, the Appointment Package
for Immigrant Visa Applicants (formerly Packet 4) is sent to the
beneficiary along with an appointment date, and information for
the medical exam.
How
do I fill out the Affidavit of Support Form
I-864?
All petitioners MUST file a completed Form
I-864, regardless if a joint-sponsor also files. Please click
here
for detailed information on filing a Form
I-864 Affidavit of Support for a relative. You can also download
the Form
I-184 from this website and read the instructions included
on the Form.
Where
can one get an Affidavit of Support Form
I-864 notarized?
Form
I-864 can only be notarized in the U.S. or at the U.S. Embassy:
Monday through Friday 8:45am-12:00. Foreign notarizations are
not acceptable.
Does
the petitioner need to fill out Form
I-864 if he/she hasn't worked in the past three years? What
if the petitioner has been living overseas? What about taxes?
All petitioners, regardless of whether or not they have been working
or living in the United States in the past three years must submit
a notarized affidavit of support for the beneficiaries of their
petitions. If they have not filed taxes in the United States for
the previous three years, they must attach a letter to their affidavit
explaining the reason they did not pay taxes.
What
if the petitioner does not meet the minimum requirements for the
Form
I-864?
The Affidavit of Support Form
I-864 must be sponsored by someone who derives an annual income
of at least 125% of the Federal poverty line for the number of
people in that person's household (including the sponsored immigrant).
If the petitioner does not meet this requirement a joint-sponsor
must file an Affidavit of Support Form
I-864.
What are the requirements for joint-sponsoring
an Affidavit of Support Form
I-864?
A joint-sponsor must derive an annual income of at least 125%
of the Federal poverty line for the number of people in that person's
household (including the sponsored immigrant). The joint-sponsor
does not have to be a family member, but must be at least 18 years
old and a U.S. citizen, national or alien lawfully admitted to
the U.S. for permanent residence.
When and where can the beneficiary/applicant
get his/her medical examination?
After the appointment is scheduled and the beneficiary has received
"Packet 4", a medical examination may be scheduled.
The following are the only physicians and laboratory approved
for the Immigrant Visa medical exams. They have at their offices
all the necessary medical forms that must be completed for the
visa interview.
La Paz
-
Dr. Manuel Pantoja Ludueña
Torre Ketal, 1er. Piso
Calle 15, Calacoto
Tel: 279-0080
(Children and adults)
Sees immigrant visa applicants in the afternoon.
- Dra.
Ma. De los Angeles Teran
UNIMED
Av. Arce 2630 Office 212
Tel: 243-1133
(Adults only)
Sees immigrant visa applicants in the afternoon
Santa
Cruz
Dr. Ruth Turner de Oropeza
Calle Pari # 90
Tel: 332-8809
(Children and adults)
Sees immigrant visa applicants in both morning and afternoon.
11:00-1300, 15:30-19:00.
Is
a recent medical exam performed by a physician not approved by
the Embassy acceptable for the Immigrant Visa application?
No. The medical examination must be performed in Bolivia by one
of the panel physicians, pre-approved by the Embassy.
Once
an appointment date has been set, can the beneficiary/applicant
make travel plans?
No. We advise applicants not to make travel plans until the visa
has been approved.
Back
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If
you have a question that is not covered in the Information on
our webpage, please contact us at consularlapaz@state.gov.
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