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National Visa Center
The National Visa Center (NVC) is a center that is part of the U.S. Department of State that plays the role of holding United States immigrant visa petitions (as well as Form I-129F petitions for K visa, K-1/K-3 visas) approved by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services until an immigrant visa number becomes available for the petition, at which point it arranges for the visa applicant(s) (the petition beneficiaries) to take the visa interview at a consulate abroad. It is located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It was established on July 26, 1994, on the site of an Air Force base that was closed down by The Pentagon. In most cases, the person or entity that files the original USCIS petition (also known as the petitioner) differs from the person (or persons) on whose behalf the petition is filed (also known as the beneficiary or beneficiaries). The beneficiaries are the persons who may subsequently apply for a visa based on the approved petition, and NVC's communication is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territories, nine Minor Outlying Islands, and 326 Indian reservations. The United States is also in free association with three Pacific Island sovereign states: the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. It is the world's third-largest country by both land and total area. It shares land borders with Canada to its north and with Mexico to its south and has maritime borders with the Bahamas, Cuba, Russia, and other nations. With a population of over 333 million, it is the most populous country in the Americas and the third most populous in the world. The national capital of the United States is Washington, D.C. and its most populous city and principal financial center is New York City. Paleo-Americ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lawful Permanent Resident
A green card, known officially as a permanent resident card, is an identity document which shows that a person has permanent residency in the United States. ("The term 'lawfully admitted for permanent residence' means the status of having been lawfully accorded the privilege of residing permanently in the United States as an immigrant in accordance with the immigration laws, such status not having changed."). Green card holders are formally known as lawful permanent residents (LPRs). , there are an estimated 13.9 million green card holders, of whom 9.1 million are eligible to become United States citizens. Approximately 65,000 of them serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. Green card holders are statutorily entitled to apply for U.S. citizenship after showing by a preponderance of the evidence that they, among other things, have continuously resided in the United States for one to five years and are persons of good moral character.''Al-Sharif v. United States Citizenship and Immigra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Visa Bulletin
Visa Bulletin is a publication regarding immigration to the United States published by the United States Department of State. The primary purpose of this bulletin is to provide an updated waiting list (also known as Priority date) for immigrants that are subject to the quota system. The content of the bulletin is available on the web. Immigrants to the United States are categorized under those that need a waiting list, such as those seeking admission as a relative of a permanent resident Permanent residency is a person's legal resident status in a country or territory of which such person is not a citizen but where they have the right to reside on a permanent basis. This is usually for a permanent period; a person with suc ..., and those who do not require placement on a waiting list, such as the husband or wife of a US citizen. For those visas that require a waiting list, a certain number of visas become available on annual basis. For example, there are about 23,000 visas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Premium Processing Service
Premium Processing Service refers to an optional premium service offered by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to employers filing Form I-129 (Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker) or Form I-140 (Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker). To avail of the service, the employer needs to file Form I-907 and include a fee that (as of 2021) is $1,500 for the H-2B and R classifications and $2,500 for all others. Service offered Procedure and time frame According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services website, USCIS guarantees 15 calendar day processing to those petitioners or applicants who choose to use this service or USCIS will refund the Premium Processing Service fee. If the fee is refunded, the relating case will continue to receive expedited processing. The time begins from the receipt of Form I-907 and the associated fee. Form I-907 may be filed along with Form I-129 or I-140, or electronically as a standalone form for a previously filed Form I-129 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Notice Of Intent To Deny
A Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID) is a notice issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to petitioners for residency, citizenship, family visas, and employment visas. Examples of petitions for which a NOID may be issued are Form I-129 (alien worker authorization), Form I-140 (immigrant worker authorization), and Form I-130 (family visas). Situations where it is used The NOID is used for situations where the adjudicator (the person evaluating the petition) believes that the petition should be denied, but that the petitioner may have additional evidence that might lead the petition to be approved. Its main use is to save the petitioner and the USCIS time and effort involved in dealing with denials (through re-petitioning or appeal). Response protocol The NOID is sent to, and the response must be sent by, the petitioner (or the attorney representing the petitioner, in cases where the petition is filed through an attorney) rather than the beneficiary. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
USCIS Processing Times
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services is a subdivision of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that adjudicates petitions and processes forms related to citizenship, residency, and various kinds of authorization to live and work in the United States. Many of the forms it processes are prerequisites for people outside the United States who are not United States citizens or permanent residents to obtaining visas to enter the United States in the specified status. Many of the USCIS immigration forms have long processing times. The USCIS offers some guidance regarding expected processing times through its website and through reports. This page describes the USCIS policies, the guidance they offer, and the courses of action in case of higher processing times. Note that these processing times do not include the processing times for U.S. Department of Labor forms (such as Labor Condition Application and labor certification) that are prerequisites for some USCIS petitio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Labor Certification
Labor certification (not to be confused with the Labor Condition Application, LCA) is an immigration process step in the United States of America. Its stated goal is to " protect U.S. workers and the U.S. labor market by ensuring that foreign workers seeking immigrant visa classifications are not displacing equally qualified U.S. workers". There are several options available to U.S. employers who wish to hire foreign, non-immigrant workers on a temporary but long-term basis: H-1B visas, L-1 visas, TN status and other options. These temporary options are often sufficient to meet the needs of employer and employee. When a U.S. employer wishes to hire the services of the foreign worker on a permanent basis, however, a complex sponsorship process for the green card begins, a process that can take years. Generally (although not always) the first step in that process is labor certification. Labor certification is a process of proving that there are no qualified U.S. workers for the po ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Direct Consular Filing
Direct Consular Filing (DCF) is a process related to immigration to the United States whereby Form I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative), I-360 (Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant), or I-600 (Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative), is filed with a United States embassy or consulate in another country rather than with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services lockbox or service center facilities located within the US. The approved form can then be used to obtain an IR or CR visa within the same country. DCF is available only under exceptional circumstances and can only be done in the country where the petitioner (who, in the case of Forms I-130 and I-600, is distinct from the eventual visa ''applicant'') legally resides. Conditions for Direct Consular Filing Official rules The regular application process for people outside the United States who wish an approval for Form I-130, I-360, or I-600 is to submit the application to the USCIS lo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diversity Immigrant Visa
The Diversity Immigrant Visa program, also known as the green card lottery, is a United States government lottery program for receiving a United States Permanent Resident Card. The Immigration Act of 1990 established the current and permanent Diversity Visa (DV) program. The lottery is administered by the Department of State and conducted under the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). It makes available 55,000 immigrant visas annually and aims to diversify the immigrant population in the United States, by selecting applicants from countries with low numbers of immigrants in the previous five years. Around 13 million people applied for the lottery in 2020. Many deceptive agencies charge fees from applicants or falsely claim to increase their winning chances, but in fact the only way to apply for the lottery is to complete the entry form on the Department of State website, free of charge. Only applicants selected in the lottery must pay ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
K Visa
A K-1 visa is a visa issued to the fiancé or fiancée of a United States citizen to enter the United States. A K-1 visa requires a foreigner to marry his or her U.S. citizen petitioner within 90 days of entry, or depart the United States. Once the couple marries, the foreign citizen can adjust status to become a lawful permanent resident of the United States (Green Card holder). Although a K-1 visa is legally classified as a non-immigrant visa, it usually leads to important immigration benefits and is therefore often processed by the Immigrant Visa section of United States embassies and consulates worldwide. In 2014, the Department of State issued a total of 35,925 K-1 visas to fiancées of U.S. citizens. Including derivative categories—mostly for children of fiancées—a total of 41,488 visas in the K category were issued. In 2018, the total cost for all parts of the K-1 Visa was US$2,025. Background The K visa category was established in 1970, during U.S. involveme ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Form I-129
Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker is a form submitted to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services used by employers or prospective employers to obtain (or amend the details of) a worker on a nonimmigrant visa status. Form I-129 is used to either file for a new status or a change of status, such as new, continuing or changed employer or title; or an amendment to the original application. Approval of the form makes the worker eligible to start or continue working at the job (on or after the indicated start date) if already in the United States. If the worker is not already in the United States, an approved Form I-129 may be used to submit a visa application associated with that status. The form is 36 pages long (8 pages for the main form, and the remaining pages for various supplements not all of which may be applicable to every petition) and the instructions for the form are 29 pages long. It is one of the many USCIS immigration forms. Visa statuses for whic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
