- Overview
- Spouse, Unmarried Child (under 21) & Parent of a U.S. Citizen
- Spouse, Unmarried Child (under 21), Umarried Son/Daughter of a Lawful Permanent Resident
- Son/Daughter (over 21), Brother or Sister of a U.S. Citizen
- Applying for the Visa
- Medical Examination
- Required Documents
If you are the spouse, unmarried child (under 21) or unmarried son or daughter (over 21) of a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR), you may apply for a visa in the family based second preference category on the basis of an immigrant visa petition filed by your relative with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)..
Filing a Petition with USCIS
Your relative is required to file an immigrant visa petition, Form I-130, on your behalf with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). If a petition has not already been filed, information about how to do so is available here. You should contact USCIS directly if you have any questions about the petition process.
The petition will take several months to process. Once approved, the petition will be forwarded to the National Visa Center (NVC) in New Hampshire which will process the visa application.