After Visa Approval and Issuance

Overview

After you have received your visa, which will have been placed within your passport, and the accompanying visa packet, you should be sure to carefully read the information contained both on the visa itself and in the cover letter stapled to the visa packet. Make sure this information is correct.

Do NOT open the visa packet.  Carry it with you on your flight to the United States, you will need to give it unopened to the immigration officer at the port of entry in the United States.  However, if you have been issued a Modernized Immigrant Visa (MIV), you will not receive a paper visa packet.  Please note that you must enter the United States before your visa expires. 

You must enter the United States within the timeframe specified on the visa to obtain a legal permanent resident (LPR) status or "green" card (Form I-151 or I-551), which will allow you to live and work in the United States.

K-1/K-2 Visa Applicants

A K-1/K-2 visa will be delivered to the applicant if the beneficiary is found to be qualified. A K-1/K-2 visa is valid for six months (limited to the validity of the medical examination) for a single entry into the United States. The parties must marry and report their marriage to USCIS within 90 days after entering the United States. Once married, the beneficiary may apply for permanent residence and remain in the United States while USCIS processes the application.

Since processing time for each case differs depending on the circumstances of the case, we urge that firm wedding arrangements wait until after the beneficiary has the K-1 visa in hand.

USCIS Immigrant Fee

All individuals issued immigrant visas overseas must pay a USCIS Immigrant Fee before traveling to the United States. Only prospective adoptive parents whose child(ren) is/are entering the United States under either the Orphan or Hague Process, Iraqi and Afghan special immigrants who were employed by the U.S. government, returning residents, and those issued K visas are exempt from this fee. The below USCIS website has more details on this fee, including contact information for USCIS, please visit this website.