Apply for a U.S. Visa

Visa Types

Overview

Immigrant visas are for people who plan to live, work or study and remain permanently in the United States. U.S. immigration law provides for the issuance of immigrant visas in four general categories: immediate relatives, family-based, employment-based, and the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (also known as the "green card" lottery).

U.S. immigration law assumes that beneficiaries of Immigrant Visas will live permanently in the United States.

There are three steps involved in applying for an immigrant visa:

1. Filing an immigrant visa petition with the Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
   U.S. Embassy Jakarta may accept filing of the Form I-130 for petitioners who believe they have exceptional situations that would merit an exception from filing to the USCIS.
2. The processing of the immigrant visa by National Visa Center (NVC).
3. Immigrant visa interview at U.S. Embassy Jakarta

The following are some useful links for Immigrant Visa types include:

• https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate.html
• https://www.uscis.gov/green-card

Additional Resources

Petitioners and beneficiaries may find these additional websites useful during the immigrant visa process:

• U.S. Department of State, Consular Affairs
• DS-260 Forms
• DNA relationship testing information
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
• USCIS forms
• Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
• Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants
• Visa ineligibilities and waivers