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U.S. Visa Application Process
Immigrant Visa Application PDF Print E-mail
Tuesday, 07 June 2011 12:25

Step 1- A sponsor in the U.S. files a petition with the U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services (USCIS).  Generally speaking, to be eligible to apply for an immigrant visa, a foreign citizen must be sponsored by a U.S. citizen relative, U.S. lawful permanent resident, or by a prospective employer, and be the beneficiary of an approved petition filed with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to move on to the next step.

 

Step 2- Once USCIS approves the petition, they will send the petitioner a Notice of Approval, Form I-797.  USCIS then forwards the approved petition to the State Department's National Visa Center (NVC) for further processing.

 

Step 3- NVC completes its processing and forwards the case to Universal Visa Services.

 

Step 4- Once Universal Visa Services receives the file from NVC, we will complete pre-interview processing and schedule an interview appointment.

 

Step 5- USV will prepare you for the interview and ensure that you have all the proper documentation.

 

Step 6- The applicant appears at the consular officer for a visa interview on the scheduled date.  For many people, the prospect of being interviewed by a consular officer can be stressful.  However, for those who are prepared, an immigration interview should be straightforward and much like a job interview. To that end, UVS will provide you with an escort to the interview at either our Toronto or London location. Although you may be at the consulate for up to three hours, most interviews last no longer than 30 minutes. If the applicant is found to be eligible for a visa at the time of the interview, the visa will normally be issued on the next business day.