The most common of these visa categories include family-based and employment-based.įorm DS-260 is one stop along the way in the consular processing journey. This means that before you can even contemplate consular processing and permanent residency, you must first make sure that you are eligible for an immigrant visa, which in turn requires you to fit one of the specified categories. In order to make use of this method, you must already have an approved immigrant petition and visa number immediately available. If you’re approved, you’ll be granted permanent residency status before you even arrive in the United States. This requires you to go to the United States embassy or consulate in your home country, and fill out the paperwork and attend an interview there. The first is known as consular processing, and is available for immigrants who are at the time living outside of the United States. There are two methods by which you may apply for and obtain a green card.

Once you obtain permanent residency, you’ll be issued a green card, meaning you may legally live in the U.S. The ultimate goal of this process is legal permanent residency status for you in the United States. If you’re eligible for and are pursuing an immigrant visa so you may enter the United States, you and your United States citizen sponsor will begin a potentially lengthy process. What is Form DS-260, the Online Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application? We’ll also discuss what you should do after you’ve submitted Form DS-260, and the next several steps in your immigration efforts. This article will broadly discuss the process of filling out Form DS-260, and will generally walk you through how to answer its questions. This form is an important step in the process, and you need to understand where it fits in the larger picture of your immigration efforts, and how to handle filling out and submitting the form to the government.īecause this form is entirely online, it is unique among the several other immigration forms and applications you’ve likely encountered.įor this reason, it is worth discussing some of the implications of this web-based feature. If you’re an individual who is hoping to enter and immigrate to the United States, you will at some stage of the process encounter Form DS-260, the Online Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application.

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