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Updated: 03/IX/04 Frequently Asked Questions about Immigrant Visas
Versión en español
Question: Where can I check on the status of an Immigrant Visa petition? Please contact the National Visa Center, which is the clearinghouse for all petitions filed in the United States for cases that will be processed overseas:
NATIONAL VISA CENTER Phone: (603) 334-0700 Question: How long does it take for a case to be sent from the National Visa Center (NVC) to the Embassy? It takes the Embassy approximately six weeks to receive cases from the NVC. Once the case is received, "Packet 4" is sent to the beneficiary along with an appointment date. Question: How can I find out the appointment date for an Immigrant Visa case? Scheduled appointments for family-based petitions are posted on our web site, around the 20th of the month preceding the appointments. In other words, appointments for April are posted around March 20th. The cases are listed by case number so you must know that number in order to check on the status of the case. If the case shows up as being scheduled, but the beneficiary has not yet received notification from the Embassy, he/she should contact the Immigrant Visa Unit at ivbogota@state.gov for the information required for the interview. Question: What is the process for filing a petition for a family member? U.S. citizens resident in the U.S. must file Immigrant Visa petitions in the U.S. with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services office having jurisdiction over their place of residence. All immigrant visa petitions for parents, brothers and sisters, and children over 21 years of age must be filed in the U.S. with the DHS. U.S. citizens who are resident in Colombia may petition at the Embassy for their spouse, unmarried children (below the age of 21) and stepchildren. U.S. citizens must have a Colombian resident visa and be currently resident for a minimum of six months. Question: Is an appointment necessary to file a petition in the Embassy? No. The U.S. citizen resident in Colombia may come to the Embassy's Immigrant Visa Unit Monday through Thursday at 1:00PM to file the petition. He/she will find all the necessary forms on a table adjacent to the interviewing windows, which may be filled out while waiting to be seen by a consular officer. There is a $185.00 filing fee for each petition. Question: Must the beneficiary/applicant be present with the petitioner at the time of filing the immigrant visa petition? No. Only the petitioner needs to come to the Embassy to file the petition, Monday through Thursday at 1:00PM, but s/he should present the beneficiary's passport. Question: What documents are necessary to file the petition? The petitioner must provide proof of U.S citizenship (passport or birth certificate), proof of the relationship between the petitioner and the beneficiary, the I-130 Petition for an Alien Relative, the DS-230 Biographic Information Sheet, and $185.00 for each petition. Question: What is the process for a Legal Permanent Resident to petition for his or her spouse? Legal Permanent Residents must file Immigrant Visa petitions for their family members in the U.S., with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services office having jurisdiction over their place of residence. Question: Once an appointment date has been set, can the beneficiary/applicant make travel plans? No. We advise applicants not to make travel plans until the visa has been approved. Question: What should beneficiaries/applicants do if they have not received Packets 3 and 4? Beneficiaries who do not receive the information for their appointment (Packets 3 and 4) may come to the Embassy any day from Monday through Thursday at 12:30PM to pick it up personally. Even if they live far from the Embassy, they will still need to come to Bogota for the medical exams, which can only be performed by one of our pre-approved physicians in Bogota. Question: What documents does the applicant need for the visa interview? The family member/beneficiary will be given an appointment date, at which time he/she must submit the following:
Question: Does the U.S. citizen petitioner have to be present for the interview? No. The petitioner's presence is required only to file the petition. He/she does not have to return to the Embassy for the scheduled interview. Question: Does the petitioner need an I-864 if he/she hasn't worked in the past three years? What if the petitioner has been living overseas? What about taxes? All petitioners, regardless of whether or not they have been working or living in the United States in the past three years must submit a notarized affidavit of support for the beneficiaries of their petitions. If they have not filed taxes in the United States for the previous three years, they must provide a letter to the Embassy at the time of the interview explaining why not. Question: Where can one get an I-864 (Affidavit of Support) notarized? The I-864 can only be notarized in the U.S. or at the U.S. Embassy. Foreign notarization of I-864s is not acceptable. Question: What are the requirements for co-sponsoring an Immigrant Visa petition? A co-sponsor must derive an annual income of at least 125% of the Federal poverty line for the number of people in that person's household (including the sponsored immigrant). The co-sponsor does not have to be a family member, but must be at least 18 years old and a U.S. citizen, national or alien lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence. Question: What are the requirements for photographs? Four (4) color photographs are required (two for the interview and two for the medical exam), with white background, unretouched and unmounted, with dimensions of 5cm. X 5cm. The dimension of the facial image must measure about one inch (2.5 cms) from the chin to the top of the hair. No hair covering, earrings, or dark glasses should be worn. Photos are required of all applicants, regardless of age, and should be taken before the appointment date. No instant or digital photos are accepted. Question: When can the beneficiary/applicant get his/her medical examination? After the appointment is scheduled and the beneficiary has received "Packet 4" a medical examination may be scheduled. Question: Is a recent medical exam performed by a physician not approved by the Embassy acceptable for the Immigrant Visa application? No. The medical examination must be performed in Bogota by one of the panel physicians, pre-approved by the Embassy. Question: Which doctors must the applicant/beneficiary use for the medical exams? The following are the only physicians and laboratory approved for the Immigrant Visa medical exams:
Instituto y Laboratorio Clinico
Dr. Maria Consuelo Gonzalez
Dr. Jairo H. Roa Question: What happens if the beneficiary misses his/her appointment? The Immigrant Visa Unit will reschedule the appointment, generally one or two months from the date when the new appointment is requested. The beneficiary will be notified by mail of the new date. Appointments are also posted monthly on our website. Question: What is the procedure for V and K visas? The U.S. citizen must initiate the petition for a V or K visa with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services office in the U.S. If approved, the DHS will forward the petition to the National Visa Center, which will then forward the petition to the Embassy. Once the Embassy receives the petition, Packets 3 and 4 and an appointment letter will be mailed to the beneficiary of the petition, and will inform that person that he/she may go to any branch of Banco Union Colombiano to pay the Colombian peso equivalent of $100.00 and a self-adhesive payment receipt will be placed on his/her passport. The beneficiary may then come to the Embassy on the day of the appointment for the interview. If all of the documents are in order, and barring any unforeseen ineligibilities, the visa will be approved and ready for pick-up the following day. Question: If the beneficiary is refused under Section 221G of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), does he/she need to make another appointment? No other appointment is necessary. He/she may return to the Embassy with the required documents Monday through Thursday at 7:00AM. The 221G letter given to the beneficiary at the time of the refusal will admit him/her to the Embassy. Question: What is administrative processing and how long does it take? Administrative processing usually refers to a legally mandated security check the Department of State must do for all applicants/beneficiaries over the age of 16. It is a normal process that is done automatically and, if it was performed more than a year ago, may need to be updated. The process normally takes four to six weeks. Please be patient. The Immigrant Visa Unit will contact the applicant as soon as the results are received. Question: How long can Legal Permanent Residents with a green card remain outside of the U.S.? Legal Permanent Residents can remain outside the U.S. for one year minus one day. A Re-entry Permit must be requested from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) prior to departing the United States if planning to be away from the U.S. for more than one year. Question: What can Legal Permanent Residents do if they lose their green card (Form I-551) or if it gets stolen? A Legal Permanent Resident may come to the Embassy's Immigrant Visa Unit Monday through Thursday at 1:00PM to apply for a transportation letter. He/she should bring the expired green (or LPR) card, passport, a police report (if applicable), $300.00, four Immigrant Visa-style photos and a letter from the DAS office in Bogota (Calle 100 #11B-27, Edificio Platinum) which lists the person's entries and exits from Colombia from 1990 through the present. If the application is approved, a transportation letter will be issued a few days later, which will allow him/her to re-enter the United States. Upon re-entry, he/she must tell the Immigration Officer that he/she needs a new green card. Question: Why do waiver requests take so long to process? Requests for waivers filed at the Embassy are sent to the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office in Panama for processing. Due to the volume of waiver requests that they receive, there may be delays. Question: How can one request political asylum? The Embassy has no authority to grant political asylum and only issues Non-Immigrant Visas to people who are genuine tourists. Question: Can an attorney or the petitioner accompany or participate in the Immigrant Visa interview? No, only the beneficiary, his/her derivatives, or a guardian in the case of a minor, may participate in the Immigrant Visa interview. An applicant may have an attorney assist him/her with the paperwork, however, the interview is meant only for those who are listed on the petition. Question: Can a third-country national (i.e. a person from a country other than Colombia) have his/her petition sent to the Embassy in Bogota? Yes, we do accept petitions sent to us by the National Visa Center for nationals of other countries, provided they are residents in Colombia. Question: How long will it take to receive my immigrant visa after it has been approved? First, with the new biometric requirements, it is not possible to issue a visa the same day it is approved. There is one exception and that is for adoptions. When completed, the applicant's package is given to DOMESA de Colombia S.A. for delivery to the address that the applicant provides. Normally, it takes from one to two weeks before the applicant's passport with visa and other documentation are delivered to the address provided. Unfortunately, DOMESA does not provide delivery service to San Andres Island. Residents of that island must provide an alternate delivery address in continental Colombia. When applicants are provided their DOMESA slips by the Consular Officer, an information card is provided to explain this process. Question: Can my attorney contact the Embassy to obtain information pertaining to my case? Yes! However, before we can give information to third parties concerning your case, we must ensure we have your permission. Your attorney needs to fill out Form G-28 to enter him/herself as the attorney of record and must fax this form to the Embassy at: (571) 315-4155. Question: If I send you e-mail with questions concerning my case, will you respond? Yes! We are happy to respond to all inquiries; however, at times it is very difficult to identify the case. To help us help you, please ensure all inquiries include the full name [last name(s), first name(s) of the beneficiary] and the BGT case number. This will save us much time and help ensure you receive a more accurate and timely response.
Questions sent to the Immigrant Visa Unit at ivbogota@state.gov will be answered in the order that they are received
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