To obtain an immigrant visa, Green Card, and other emigration issues, foreigners or American residents, U.S. citizens, or American organizations need to fill out immigration forms. Since the immigration process begins at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), most forms fall on this department.
Registration of immigration forms
Immigration forms can be submitted online or printed on paper by mail. All immigration forms are supported by supporting documentation. Fees for the form, eligibility requirements, the right to refuse payment, required documents, and mailing addresses to which the form must be submitted vary depending on the form you are submitting and why you are submitting.
All forms are accompanied by instructions for filling out and a set of petitions and forms. Most of the form fields are required. You can leave fields marked “Optional” blank. Some fields may also give you the option to select “Does Not Apply.” All other fields must be filled in. If you do not answer the appropriate questions, your form may be rejected by the immigration authorities. You can download the official form for free on the official USCIS website.
Certified translations for USCIS
According to the USCIS website, any document in a foreign language must be accompanied by a complete English translation, with a statement from the translator as to the completeness and accuracy of the translation performed. Also, any document in a foreign language must be accompanied by a certificate of the translator’s competence to translate a foreign language into English. Documents translated by USCIS translation services can be certified for use in United States immigration procedures.
DS-260 Immigrant Visa Electronic Application
The DS-260 immigration form is filled out online on the official website of the Consular Electronic Application Center.
Immigrant visa applicants must enter:
- NVC Case Number – Your NVC case number;
- Invoice I.D. number -Your account identification number.
This data is contained in the notice from NVC.
Diversity Visa Lottery winners must enter:
- Diversity Visa win number (see your win notification at https://dvprogram.state.gov/);
- Confirmation Number from confirmation of applying for participation in the Green Card Lottery;
- Date of birth of the main applicant.
Family Immigration Forms
If you submit any documents (copies or originals of documents, if requested) in a foreign language, you must include the complete English translation along with a translator’s certificate confirming that the translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate from the foreign language to English. You do not need to send original documents unless USCIS has given you individual instructions to do so.
You do not need to include in the set of documents sent to the immigration service:
- Anything that contains electronic chips and batteries (such as musical greeting cards) or any other material such as C.D.s, DVDs, toys, figures, or flash drives. USCIS will not accept these types of materials. However, photographs or copies of these items can be sent.
- Any biological or genetic sample as evidence of DNA.
- Photos of childbirth or intimate relationships as evidence of kinship or spousal conscientiousness “bona fides.”
I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé (e)
Form I-129F – Petition for a Foreign Bride (Groom) is used by a U.S. citizen to petition his foreign fiancé (K-1 visa) and their children (K-2 visa) to come to the United States to complete a marriage within 90 days.
Also, Form I-129F is used when reuniting a U.S. citizen with a foreign spouse (K-3 visa) and their children (K-4 visa) to enter the United States to end the immigration process, which was started based on the I-130 petition filed earlier.
I-130, Petition for Alien Relative
Form I-130 – Petition for Alien Relative Submitted by U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (LPR) to reunite with their relatives: spouses, children, parents, siblings.
Filing Form I-130 with USCIS is the first step in helping a foreign relative apply for immigration to the United States and obtain a green card. Some relatives must wait until they receive their visa number before they can apply for DS-260.
If your relative qualifies as the next of kin, an immigration visa or green card is issued outside the immigration quotas. The form can be submitted both online and in printed form by regular mail.
I-730, Refugee / Asylee Relative Petition
If you were admitted to the United States as a primary refugee or if you were granted asylum status in the United States as a primary refugee within the previous two years, you can use this form to apply for reunification and receive appropriate benefits for your spouse and/or unmarried children under the age of 21. Filing Form I-730 does not require a Processing Fee.
Conclusion
Applying with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is a rather complicated process. USCIS is the central U.S. government agency dealing with immigrants. It is very demanding on applications. If you want to apply to USCIS, it is best to follow the recommendations of the experts.
