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Non-Immigrant Visas

Information Regarding "V" Visas

On December 21, 2000, President Clinton signed the "Legal Immigration and Family Equity Act (LIFE) into law. This law creates a new temporary "V" non-immigrant visa category for spouses and minor children of lawful permanent residents who meet certain criteria.

To be eligible for a V visa, a person must:

  • Be the spouse or minor child (under 21 and unmarried) of a U.S. legal permanent resident (i.e. "green card holder");
  • Be the beneficiary of a second preference ("F2A") immigrant visa petition filed by the LPR spouse or parent with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) on or before December 21, 2000; or, in the case of a child, be the child of a parent who is the principal beneficiary of such a petition; and
  • Have been waiting for more than three years for an immigrant visa, whether due to processing delays or unavailability of a visa number (i.e. because the priority date is not yet current).

If you believe that you meet these criteria and would like to be considered for a V visa, you may submit a "nonimmigrant V visa application" (form DS-3052) and a copy of your approval notice (form I-797) to our office for review via an approved courier service or regular mail. If upon review of your documents we agree that you are eligible to apply for a visa in this category, we will send you an interview letter and the necessary forms.

At the visa interview, you will be expected to provide a set of required documents, as well as evidence that you are the spouse or child of the petitioner, that you will not become a public charge in the U.S., and that you do not have any legal ineligibilities that would prohibit visa issuance.

Recipients of V visas will receive 10-year multiple-entry non-immigrant visas to the United States. They will not receive legal permanent resident status unless and until their priority date is current and their status is adjusted by INS in the U.S.

DS-3052 forms are available from any of our approved couriers, on the internet at http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/7771.pdf, or by calling (92-51) 208-2700 between 1:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. (Monday - Thursday).