Immigrant Visas

The Immigrant Visa Process

1.  THE FIRST STEP - THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

The process of applying for all categories of immigrant visas begins with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In most cases, this consists of filing a petition with the DHS office having jurisdiction over the petitioner's place of residence in the United States. The petitioner should contact the appropriate DHS office using the Government Pages of the local telephone directory. In a limited number of cases, if the petitioner can demonstrate current residence in Guatemala for at least six months, the petition may be filed with the DHS office located in the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala. The DHS office in Guatemala holds information hours on Monday at 2 pm and Tuesday through Thursday at 1 pm at Window 7 of the Consular Section. Many DHS forms are also available at:

http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/index.htm

 

2.  THE SECOND STEP – THE NATIONAL VISA CENTER

Once DHS has approved a petition, the petition will be forwarded to the National Visa Center (NVC). All petitions are administratively processed at the NVC. The NVC will forward all Immediate Relative petitions to the embassy specified on the petition. The NVC will store all preference petitions until the priority dates are close to being current. When a petition's priority date is current, the NVC will mail the applicant a packet of information instructing the applicant to assemble necessary documents, complete a biographical information form, and send the form to the specified embassy. At the same time, the NVC will forward the approved petition to the embassy specified on the petition. To contact the National Visa Center call (603) 334-0700 or write to:

The National Visa Center
32 Rochester Ave.
Portsmouth, NH 03801-2909

 

3.  THE THIRD STEP – THE EMBASSY CONSULAR SECTION

The Consular Section in Guatemala receives the approved petition from the NVC, and awaits the applicant's completed DS-230 Part I forms along with the completed DS-2001. Once the Embassy receives these completed forms, the applicant is considered "document qualified." If the petition is for an Immediate Relative or for a preference category with a current priority date, the Consular Section will schedule the applicant for an appointment approximately two months in the future and send the applicant notice of the appointment date, the medical exam requirements, and a few more forms to complete and bring to the visa appointment. Petitions with priority dates that are not yet current are stored until the priority dates become current, at which time the embassy schedules the appointment and sends notice to the applicant. To contact the Consular Section’s Immigrant Visa Unit, see Contact Information.