Immigration News & Updates
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eNewsletter POSTING DATE: APRIL 4, 2016
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Immigration News & Updates eNewsletter © 2011 - 2016
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Immigration
Questions & Answers
Question: Hi! I filed a petition to sponsor my son in Colombia when I got my green card in 2015. He is now 35 yrs old and single. I received a notice from the USCIS saying that his case has been approved, but since that time, I never received any letter from the USCIS or National Visa Center. Could you tell me what I can do? How long will it be for my son to be able to immigrate to the U.S.? What happens if he marries his girlfriend?
Answer: Due to the high demand for Immigrant visas to immigrate to the U.S. and the small number of visas available per year, most relatives sponsored by U.S. Citizens and U.S. Residents must wait in long lines for an Immigrant Visa to be available.
As an overview, for Adult, single children of U.S. Residents, the waiting line is currently about 7-8 years long. Therefore, once the USCIS approves the I-130 Family Petition and issues the Approval Notice to the sponsoring parent, the case file is generally sent to the National Visa Center (NVC) and put on a shelf just waiting many years for a visa to become available. Then, once the National Visa Center is notified by the Dept of State that a visa will be available soon, the NVC sends the sponsoring U.S. Resident parent a notification for payment of visa processing fees, which begins the final processing phase to prepare the case for the U.S. Consulate which will conduct the Immigrant Visa interview. Once the interview is complete, the officer sends the adult child a “package” to give the U.S. Immigration officers at the U.S. Port of Entry. Once the adult child enters the U.S. he or she is processed for Residency at the Airport and receives the Green Card in the mail within about 2 months.
The Visa Bulletin website publishes updated dates of visa availability for all family categories. Using the I-130 Approval Notice, there is a date called a “Priority Date” listed. When the Visa Bulletin reaches that date in the appropriate family category, a visa is available for the adult child. The Immigration Visa category for Adult, Single children of U.S. Residents is called “F2B”. Currently, this category has Immigrant visas available for I-130 petitions filed in June of 2009.
Since you are a Resident and your son is an adult in the F2B category, with a “Priority date” of 2015, he will need to wait at least another 6-7 years or so. Importantly, your son must remain “single”. If he marries, the I-130 you filed on his behalf is cancelled, even if he married, then divorced. However, once you become a U.S. Citizen if your son marries, his immigrant visa will remain valid, but he will go down to the F3 Immigration category for married adult children of U.S. Citizens and his waiting time to immigrate will increase from about 7 to 12 years or so.
Visit the State Department's Visa Bulletin Website to see the latest Priority Dates:
Find out more about family Immigrant Visa waiting lines:
This Week's Immigration News
USCIS Virtual Assistant Needs Help To Learn Spanish
The USCIS Virtual Assistant called “Emma” was launched in December 2015 in English and now needs help from Spanish speakers to learn better Spanish. To help build Emma’s knowledge-base in Spanish, the USCIS is requesting that Spanish speaking volunteers take a few minutes to visit the USCIS Spanish language website in order to ask Emma a few immigration-related questions in Spanish. To start chatting with Emma, visit the Spanish preview site, Click the “Haga una pregunta” link in the upper right corner and ask Emma your questions using key words, phrases or full sentences in Spanish.
Visit the Spanish preview site and help Emma learn Spanish:
A new scam is targeting Immigrants all over the nation by calling and pretending to be an Immigration government official.
During these calls, scammers give Immigrants personal information, such as their date of birth, etc., tell them that there is a problem with their immigration record and ask for personal details including social security numbers, address, then demand immediate electronic money transfer payments to fix the problem.
Victims who refuse payment are threatened with deportation. These scammers often use special software to make it look like they are calling from the USCIS 800 number.
Updated Immigration Scam Targets Immigrants
Tips On Making An InfoPass Appointment At
Your Local USCIS Office
InfoPass is a free service that lets you schedule an appointment at your local USCIS to speak with an information officer to make an inquiry about your immigration case. This service allows you to make an appointment via the Internet by going online to: Infopass
Select “Make An Appointment” and Type in your mailing address ZIP code (so that InfoPass will assign you to the correct office), then select the type of appointment you need to solve your problem (always important). You need to provide your name, date of birth, ZIP code and telephone number.
Then you can choose a date and time for your appointment (if you don’t see a convenient time, check back with InfoPass – new appointment choices are made available each working day). When the appointment notice appears on your computer screen (showing the time, date and location of your appointment), print it out and take it to your InfoPass appointment.
The day of your Infopass Appointment, be sure to bring identification and all the documents relating to your case, including your:
Infopass Appointment Notice
Government-issued identification
Passport
Valid driver’s license
Employment Authorization Document, or Form I-551
Permanent Resident Card (‘green card”) or Form I-94, Arrival-Departure Record and
All immigration forms, receipt notices, approval or denial letters, translations and original documents that relate to your inquiry.
Immigrants are reminded that USCIS officials rarely, if ever, call Immigrants on the phone, and never request payments. You can visit the USCIS Website for more information about scams. For questions about your immigration case, you can always call the USCIS customer service at 800-375-5283, or make an InfoPass appointment.
USCIS Webpage Helps Immigrants in Locating Authorized Physicians And Understanding Requirements For The Medical Examination
The USCIS has an enhanced resource webpage to assist Immigrants in locating local doctors authorized to perform medical examinations required for Green Card applicants.
The improved resources provide Immigrants with information including:
1) What to expect during the medial exam
2) Checklist of documents to bring to the examination and
3) Tools to easily locate authorized doctors by zip code, driving directions and local transportation.
Visit the new USCIS webpage: USCIS Medical Examination
Immigration Tips You Can Use...
Immigration How To:
How Do I Know What Filing Fees Are Required?
One of the most common reasons for case rejection by the USCIS is for the wrong Filing Fees. You can see the current USCIS Filing Fees by clicking on the link below:
Avoid Case Rejection By Enclosing the Correct USCIS Filing Fee
