|
|
U.S. Citizen Services
Non-Immigrant Visas
Immigrant Visas
Traveling to the U.S.
U.S. Customs
Searching for People
Business & Trade
Americana
Postal Information
Living/Working
Trouwen in de V.S.
|  |
On immigrant visas and related matters
Frequently asked questions on services and procedures related to immigrant visas (return to Immigrant Visas) (Click on your question to get the answer.)
- To immigrate means to take up permanent residence in the United States. It means you are going to make the U.S. your principal place of residence for the foreseable future. If you are going to the U.S. for work or study, even if such stay is for several years, you are not immigrating. For such stays you should consult our section on non-immigrant visas.
- The document often referred to as Green Card, or Alien Resident Card (ARC) is actually form I-551, permanent resident card. It is a credit-card sized document issued to legal permanent residents (LPRs) of the United States. It is proof that the holder, while not a U.S. citizen, has has the right of abode and is authorized for employment in th U.S. Holders of permanent resident cards must carry their cards at all times in the U.S. and should bring their cards when traveling abroad. While not a travel document a permanent resident card must be carried by all LPRs upon theri return to the U.S. More information on permanent resident card holders rights and responsibilities can be found at: www.uscis.gov.
- You cannot receive your visa the same day as the interview, nor can the Consulate allow you to return and pick up your visa. It will be mailed as soon as possible after your interview, by registered mail to an address in the Netherlands of your choice. When after your final interview issuance of your immigrant visa is approved, your passport will be retained by the Consulate to put the visa in it. At the same time a visa package, containing your visa file, e.g. the petition, your civil and financial support documents and your medical examination results. This visa package must be handcarried and presented with your passport to the immigration inspector upon your arrival in the United States.
- The Consulate intends to return originals whenever possible, provided you present them with good quality plain photocopies.
- Dutch police clearances acceptable for U.S. visa purposes can only be obtained for you by the American Consulate General in Amsterdam, and only for immigrant visa applicants. The Dutch conduct certificate (Verklaring omtrent het gedrag - VOG) is not acceptable and applicants should not attempt to obtain it.
- To apply for a Dutch police clearance applicants must provide the American consulate or embassy processing their visa application, or the National Visa Center if the visa application was started by a petition filed in the U.S., with their full names as in their passport and on their birth certificate, i.e. all first names and family name(s), maiden name and/or aliases, if any, sex, date, city/town and country of birth, and their (most recent) address in The Netherlands. This will allow the visa processing post or office to obtain the clearance for you. You must not contact the Consulate General in Amsterdam directly, unless your visa application is pending there. You will not get a copy of the clearance.
- If you do have a criminal or arrest record in The Netherlands you must still follow the above guidance, but also you must obtain your own conviction/arrest records from the Dutch convicting court. If you appeared before a single judge court you must obtain your 'aantekening mondeling vonnis'. If you appeared before a multiple judge court you must get your 'extract vonnis'. These documents will be issued in Dutch and require you to arrange for a sworn translation into English before presenting them to the visa processing post.
- An immigrant visa is usually issued for six months. This will give the holder six months to finalize departure from the old country and prepare for arrival in the United States. It is a one entry visa and the holder will attain permanent resident status upon admission into the United States. Upon admission the visa will be endorsed by the immigration officer making it into temporary proof of permanent resident status, until such time as the actual card is produced and delivered to the U.S. address provided. Permanent resident cards cannot be sent to addresses outside the U.S.
- That decision is yours to make. It is best to decide after you have looked at all required forms and pertinent instructions available on this and related government websites. If you do hire an attorney, remember you are still responsible for accurate compliance with all instructions and requirements. Also, an attorney cannot sign application documents on your behalf.
- No. For the filing of an I-130 petition, step one of the process, you need only show and prove the immediate relationship to the beneficiary you are filing for. The financial support requirement is part of step 2, the visa application started by the petition. The required form I-864 for this, can be found at: www.uscis.gov.
- The current filing fee for an I-130 petion is $355. The required medical examination is currently around €250 (subject to change). The final application processing fee is now $400. All fees are non-refundable, even if a visa can ultimately not be issued. More information on immigrant visa fees ...
- If your application was started by a petition filed in the U.S. all fees except the medical fees will have been paid in the U.S. before your file was forward to the Consulate General in Amsterdam. Medical fees are to be paid directly to the doctor providing the service, in cash and in euro only. More information on immigrant visa fees ...
- For family-based applications started by a petition filed with the Consulate General in Amsterdam processing time should not exceed 11 to 12 weeks. For applications started in the U.S. processing time varies with the immigrant category granted. Some categories are numerically limited and have developed waiting periods of several years. More information can be found in the monthly issued State Department Visa Bulletin.
- Only if your file is with the Consulate General in Amsterdam, and you have an Amsterdam case number, e. g. AMS2008001001. For all cases pending with USCIS or NVC you will have to contact those offices.
|
| back
to top ^ |
|
|
