Immigrant Visa Numbers
Immigrant Visa Numbers National Visa Center Visa Bulletin
What is an Immigrant Visa Number?
Obtaining an immigrant visa number is an essential step in the immigration process to obtain a Green Card, and it means that an immigrant visa has been assigned to you.
The immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, which includes parents, spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21, do not have to wait for an immigrant visa number to become available once the immigrant visa petition filed for them is approved. An immigrant visa number will be immediately available for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens.
Other relatives and all people who want to become immigrants (obtain Green Cards) based on employment must wait for a visa to become available from the US State Department's National Visa Center according to the preference system. U.S. law limits the number of immigrant visa numbers that are available every year, so you may not get an immigrant visa number immediately after your immigrant visa petition is approved. In some cases, several years could pass between the time the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) approves your immigrant visa petition and the State Department's National Visa Center gives you an immigrant visa number. Because U.S. law also limits the number of immigrant visas available by country, you may have to wait longer if you come from a country with a high demand for U.S. immigrant visas (Green Cards).
How Do I Apply for an Immigrant Visa Number (National Visa Center)?
You do not directly apply for an immigrant visa number. In most cases, your relative or employer sends a visa petition to the USCIS for you (the beneficiary) to become an immigrant (and obtain a Green Card). (Certain applicants such as priority workers, investors, certain special immigrants, and diversity immigrants can petition on their own behalf.) USCIS will tell the person who filed the visa petition (the petitioner) if the visa petition is approved. USCIS will then send the approved visa petition to the Department of State's National Visa Center, where it will remain until an immigrant visa number is available. The National Visa Center will notify you (the beneficiary of the application) when the visa petition is received and again when an immigrant visa number is available. You do not need to contact the National Visa Center, unless you change your address or there is a change in your personal situation that may affect your eligibility for an immigrant visa (Green Card). You may contact the National Visa Center by writing to: The National Visa Center; 32 Rochester Avenue; Portsmouth, New Hampshire 03801-2909.
How Can I Find Out When an Immigrant Visa Number Will Be Available for Me (Visa Bulletin)?
Each approved visa petition is placed in chronological order according to the date the visa petition was filed. The date the visa petition was filed is known as your priority date. The State Department publishes a Visa Bulletin that shows the month and year of the visa petitions they are working on by country and preference category. You can estimate of the amount of time it will take to get an immigrant visa number by comparing your priority date with the date listed in the visa bulletin. For instance, suppose you look under your country and preference category, and see that the State Department is working on applications they received in May 1996. If your priority date is May 1998, then you may have to wait several more years for an immigrant visa number to become available.
How Can I Get the Visa Bulletin?
Access the Visa Bulletin online, by email, by telephone, by fax, or by mail.
- Online: http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_1360.html
- Email: VISABULLET@SA1WPOA.US-STATE.GOV (you may contact the Bulletin by email, but it is not distributed by email)
- Telephone: (202) 663-1541, for a 24-hour recording that gives the monthly priority dates that are currently being processed. The recording is updated in the middle of each month with information on cut-off dates for the following month.
- Fax: From your fax, dial (202) 647-3000. Follow the prompts and enter code 1038 to have the Visa Bulletin faxed to you.
- Mail: To be placed on the Visa Bulletin mailing list (or to change an address), write to:
Visa Bulletin
Visa Office
Department of State
Washington, D.C. 20522-0106
Only addresses within the U.S. postal system may be placed on the mailing list. When reporting changes or corrections of address, include a recent mailing label. The Postal Service does NOT automatically notify the Visa Office of address changes. (Obtaining the Visa Bulletin by mail is a much slower option than any of the alternatives mentioned above.)
