Welcome to the Consular Section Immigrant Visa Unit

Filing a Petition

Effective worldwide August 15, 2011, overseas petitioners will be required to file Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, by mail with the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) unless the petitioner lives in a country with a USCIS office. U.S. Embassy Caracas has no USCIS office, and therefore will no longer be able to accept petitions locally.

For more information on filing an immigrant visa petition by mail, please see USCIS’s website.

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Welcome to the Consular Section Immigrant Visa Unit webpages.  An immigrant visa permits the holder to enter the United States and become a permanent resident. The U.S. was founded by immigrants and has a history of welcoming peoples of all nations to our shores.  Each generation of immigrants has helped shape the country, making unique contributions to the social, economic, and cultural strength of the nation. 

These pages provide information on immigration to the United States. You will learn who is eligible to immigrate and how the process works.

Immigrant visas are for individuals who plan to live in the United States permanently.  The process normally starts with the filing of a petition with the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).  Once USCIS approves an immigrant visa petition, the case is forwarded to the National Visa Center for a documentation review.  Once the National Visa Center deems an application to be interview ready they will forward the case to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate with jurisdiction over the residence of the beneficiary of the petition.  The first step to moving to the United States is to determine which category of immigrant visa you qualify under and reviewing the criteria to ensure that you are qualified.

If you are not intending on residing in the United States permanently, please see our Non-Immigrant Visa Section for information on studying, working, and traveling for tourism and business.