Any individual who wishes to enter United States for temporary or permanent purpose must have a visa. A visa is said to be like a travel document which permits the foreign individual to travel to a specific country and stay there for the specific period of time. The visa is placed on the individual’s passport. All visas are granted in the individual’s home country.
A visa does not authorize an individual to enter United States but it allows a person to travel to the US. The border officers or the inspectors of the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection will check the purpose of the visit and it is they who will decide whether to allow you to enter United States or not.
There are various US visas issued by the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services). The US visas are categorized into two types.
Immigrant Visas
Non – Immigrant Visas
Immigrant Visas are issued to people who wish to enter United States on a permanent basis, to live and work permanently as a permanent resident. Non – immigrant visas are issued to people who wish to travel to United States on a temporary basis for business or pleasure.
How to check the status of the Petition?
All the applicants who applied for the US visas will be sent a mail from the USCIS on the status of the application. If there are any changes in the application, USCIS will send a detailed letter about the changes to the applicants. Apart from the notification letter from USCIS, the applicant may check the status in three other ways.
• The applicant can check the status of his or her US visa petition on the USCIS website. All that the applicant has to do is register on the website. With the case number that was provided to the applicant, he or she may check the status and the progress on the application.
• The applicants may sign up for the case status updates on the USCIS website. If there is any update, the applicants will be notified by email.
• The applicants may also contact the USCIS customer care and check the status using the 13 digit number provided to them. The 13 digit number will be sent to them on their receipt of their application with the USCIS.
Process of application:
If the application is for non – immigrant US visas, then the application must be filed at the US embassy or consulate at the individual’s home country. The consulate or embassy will review the applications and will call the applicants for an interview. If the officers are convinced with the application, they will issue the applicants with the required visas and will state the period of stay in the United States.
If the application is for immigrant visa, then the process differs. If the visa is based on employment or through marriage, the US employer or the family member who is a US citizen must file a petition with USCIS on behalf of the individual abroad. The decision on the application will be notified to the petitioner in writing.
