Are you among those that have been seeking guidance on how to obtain an Immigrant Visa to the United States of America? Are you a citizen of an African country earnestly looking for the legitimate and slightest means to obtain an Immigrant Visa to the US? Or you intend getting a clear knowledge on how to process process an Immigrant Visa to the US? Then you need not worry as the post was made to answer all these questions and many more.
Nonetheless, it is quite obvious why many people seek for a Visa to the US. Knowing that living or engaging in any promoting activity in the United States is worth it. Considering the lifestyle of the people, atmospheric condition, standard economy and well-improved educational system. The US is also a very great country for exploration and tourism.
Hence, many individuals, especially those from developing countries look forward to get the experience of visiting or living in the US. Nevertheless, getting to the country will require you to obtain the Visa to migrate to the country. Thus, the process of obtaining the visa is quite tedious as you may lose track of your next step. Therefore, our team of professionals came together to provide a detailed guide to this. But before we proceed, you need to take time to understand what an immigrant visa is and why it is so important.
What is a Visa?
A Visa is simply a document that gives one an entry authorization to a country. Meanwhile, the individual duration is on a conditional base depending on the agreement of obtaining the Visa to the country. Also, there are different types of visas and they can generally be classified into two major categories:
The difference between immigrant Visa and non-immigrant Visa is quite simple. Immigrant Visa are those Visa issued to individuals and citizens of other countries to permanently live in the United States. Conversely, non-immigrant visa is issued to individuals or nationals from other countries intending to visit the US for a stipulated duration. They may be coming for different purposes like tourism, business purposes, medicals etc.
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How to Obtain US Immigrant VISA for Africans
Obtaining a US immigrant visa is definitely not an easy one but we have clearly elaborated the steps to make it easy for you. Thus, carefully follow our guidelines to secure a US immigrant Visa for yourself in respective of your African country of citizenship.
#1. Submit a Petition
This is the first step to obtaining an immigrant visa to the US for Africans. And to do this, prospective practitioners must go through a petitioner. In other words, you must know someone who is a citizen of the United State or a lawful permanent resident individual residing in the US. This is a must if you must obtain an immigrant visa. Hence, they will be responsible for filing the petition form for you with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). They can either help you fill this form online or as well go through the office of the USCIS via mail.
Also, this can be done whether the petitioner is within the US or outside the US. Furthermore, after filing the petition and submitting, we go to the next step.
NOTE: Your immigrant petition must have been approved by USCIS before you can proceed to the next step which is the National Visa Center.
#2. NVC Processing:
After the Visa has been approved by the USCIS, your Visa processing will be moved to the Department of State National Visa Center to undergo pre-processing. At the NVC, the first step is to create your profile/case in their system. Afterwards, you will be sent a welcome letter through your provided e-mail address or by paper mail. Hence, with the information in the letter, you can log in to the NVC Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) to check your status, receive messages, and manage your case.
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Furthermore, through this Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC), you will be required to update your details. Like providing supporting documents, filling forms and fee payment to NVC. After which they will review to ensure you provided all documents and set you for an immigrant visa interview at the Embassy/Consulate in your respective countries. Meanwhile, a United States law limits the number of immigrant visa available in certain visa categories each year.
NOTE: US Immigration and National Act law says that if one does not respond to notices from NVC within one year, they risk termination of their petition under this section of law and would lose the benefits of that petition, such as their priority date.
#3. Pay Fees
After receiving your NVC welcome letter, the first steps is to pay your processing fees via the site. They are majorly two processing fees to be paid viz;
Hence, to do this, you will require either a bank routing number and a checking or savings account number from a U.S. based bank. Generally, to make the payment, simply log into your case in CEAC and click the ‘PAY NOW’ button under Affidavit of Support Fee or IV Fee on your summary page.
NOTE: You cannot pay the two fees the same time. You’ll be asked to pay them one at a time. Therefore, you will pay the Immigrant Visa Application Processing fee first. After this, you will wait for up to a week after payment for NVC to process your fees before proceeding to the next step. Thus, you will not be able to access the next form if your payment have not been processed by the NVC.
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#4. Affidavit of Support
Affidavit is the next step to securing your US immigration Visa. Though, this section of the process is also to be completed by your petitioner who assisted at the first stage of the processing. There can also be a joint effort to completing this section because it covers your financial backup when you get to the United States.
Typically, the Affidavit of Support is a document individual signs to accept financial responsibility for the applicant who is coming to live in the United States. The person who signs this Affidavit of Support is known as the sponsor of the migrant.
The Affidavit of Support form must be completed by the petitioner. Nonetheless, if the petitioner has insufficient income, a joint sponsor may be allowed to complete the form with the petitioner.
The Affidavit of Support is legally mandatory. Thus, the sponsor’s Affidavit of Support is legally enforceable. The sponsor’s financial responsibility usually lasts until the applicant either becomes a Citizen of the US, or can be credited with 40 qualifying quarters of work (usually 10 years) under the Social Security Act. In conclusion, the petitioner is required to do the following;
#5. Financial Documents
This stage of the visa processing is the completion the Affidavit of Support form by the petitioner. The financial sponsor(s) will need to collect evidence of their finances and documents. Visit the site, documents that are required to be provided by sponsor(s) are shown there.
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NOTE: Failure of sponsor(s) to provide evidence of their finances and documents will lead to delay in processing your case.
#6. Online Application
After your fee have been approved by the NVC and your fee payment status in CEAC is updated to ‘paid’, its time you proceed to completing your online application. Hence, you and each qualified family members immigrating with you must complete the Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration form.
To complete your Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration, log into your case in CEAC and click the ‘START NOW’ under IV Application on your summary page.
#7. Civil Documents
During the online application completion, you and each family member immigrating with you is mandated to collect the civil documents required to support your visa application. The civil documents must be issued by the official issuing authority in your country. Thus, below are some of the documents that are required to be updated for application;
#8. Scan Documents
Once you’ve collected all the necessary documents, you must scan and save them. Also, ensure you leave them in the specified formats and sizes required.
NOTE: Unless specified to do so by the National Visa Center (NVC) please do not mail any documents to NVC. If you do, you will delay the processing of your case and risk losing any documents you send.
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#9. Submit Documents
After scanning the required documents, its time you proceed to the CEAC portal to upload their documents. Go to the “Start Now” buttons located under Affidavit of Support Documents and Civil Documents. If during uploading the documents you wrongly uploaded any, you will be notified. Duly ensure that all documents are in the required format and file size as specified there.
#10. Interview Preparation
After the NVC have accepted your uploaded document, they will schedule your visa interview appointment. It will be sent to you,
After the National Visa Center (NVC) schedules your visa interview appointment, they will send you, your petitioner, and your agent/attorney (if applicable) an email noting the appointment date and time.
After you’ve received the interview letter from NVC, you must attend the following before the interview date.
Hence, if you’re sure you’ve got all these ready, then you are good to go for your interview.
#11. Applicant Interview
Now you are all set to attend the interview. But, ensure you have followed the U.S. Embassy or Consulate interview preparation instructions. The applicant is responsible to bring all required original or certified copy civil documents to the visa interview. Failure to bring all required documents to the interview may cause delay or denial of the visa. You must bring the following documents to the interview:
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#12. After the Interview
At last, this is the final stage after which you are done with your interview. This the point where your fate of getting the US immigrant visa is displayed. And if everything goes right, you will surely be granted your dream immigrant visa. The immigrant visa will be placed on a page in your passport. Advisably crosscheck all details on the visa when you receive it for any error. Like incorrect name spelling or any other information. Thus, from here you can plan your journey to start living in the US.
But on the second hand, if you did not receive the visa, reasons you were not considered for the visa application will be made aware to you.
Hence, on the concluding tone, if after going through this article, you still encounter complications understanding how to obtain an immigration visa for Africans, do not hesitate to ask using the comment box below.
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FAQs About the US Immigrant Visa for Africans
How can I apply for a US immigrant visa from Africa?
You can apply for a US immigrant visa by first having an approved petition from a U.S. sponsor (family or employer) through the USCIS, then completing the DS-260 form, scheduling your embassy interview, and providing all required documents such as police certificates, birth records, and medical exams.
What are the main types of US immigrant visas available for Africans?
Africans can apply for several visa types including Family-Based Immigrant Visas, Employment-Based Visas, Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery, and Special Immigrant Visas for certain groups like translators or religious workers.
How much does it cost to get a US immigrant visa from Africa?
The total cost typically ranges between $325 and $1,200, depending on the visa type, medical examination, and document processing fees at the U.S. Embassy in your country.
How long does it take to process a US immigrant visa from Africa?
Processing time varies by visa type and embassy workload, but most immigrant visas take 6 months to 2 years. DV Lottery visas usually take less than a year once selected.
What documents do I need for a US immigrant visa interview in Africa?
You’ll need your passport, DS-260 confirmation page, visa appointment letter, police certificate, birth certificate, medical exam results, and sponsor’s financial documents (Form I-864).
Can I apply for a US immigrant visa without a sponsor from Africa?
Yes. Africans can apply independently through the Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery Program, which doesn’t require a sponsor. Winners are selected randomly each year by the U.S. Department of State.