This is governed by the Visa Bulletin, which publishes monthly dates that determine when a person can apply for a green card or visa based on their birth country and preference category. The Role of Form I-130 and the Visa Bulletin Every family-based application rests on the Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative.
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The processing time for this form alone can range from a few months to over a year, depending on the USCIS service center handling the case. The Consular Processing Stage When a visa number finally becomes available, the process shifts to the National Visa Center (NVC) and subsequently to a US embassy or consulate.
Individuals from nations with high demand experience much longer waiting periods than those from countries with lower demand. While the desire to be together is immediate, the bureaucratic path to a visa or green card follows a strict schedule that varies significantly depending on the relationship category and the country of origin.
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For example, while a spouse of a US citizen might complete the process in under a year, a sibling of a US citizen from the Philippines or India might wait five years or more for a visa number to appear. Immediate relatives of US citizens—spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents of citizens over 21—are not subject to annual caps.
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