Immigrant Visa

Visa Types for Permanent Immigrants

In general, any applicant for an immigrant visa must be the beneficiary of an approved petition. Certain applicants such as priority workers, investors, certain special immigrants, and diversity immigrants can petition on their own behalf. All other intending immigrants must have an American relative or potential employer petition for them. 

The Diversity Visa Program provides a certain number of permanent resident visas annually. These visas are drawn from countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S. For more information please click on Green Card Lottery. 

We can accept I-130 immigrant visa petitions from US citizens who are residents of Rwanda and forward them to Embassy Nairobi for processing:

Step 1 - petitioner gathers original documents necessary to file I-130 (2cm X 2cm photos of petitioner and beneficiary, G-325 form, certified copies of documents proving family relationship)

Step 2  - petitioner files petition and pays fee at Embassy in Kigali

Step 3 - Consular officer adjudicates petition.  If clearly approvable, it is sent to Nairobi.  If it is not clearly approvable, sent to Nairobi CIS with memo and petitioner must file in US.

Step 4 - DHL petition to Nairobi.
 
Step 5 - After receiving the petition, Nairobi sends Packet 3 (lots of forms) to the beneficiary.
 
Step 6 - the beneficiary must return both the checklist and OF-230 Part One back to Nairobi signaling that they are ready to be scheduled for interview.
 
Step 7 - Nairobi sends Packet 4 which contains more forms, a letter with an appointment date and instructions on how to get the medical exam in Nairobi.

Step 8 - beneficiary travels to Kenya about a week before appointment to start medical.  Medical requires about three-four days -- first appt for lab tests, second is physical after lab results come back.

Step 9 - interview appointment at Embassy Nairobi at 0800 Mon-Thursdays except the last Wednesday of the month and Kenyan or American Holidays.

Step 10 - if everything in case is complete, IV will be issued in four days. Nairobi has a schedule: Mon interview, Thur hand back; and so on.  This is to make sure the work flows smoothly.  The applicant would have to discuss any expedited processing directly with Nairobi in advance.  They have done so for out-of-country applicants but can’t always, depending on staffing, vacations, holidays, etc.  Booking onward flights for the same or next day after the interview is not advised because if just the photos are wrong, not to mention the I-864 form, the case will not be ready to process.

Step 11 - if a case is incomplete, the applicant is given a 221(g) letter stating what is missing.  They may then come back on any Friday at 8 am to continue the case.  Usually the non-Kenyan cases are allowed back in any day if it’s a simple thing like a photo.  If important documents are missing, they may ask for special permission to restart on an earlier weekday so the processing can be done without a weekend gap.  (This is not always possible.)

Americans who have not been residents of Rwanda for at least 6 months must file their I-130 petitions with the Customs and Immigration Service office with jurisdiction over their residence in the US.

See www.uscis.gov for more information and forms.