The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has clarified a critical requirement that all prospective immigrants must meet before being granted lawful permanent residency in the country.
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According to the USCIS official website, a visa is required before an applicant can take the final steps toward becoming a lawful permanent resident.
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The agency notes that because the number of people seeking permanent residency consistently outstrips the limited supply of immigrant visas, not all applicants can be granted one right away.
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How Visa Availability Process Works
The US Department of State (DOS) oversees this process through a monthly document known as the Visa Bulletin.
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The bulletin provides the most recent dates for when visa numbers become available in various categories, such as family-sponsored, employment-based, and diversity lottery visas.
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Three factors influence how long an immigrant must wait:
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- their priority date
- their preference category
- the country to which the visa will be charged.
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When demand for a specific category and country of chargeability exceeds available supply, the DOS designates that category as “oversubscribed” and implements a cut-off date to keep visa allocations within legal limits.
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A visa becomes available to an applicant when their priority date is earlier than the cut-off date listed in the Visa Bulletin for their specific category and country.
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What “C” and “U” Mean on the Visa Bulletin
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The bulletin also employs two key letter codes that applicants must understand. A category marked “C” indicates that visas are currently available to all qualified applicants in that category and country, with no waiting period required.
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When a category is labeled “U,” it indicates that visas in that classification are currently unavailable to all applicants. US announces one green card route.
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