If you are applying for a green card from outside the United States, you will be preparing the DS-260 online application. It also means you are nearing the end of what may have been a lengthy wait and often exhausting process.
Generally, it’s time to prepare the DS-260 online application once an immigrant visa is available and you’ve submitted all of the other documents that will support the application. This article provides you a general explanation of the steps leading up to the DS-260 application and an overview of what to expect after completing it.
Table of ContentsThe DS-260 Immigrant Visa Electronic Application is the U.S. State Department’s process for applying for permanent residence in the United States. In other words, it's a green card application. While certain individuals already present in the U.S. may be able to apply through adjustment of status, individuals outside the U.S. must go through consular processing. The DS-260 online form is the path to submit this formal request for an immigrant visa through the consular processing path. Individuals with an immigrant visa are known as permanent residents and will be issued a green card once inside the United States.
Prior to filling out the DS-260 online, you must go through several steps. In fact, an immigrant visa must be available to start the application. In order for an immigrant visa to be available to you, a visa petition must be filed, approved, and current.
There are various ways foreign nationals may be eligible for an immigrant visa. Most commonly, U.S.-based family members file a petition (Form I-130, Petition Alien Relative) or U.S.-based employers file a petition (Form I-140, Petition for Alien Worker). CitizenPath’s online immigration services can help your relative easily and affordably prepare the family-based petition. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services must approve the petition. Depending on the qualifying relationship, the I-130 processing time will vary significantly.
For immediate relatives (spouse, children (under 21) and parents of U.S. citizens), the process is relatively quick because an immigrant visa is always available. There is no cap. However, the preference categories may take longer. Some of these categories may take several years.
After approving the petition, USCIS will forward your case to the National Visa Center (NVC). The NVC will coordinate your case before it reaches the U.S. embassy. They help you make sure you have all the forms and documents needed to support your DS-260 online application. For immediate relatives, it may take 4 to 6 weeks after USCIS approval to reach step 3. However, preference categories that still are not current, may have cases that wait at the NVC for a long time. Every month, the State Department does communicate where they are in the queue. For more information on what is "current," learn how to read the visa bulletin.
Next, the National Visa Center will invite you to fill out the DS-260 online form. You’ll need to wait until you get their specific instructions. In order to start, you must have your NVC case number, NVC invoice ID number, and beneficiary ID number.
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Before you can actually fill out the DS-260 application, you'll need to pay the fee and assign an agent.
The online DS-261 is a simple electronic form that allows you to designate a person to receive communications. It tells the State Department how to communicate with you during the application process.
Although you may assign yourself as an agent, it is common practice to designate an attorney or family member (often the petitioner) as a contact. You may also receive communications. But assigning another contact will help keep them knowledgeable of your case.
Next, the NVC will require you to pay two mandatory fees online. There is a DS-260 online processing fee ($325) and a fee to process the affidavit of support ($120). The total fees are $445.
You will not be able to access Form DS-260 until NVC processes your payments. After submitting your payments online, it may take one week to process.
At this point, family-based applicants generally must submit a Form I-864, Affidavit of Support. The person who filed the I-130 petition will also fill out the I-864 affidavit for you. In short, Form I-864 is a contract between the petitioner (sponsor) and the U.S. government. The sponsor agrees to repay the government should you ever depend on the U.S. government for public benefits (welfare).
If the sponsor needs help preparing the document and gathering supporting documents, CitizenPath can help. Designed by immigration attorneys, our online service makes the form easier and helps eliminate common mistakes that cause delays and denials. We even guarantee that USCIS will approve your affidavit. You'll get the neatly prepared form and custom filing instructions.
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When NVC informs you it is time, you may prepare the DS-260 in the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) of the Department of State. Remember, you’ll need your case number and other details before you can start.
You’ll find that most the questions are straight forward, but these tips may help you navigate the process:
Upon completion, you’ll have an opportunity to print the online DS-260 confirmation page. Take this page with you to your consular interview. If your information changes before you interview, that’s okay. It’s common for people to change jobs, have new child, or open another social media account. Simply provide an update to the consular officer at your interview.
Never prepare your application based on a sample. But a sample DS-260 may be helpful to give you a preview of what to expect or give you context for a particular question. You can access the Department of State’s official sample DS-260 application here.
