What is an immigrant visa?
Immigrants are admitted to the United States to live and work as permanent residents. Immigrants admitted under an occupational classification may subsequently change their career or employment plans without permission from USCIS or loss of status. Time spent in permanent residence accrues towards naturalization.
A Permanent Resident is someone who is not a U.S. citizen but has been authorized to permanently live and work in the United States. When you are outside the US, you need an Immigrant Visa to come to the US and have this permission (status) immediately. (Others will become Permanent Residents after Adjusting Status (AOS) from a non-immigrant visa type) People who enter the US with an Immigrant Visa become Legal Permanent Residents (PR or LPR) immediately, and are issued a Green Card as evidence of their status. Getting an Immigrant Visa is a multi-step process that takes about 8-12 months for the spouse of a US citizen. 1: USCIS must approve an immigrant petition (form I-130) for you, usually filed by a relative on your behalf. Your relative is the Petitioner. You are the Beneficiary. 2: A visa number, through the State Department must be immediately available to you. If you are the spouse, parent or minor child of a US citizen, a visa number is ALWAYS immediately available to you. 3:
