Department of State Releases Update on how Immigrant Visas are Prioritized

Covid-19 has forced the Department of State (DOS) to make difficult decisions in how embassies and consulates prioritize immigrant visa applications. Congress gave the DOS directive on prioritizing immediate relative visa applications and K-1 fiancées of U.S. Citizens, followed by family preference immigrant visa applications. The DOS is following a four-tiered prioritization plan for processing immigrant visas. The tiers are as follows:

• Tier One: Immediate relative intercountry adoption visas, age-out cases (cases where the applicant will soon no longer qualify due to their age), certain Special Immigrant Visas (SQ and SI for Afghan and Iraqi nationals working with the U.S. government), and emergency cases as determined on a case-by-case basis.

• Tier Two: Immediate relative visas; fiancé(e) visas; and returning resident visas

• Tier Three: Family preference immigrant visas and SE Special Immigrant Visas for certain employees of the U.S. government abroad

• Tier Four: All other immigrant visas, including employment preference and diversity visas

For More Information:

View the original Department Of State post here.

This blog post does not serve as legal advice and does not establish any client-attorney privilege. Do not take any action based on the information contained in this post without consulting a qualified immigration attorney. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our legal team directly.

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