DOS Announces Priority Tiers for Immigrant Visa Applications

- By : Abbas Law PLLC Date : 04-May-21

The U.S. Department of State has announced a system to prioritize certain Immigrant Visa applications at U.S. Embassies and Consulates worldwide, in an effort to reduce the backlog of cases due to COVID-19 operational issues.  Even with this system, however, the processing of cases at each U.S. Embassy or Consulate will still largely depend on local and country conditions and other government-imposed restrictions.  

The system includes a tiered approach to process Immigrant Visa applications based on the category of Immigrant Visa.  Where possible, U.S. Embassies or Consulates may be able to schedule some appointments within all four priority tiers each month, but it will depend on the specific location.  The following tiers have been identified:

  • Tier One: Immediate relative intercountry adoption visas, age-out cases (cases where the applicant will soon no longer qualify due to their age), and certain Special Immigrant Visas (SQ and SI for Afghan and Iraqi nationals working with the U.S. government);
  • 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; and
  • Tier Four: All other immigrant visas, including employment preference and diversity visas.

It is important to note that there is still a significant backlog of cases worldwide, in all categories of Immigrant Visas.  This announcement by the U.S. Department of State shows a preference and priority for relatives of U.S. citizens; however, U.S. Embassies and Consulates have been instructed to include some cases in Tier Three and Tier Four each month, if possible.

Please see the full text of the announcement here:  DOS: Immigrant Visa Prioritization.

We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they come.  Please contact Abbas Law PLLC if you are currently awaiting an Immigrant Visa appointment and would like to know how this may affect you.

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