Immigrant Visas
Immigrant Visas
An immigrant visa is issued by the U.S. Department of State to allow you to apply for admission at a U.S. port of entry as a lawful permanent resident (LPR). In general, to be eligible for an immigrant visa, a foreign citizen must be sponsored by a U.S. citizen or U.S. LPR relative(s), or by a prospective employer, and be the beneficiary of an approved petition filed with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Some special immigrants may be self-sponsored. For petition information, please visit www.uscis.gov. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (www.cbp.gov) makes the final decision as to whether or not to admit you as a LPR. Once you are admitted as a resident, you may live and work in the United States permanently. Your admission stamp in your passport serves as temporary proof of your legal resident status. USCIS will mail your permanent resident card (often called a “green card”) to your new address in the United States.
For general information on immigrant visas, please visit: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/immigrants_1340.html.
Important Pamphlet
-
Rights, Protections Foreign-Citizen Fiancé(e), Spouses
Rights and Protections for Foreign-Citizen Fiancé(e)s and Spouses of U.S. Citizens and Spouses of Lawful Permanent Residents. SEE IMPORTANT PAMPHLET: For K-1, K-3, IR-1/CR-1, and F2A Immigrant Visa Applicants (International Marriage Broker Regulation Act). (PDF 104.76KB)
Fraud Warning
-
We are aware of a number of fraudulent Diversity Visa emails. One email in particular asks applicants to send money to the U.S. Embassy in London. All DV Lottery applicants will be notified of the status of their application online at www.dvlottery.state.gov. Under no circumstances will DV-2012 applicants received notification via email or letter. Moreover, all official email correspondence from the U.S. Department of State from addresses ending in “@state.gov.” Government business is not conducted using private accounts such as Hotmail or Gmail. For more information on how to protect yourself from fraud, please click here.
Contact Us
- For information about how to apply for U.S. non-immigrant visas in Panama, please contact our call center between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturdays, at 836-6171. Or visit our new visa information website at http://ustraveldocs.com/pa for the most recent guidance.