Numerically Limited Family-Based Visas

Step 1
A U.S. citizen files the Form I-130 petition with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office that covers his or her permanent place of residence.

Step 2
The approved I-130 will be forwarded to National Visa Center (NVC), where it will be stored until the petition’s priority date is nearly current, at which point it will then be forwarded to the U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou. Note that visa petitions typically take 3-4 months to arrive at the Consulate after being sent by NVC; this is largely due to unavoidable delays in Chinese customs resulting from a bilateral treaty with China limiting the movement of official documents into the country.

Note: Once NVC has received your immigrant visa fee, it will send you the immigrant visa instruction packet (Form DS-230 Part I) along with further instructions.

Step 3
Once the petition reaches the Guangzhou Consulate, and your priority date is current, it will be queued up for the visa interview. Interviews are typically scheduled for a date within 2 to 4 months of this time.

Step 4
Once the interview date is set, the Consulate will send the beneficiary an appointment packet (known as Packet 4) providing instructions on how to prepare for the interview. The beneficiary will need to have a medical exam completed at one of a list of designated hospitals before the interview takes place.