Immigrant Visas

If you are looking to reunite with your family in the United States and make the United States your permanent home, you will need to apply and be approved for an immigration visa. Knowing what type of visa you qualify for is only one part of the process; applicants also need to provide evidence to prove their claims and may need to be placed on a waiting list before being approved. During this stressful time, a compassionate lawyer can be your guide. We can work on your case from start to finish to minimize the time spent waiting for a visa and get you home to the United States as soon as possible.

Let Attorney Laurie Y. Wu stand by your side.
Call 1 (732) 387-3668 to discuss your situation.

Applying for the right visa helps to expedite your application and ensure authorization into the United States. If you are already living in the United States, you may qualify to apply for adjustment of status with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

• K1 & K-2: The K1 visa is the visa for fiancé(e)s of United States citizens and the K2 visa is the visa for unmarried children (below age 21) of the fiancé(e). Although the K1 and K2 visas are technically non-immigrant visas, they have many characteristics of an immigrant visa and treated like an immigrant visa to the point that interviews for these visas are conducted by the Immigrant Visa United of the U.S. Consular Post overseas. After entering the United States and after marriage to the United States citizen, K1 and K2 visa holders must apply for adjustment of status.
• CR1 & IR1: The CR1 visa is the visa for spouses of United States citizens who have been married for less than 2 years at the time of entry. The IR1 visa is the visa for spouses of United States citizens who have been married more than 2 years at the time of entry.
• CR2 & IR2: The CR2 visa is the visa for unmarried children under 21 years of age of United States citizens and the children’s parents have been married for less than 2 years at the time of the children’s entry. The IR2 visa is the visa for unmarried children under 21 years of age of United States citizens and the children’s parents have been married for more than 2 years at the time of the children’s entry.
• IR5: The IR5 visa is the visa for parents of United States citizens and the United States citizen child must be 21 years of age or older.
• F1: A first-preference visa designation for unmarried son and daughters (age 21 and over) of U.S. citizens, and their minor children, if any.
• F2A: A second-preference visa designation for spouses and children (under age 21) of legal permanent residents. Calculation of a child’s age is based on the CSPA.
• F2B: A second-preference visa designation for unmarried sons and daughters (age 21 and over) of legal permanent residents.
• F3: A third-preference visa designation for married son and daughters of United States citizens, and their spouses and minor children, if any. Calculation of a child’s age is based on the CSPA.
• F4: A fourth-preference visa designation for brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens, and their spouses and minor children, if any. Calculation of a child’s age is based on the CSPA.

Applicants who are considered as “Immediate Relatives” of United States citizens are not subject to any quota and the United States government may issue an unlimited number of immigrant visas to “Immediate Relatives” in any given years. “Immediate Relatives” include the following:

• Spouse of a U.S. citizen (CR1 & IR1);
• Unmarried child under the age of 21 of a U.S. citizen (CR2 or IR2); or
• Parent of a U.S. citizen (U.S. citizen child must be 21 years of age or older) (IR5).

K1 and K2 visa applicants for most purposes are treated similar to Immediate Relatives and also not subject to any visa quota. The other F1, F2A, F2B, F3 and F4 visa categories are preference categories and each year, a limited number of visas may be issued for each preference category. So, the wait time for a preference-category visa is a couple of years to decades. In some instances, applicants may be eligible to file under a couple different visa categories.