A. FAMILY-BASED IMMIGRANTS:
Quotas do not exist for family-based visas for parents, spouses or children of adult U.S. citizens who wish to immigrate. There are quotas, however, for spouses or children of Legal Permanent Residents ("green card" holders) as well as for the adult sons and daughters and siblings of U.S. citizens. Because of these quotas, persons in the later categories often have to wait several years from the petition filing date until they may receive an interview.

B. EMPLOYMENT-BASED IMMIGRANTS:
A total of 140,000 immigrant visas are available each year for this category. Employment-based immigrant visas are divided into five preference groups. These groups (percent of yearly limit in parentheses) are listed below:

• Priority Workers: Persons of extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics; outstanding professors and researchers; and certain multinational executives and managers (28.6%). 
• Members of the Professions: Professionals holding advanced degrees, and persons of exceptional ability in the sciences, arts, and business (28.6%). 
• Professionals, Skilled and Unskilled Workers: Professionals holding baccalaureate degrees, skilled workers with at least two years experience, and other workers whose skills are in short supply in the United States (28.6%). (Unskilled workers are subject to a sublimit of 10,000). 
• Special Immigrants: Certain religious workers and ministers of religion, certain international organization employees and their immediate family members, and specially qualified and recommended current and former employees of the United States Government (7.1%). 
• Investors: Persons who create employment for at least ten unrelated persons by investing capital in a new commercial enterprise in the United States. The minimum amount of capital required is between $500,000 and $1,000,000 depending on the unemployment rate in the geographic area (7.1%). 

C. DIVERSITY IMMIGRANTS:

U.S. DIVERSITY IMMIGRANT VISA PROGRAM FOR 2009

The American Institute in Taiwan is pleased to announce that the U.S. Diversity Immigrant Visa lottery will run from midnight, October 4, through 1:00am, December 3, 2007 (Taiwan time).

Complete information on eligibility requirements and application procedures is available exclusively at www.dvlottery.state.gov. All applications must be submitted on-line using this website.

Due to anticipated high demands for the on-line application system, AIT encourages participants to submit applications well before the lottery ends. There is no fee to participate in the Diversity Immigrant Visa lottery.

The U.S. Government employs no outside consultants or private services to operate the DV program. Any intermediaries or others who offer assistance to prepare DV entries do so without the authority or consent of the U.S. Government. Use of any outside intermediary or assistance to prepare a DV entry is entirely at the entrant's discretion.

APPLYING FOR IMMIGRANT VISAS 

In general, any applicant for an immigrant visa must be the beneficiary of an approved petition. Certain applicants such as priority workers, investors, certain special immigrants, and diversity immigrants can petition on their own behalf. All other intending immigrants must have a relative or potential employer in the United States petition for them. 

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION 

• Documents Required in Support of a Visa Application: All applicants must submit certain personal documents such as passports, birth certificates, police certificates, and other civil documents, as well as evidence of financial support The visa officer will inform visa applicants of the documents needed as their applications are processed. 
  
• US Domicile of US citizen or Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) Petitioner:
  US immigration regulations require that the US citizen or Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) who filed a petition for a family member to immigrate to the US must either reside in the US or be able to prove they intend to return to a residence in the US (either before their family member enters the US, or at the same time). If the US citizen or LPR petitioner is not residing in the US when the family member comes to AIT for their immigrant visa interview, the petitioner will be ineligible to submit the required I-864 or I-134 affidavits of support, a joint sponsor will not be accepted, and the family member’s immigrant visa will not be issued.
  
• Medical Examinations and Vaccination Requirements: Before the issuance of an immigrant visa, every applicant, regardless of age, must undergo a medical examination. The examination will be conducted by a doctor designated by the visa officer. In addition to the medical examination, every applicant must also meet immunization requirements. Costs for such examinations and immunizations must be borne by the applicant. 
• Visa Fees: The cost of each formal immigrant visa application is listed under Consular Tariff Item No. 32. Schedules of Fees are posted in all U.S. Visa Offices. Fees must be paid by, or on behalf of, each intending immigrant regardless of age, and are not refundable. Local currency equivalents are acceptable. Fees should not be sent to the visa office unless specifically requested. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services  charges additional fees for filing petitions.  Please note that the U.S. Department of State has revised the Schedule of Fees for immigrant visas. A surcharge of US$45 has been added to the current fees for immigrant visas.  The new schedule will be effective March 8, 2005.  Effective January 1, 2008, the application fee for a U.S. immigrant visa will increase from 335 USD to 355 USD. The increase is necessary to cover the costs of the enhanced security screening requirements associated with fingerprint collection. This requirement has resulted in higher costs because the FBI is now charging a fee to review fingerprints of applicants.
• Miscellaneous: Since no advance assurances can be given that a visa will be issued, applicants are advised not to make any final travel arrangements, not to dispose of their property, and not to give up their jobs until visas have been issued to them. An immigrant visa is valid for 6 months from date of issuance. 

Further information about the specific categories of immigrant visas listed above are available from the State Department Visa Bulletin. 

Click here for Visa Bulletin.

Click here for USCIS Website.