IMMIGRANT VISAS

General Information

What is an Immigrant Visa?

An immigrant visa is required for anyone who wishes to enter the United States to reside there permanently, whether or not that person plans to seek employment in the United States. An immigrant visa is a document issued by a U.S. consular officer abroad that allows you to travel to the United States and apply for admission as a legal permanent resident.

How to apply for an immigrant visa?

In general, in order to be eligible to apply for an immigrant visa, a foreign citizen must be sponsored by a U.S. citizen relative or by a prospective employer. Additionally the Diversity Visa provides a certain number of permanent resident visas annually.

The Immigration and Nationality Act allows the immigration of foreigners to the United States based on relationship to a U.S. citizen. Family-based immigrants fall under two categories: unlimited and limited.

• Unlimited Family-based immigrants are the immediate relatives (IR) of the U.S. citizens: The spouse, widow(er), unmarried children under 21 and parents of a U.S. citizen who is 21 or older. Immigrant Visas - Immediate Relatives

• Limited Family-based immigrants are other relatives:

  • First Preference (F1). Unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, and their children, if any.

  • Second Preference (F2). Spouses, minor children and unmarried sons and daughters of lawful permanent residents.

  • Third Preference (F3). Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, and their spouses and children.

  • Fourth Preference (F4) Brothers and sisters of United States citizens, and their spouses and children, provided the U.S. citizens are at least 21 years of age.

Immigrant Visas - Family Based Inmigration

Immigrant Visas - Employment Based Immigration

For more information, please check the State Department web page

The U.S. Embassy in Madrid is located at:

   Serrano 75
   28006 Madrid
   Metro: Rubén Darío

The immigrant visa (IV) unit is open for walk-in inquiries:
General Information and filing of I-130 petitions: Wednesdays from 9:00 to 11:00

Telephone inquiries:

• For general information, call 807 488 472 from inside Spain or Andorra

•  (011) 49 9131 772 2087 from the United States

• International access code + 49 9131 772 2087 from other countries

This service is available to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., Spanish time, Monday-Friday. From callers in Spain, the cost is 1,16 Euros per minute if you call from a landline telephone and 1,51 Euros per minute if you call from a mobile phone, including all taxes and costs. International callers will pay 10 Euros per transaction, which they can charge to a Visa Card or MasterCard. In both cases, the first 20 seconds of the call are free.

If your immigrant visa case is already in our office in Madrid, call (34) 91 587 2244 any Monday, Tuesday or Thursday from 15:00 to 17:00

The Embassy is closed on Spanish and U.S. Holidays.

For further information, please refer to the Consular Affairs web site, which provides complete information on all types of immigrant visas, adoptions, immigrant visas processing and visa denials.

In the U.S. you may also call:

   National Visa Center:
   603-334-0700
   http://travel.state.gov/nvc.html

Immigrant Visa Cut-off dates:

   202-663-1541

General visa inquiries:

   202-663-1225

Attention Consular and Visa Applicants

Limits on Personal Items

Recent worldwide terrorism events have created the necessity for restricting luggage, back packs, or carry bags being brought into the Embassy Consular Section. Please DO NOT attempt to bring these items inside. The guard has been instructed to prevent access of any luggage or carry bags or packs unless there is a clearly demonstrated emergency or medical need that is authorized by the Consular Officer or the Regional Security Officer.

Applicants Only Will Be Granted Entry

Due to the large number of individuals seeking assistance in the Consular Section, only those individuals specifically scheduled for a nonimmigrant or immigrant visa interview, or American citizens or those requiring assistance from the American Citizens Services or Homeland Security Department/ICE will be granted entry into the Consular Section. Please ask accompanying family or friends to wait for you in a nearby location.

We appreciate your cooperation and regret any inconvenience this may cause. Thank you.

back to top ^

Effective immediately

As of January 22, 2007, consular offices abroad were instructed to cease accepting certain immigrant visa petitions because consular officers lacked the means to perform the required criminal background checks on American citizen petitioners, as required by the Adam Walsh Act.

Subsequently, the Department of State and USCIS worked to develop a mechanism whereby USCIS will perform these required "Adam Walsh Act" checks for any petitions accepted abroad by consular officers.

Effective immediately, consular posts abroad will accept petitions for immediate relative immigrant classification from American citizens who are resident in their consular districts, including members of the armed forces, as well as true emergency cases, such as life and death or health and safety, and others determined to be in the national interest.

Examples of family emergency include minor children who would be unexpectedly left without a caretaker.

Examples of national interest include facilitating the travel of United States military and other USG direct hire employees assigned overseas who are pending transfer on orders and need to petition for immigrant classification of their spouse and minor children at posts overseas.

For additional information for all Foreign Visitors:
• http://travel.state.gov.
• Visa wait time information page
• Department of Homeland Security
• Internal Revenue Service
• U.S. Customs Service

• 2009 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV-2009)

• FRAUD WARNING -  Diversity Visa Lottery: Read the Rules, Avoid the Rip-Offs

• FRAUD WARNING: Department of State Warns of Impostor or Fraudulent Websites