US F3 Visa - How to Apply From Ireland
If you are a married Irish citizen whose parents have US citizenship, you can apply for the F3 Visa from the Preference Relative Category. The F3 visa is exclusively for the married child of a U.S. citizen and their family.
If you need immediate help with your visa, you can contact Total Law at (+353) 061 518 025 and we will help you out by connecting you with the best experts on board.
Page Content:
- What is the F3 Visa?
- Who can get an F3 Visa?
- What is the eligibility for sponsorship?
- What is the application process?
- What is the Petition Stage?
- Process of the visa application
- Medical Examinations And Vaccinations
- What documents do you need?
- What is the procedure of the interview?
- What is the total cost of the visa?
- How Total Law can help you
- Frequently Asked Questions
What is the F3 Visa?
The F3 Visa is a category of family-based green cards and is exclusively for the married children of US citizens. These applicants should be 21 years of age or older.
The F3 visa falls in line with the Preference Relative Visa like the F2A, F2B, and F4.
With the F3 visa, the married child of the US citizen along with their family can move to the US. The quota for F3 visa is about 23,400 every fiscal year for the applicants to consume. The F3 visa allows holders to live in the US freely and work and study as they please.
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Who can get an F3 Visa?
The eligibility criterion for the F3 visa is quite simple. There are three major requirements:
- Parents should have US citizenship. To prove this, the applicant must provide proof in the form of adoption papers or a birth certificate
- The applicant must be 21 years or older
- The applicant must be married and should be able to provide proof of marriage
What is the eligibility for sponsorship?
The F3 visa application requires applicants to have a sponsor (US citizen parent), only then will they be able to complete the petition.
To be a sponsor you must fulfil the following criteria:
- You must be a US citizen
- You must have an adult child in Ireland and documentation to prove it
- You must be residing in the U.S. and have an American address that is valid
What is the application process?
The application process for the F3 visa is as follows:
- Completion of a petition by the sponsor, once completed it must be sent to the USCIS
- USCIS will then process the petition and once accepted, the petition will be sent to the National Visa Center
- The NVC will then dispatch a packet full of instructions and other important documents to the foreign applicants. This packet will include all the instructions for the next steps in the process.
- As soon as an application spot opens up, that will mark the start of your visa application process.
- The applicant must then fill out the DS-260 form
- The applicant needs to appear for the medical examination and get all the necessary vaccinations
- They should then compile all the required documents
- Appear for the visa interview
- When you receive the NVC packet you can travel to the United States
The process can be quite confusing for some which is why Total Law offers the best help possible. We have experts on board who can guide you through the entire procedure.
What is the Petition Stage?
To begin the application you need to first complete the petition stage. The sponsor is required to complete the petition I-130 form and submit it with a fee of $535.
The sponsor must include their child and their family in the petition so they can join the sponsor in the United States. Once completed, the petition will be sent to the USCIS and then to the US Department of Homeland Security for further processing.
If your petition is rejected for whatever reason, the sponsor will be told of the reasons. The sponsor can then make the necessary changes add any information necessary and then resubmit it.
Upon the acceptance of the petition, the documents will be forwarded to the NVC. Applicants will then receive the complete packet of all the information and other documents that contain the complete instructions of the process.
Process of the visa application
After the petition process, comes the visa application process. The process might not begin immediately. It is only applicable if the F3 visa is still vacant. If there are no more permits left, applicants will have to wait another year to file their petitions.
When your petition makes it to the first line, the NVC will reach out to you and that can kick start the application process. If you are applying for your complete family you need to ensure that the visa application for all family members is complete.
To further the process, you will need to submit Form DS-260 (The Immigrant Visa Electronic Application). This is an online form that gives complete background information and discusses the reason for immigration. Once you complete the form you will be led to a confirmation page with the reference number. Print it out and you will have to include it with the rest of the documents.
Medical Examinations And Vaccinations
It is necessary for the immigrants to take the medical exam and complete all the vaccinations. The packet from NVC will outline all the necessary details of the medical exam and then the vaccinations you need to take.
These medical examinations and vaccinations are applicable to all the members of the family. The medical documents must be attested by a licensed doctor.
What documents do you need?
To complete your application process you need multiple documents, here are all the required documents you may need:
- Valid passports for all family members. They should be valid for more than six months after your planned entry to the U.S.
- Form DS-260 confirmation pages
- A valid marriage certificate
- Medical examination and vaccination documents
- Two U.S. visa photos for each individual
- Signed Form I-864 (Affidavit of Support from the U.S. sponsor)
- Birth certificates or adoption documents of your children
- Court or criminal records and/or police certificate
- Divorce certificate or certificate of death to prove that the marriage has been terminated (if applicable)
- Military records if you have served in the military.
If the documents are not in English, you must translate them through an accredited translator. Compile all your documents and send the file to the NVC.
What is the procedure of the interview?
The interview is one of the most important parts of the F3 visa application and it is also the last stage of your application. The interview is to be arranged by the NVC and will either take place in the US embassy or a consulate near you.
The interviewer is the decision-maker and is the one to reject or approve your F3 visa application. If the application gets approved, your passports will be stamped with the F3 visa. You will also receive a package that you must give to the U.S immigrant official as soon as you land in the United States. The applicants are given clear instructions, not to open the package before they hand it over to the US immigrant official.
What is the total cost of the visa?
To get the F3 visa, you will have to pay the following costs:
- Form I-130
- DS-260 Processing Fee
- Fee for Medical Exams and Vaccinations
- Translation of the Documents if they are not in English
- The USCIS immigrant visa fee (payable after you receive your visa)
How Total Law can help you
The F3 visa processing can be a difficult procedure to complete on your own which is why it is a good idea to get help from the best experts in the business. The experts at Total Law can be your guide through the entire procedure and ensure that you do not miss out on any important documents or details that can lead to the rejection of your application.
We can perform many actions to ensure the acceptance of your application. We can also help you identify all the loopholes and steer you in the right direction. Reach out to us today at 0333 305 9375 and we will connect you with the best experts on our board.
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Related pages for your continued reading.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no telling how long your F3 visa application might take. You may have to wait for any time between 1-10 years for your priority date to become current.
With the F3 visa, you can easily work in any capacity in the United States. There are no restrictions for the Green card or F3 visa holders.
Not only is it important to submit the application accurately but it is also important to submit it at the right time so that you don’t have to wait an extra year if the quota runs out. Total Law can help you stay within the timeline and submit your F3 visa application before you have to face any worries.