Immigrant Visas

General Information

In order to qualify for residency in the United States, you must:

1. Qualify within an "Immigrant Visa Category".
   
   To find out more about Immigrant Visa Categories, and see what categories exist, click here.
   
   
2. Have a valid petition filed with the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).  The petition must be filed at the USCIS office nearest the petitioner's place of residence. If the petitioner resides in the U.S., the petition may be filed at the nearest USCIS office in the U.S. If the petitioner resides in Ecuador, the petition may be filed at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate General.  If the petitioner resides in the Consulate's consular district, he or she may schedule an appointment with the Visa Information Service by calling 1-800-010-145 in Ecuador or 1-800-919-5290 in the United States weekdays from 08:00 a.m. to 06:00p.m.
   There are three common ways that you can be petitioned:

• Be petitioned by a U.S. citizen or Legal Permanent Resident who has a qualifying family relationship with you. To find out the qualifying family relationships review the Immigrant Visa Categories.
  
• Be petitioned by a U.S. business or organization that wishes to employ you.
  
• Be selected via the "Diversity Visa Lottery". To find out more about the Diversity Visa Lottery click here.

For information on aditional ways that one can be petitioned visit the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website at: www.uscis.gov

  3.  Be interviewed at the U.S. Consulate General in Guayaquil.

When you come in for your interview you must have taken a medical exam and you must bring the required documentation and fees. To find out how to get a medical exam click here.

To find out what documents and fees to bring to the interview click here.

Remember...depending on the relationship to the petitioner, an applicant will fall within an "Immigrant Visa Category". An "Immigrant Visa Category" is a code that describes the relationship between the applicant and the petitioner.  In order to qualify for residency an applicant must meet the requirements of an established category. To review the most common Immigrant Visa Categories click here.

Also remember...if your Immigrant Visa Category is an "F" category, you will have to wait for the "Priority Date" to become current in order to apply for residency. To find out what a Priority Date is click here.

For additional, detailed information on how to immigrate to the United States visit the website for the Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or click here.