My sister in law sponsored us for Family Pref 4 visas in 1991, and the August Monthly Visa Bulletin indicates that July 1990 applications are now being processed.

Assuming that our numbers come up in the next 17 months, what are the various steps that one has to complete for the visa to be issued, and, assuming that there is no problem, how long does this normally take?

Thanks for any help.

Do you have the approval notice from the consulate or INS? If you do, look at the date which should say: approved on 00/00/00 (whatever date on your approval notice),and then check the cut off date with the bulletin visa.

Here is the website: http://travel.state.gov/visa_bulletin.html


Good luck!

I'm not in a hurry because of various work commitments in my home country, but getting an idea of what are the steps that one has to go through from the date that one is told one is eligible for the issue of visa, until one gets it in hand, and the likely time this takes will help me plan better. This is especially so because of two sons in high school/just entering college, and the need to look at submitting applications in US colleges.

Thanks for any input.

Guest try to answer Tom's query on whether you have received an approval notice from INS.If you don't have it you have all the time to do finish your business and your kids education.You should consider also from what country you are from as some country are over- subscribed,hence it takes years to come here in the US.

The only INS letter received by us states that the petition filed by my sister-in-law has been logged in December 1991.

Since the August 2002 visa bulletin indicates that July 1990 petitions are currently under process, my assumption is that ours may (barring unforeseen circumstances), come up about Dec 2003-about 17 months from now.

I live in India. The Visa Bulletin shows that India has recently been taken off the list of backlogged countries like Phillipines and Mexico

I dont have any other document/information from the INS apart from this letter.

Thanks