Immigrant VIsas

Frequently asked questions

1. What is a "priority date" and how do I know which is my "priority date"?

2. How do I know what my category is?

3. How do I know if my category is "current"?

4. I already have my case number.  Why isn't my name in your system?

5. Does my case number begins with A or EAC?

6. I have been waiting for many years.  Why is my visa not ready yet?

7. May people being petitioned by their American citizen child include their other children?

8. How often do priority dates advance?

9. After I send form DS-230 (included in the Packet 3), when will it arrive to Ecuador?

10. After the petition has been approved, when will it arrive to Ecuador?

11. How much should my sponsor have earned the last year in order to qualify?

12. My father/mother is petitioning me.  Can I marry?

13. Do I need to bring translations of my documents on my appointment date?

14. How do you notify the beneficiaries of their appointment date?

15. Can I have the medical exams, birth/mariage certificates and pictures ready ahead of time?

16. If my visa is issued, where do I get my passport?

17. After receiving the resident visa, when can the beneficiary travel?

18. What should a beneficiary do in case the visa has a mistake?

19. Can a beneficiary enter the United States through a different city than the one stated in the DS-230 form?

20. How can I make a FOIA request?

21. I am a legal resident in the United States and my son/daughter was recently born in Ecuador.  What can I do to take my baby with me to the united States? 

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1. What is a "priority date" and how do I know which is my " priority date"?

The priority date is the date is the date when the USCIS received the petition.  The priority date appears on the USCIS (formerly INS) "Notice of Action" letter.

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2. How do I know what my category is?

To see a list of immigrant visa categories click here.

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3. How do I know if my category is "current"?

When your "priority date" for your immigrant visa category is "current" it means that the Consulate is now scheduling interviews for people who were petioned on or before that priority date.  To see a list of this month's priority dates click here.

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4. I already have my case number.  Why isn't my name in your system?

If the case number you have does begin with GYQ, it is the processing number issued by the USCIS, formerly known as the INS.  If this is the case, it may be that the petition has not been approved yet.  If your case number starts with GYQ and it is not yet in our system, then the petition is still at the National Visa Center (NVC).  If the NVC has not sent your case to the Consulate then it is still being processed or your priority date is not yet current.

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5. Does my case number begins with A or EAC

This case is assigned by the USCIS (formerly known as INS) during processing.  If you have not received a case number beginning with GYQ, then your case is still being processed in the United States and has not arrived at the Consulate.  For more information please visit infopass

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6. I have been waiting for many years.  Why is my visa not ready yet?

Not all categories are the same.  You should consult the list of categories.  When you know which is yours, look for the priority date that we are currently processing.  If  your petition is filed after the date we are currently processing, you must wait until we begin processing applications filed on or after your petition date (i.e. priority date).

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7. May people being petitioned by their American citizen child include their other children?

IR categories do not include accompany members.  The category for American citizens' parents is IR5, thus they cannot include their other children in their case, no matter the child's age.  The petitioning Americancitizen may file a petition for his/her siblings, but these petitions have a waiting period.

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8. How often do priority dates advance?

Priority dates are updated every month, usually between the 15th or 20th day of the month.

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9. After I send form DS-230 included in the Packet 3, when will I be scheduled for an appointment?

Once the NVC has received your DS-230, the National Visa Center will keep contact with the petioner until the NVC has finished processing the case to be forwarded to the proper consular office.  If your Priority Date is available, you need to contact the Visa Information Service to request an appointment; otherwise you should wait until your priority date is current.

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10. After the petition has been approved, when will it arrive to Ecuador?

It depends on the category and priority date.  To see a list of immigrant visa categories click here.  To see a alist of this month's priority dates click here.

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11. How much should my sponsor have earned the last year in order to qualify?

A sponsor's required income level depends on the number of people which the sponsor is financially responsible and the number of immigrants that he or she is sponsoring.  To determine the amount, consult the Poverty Guidelines Chart.

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12. My father/mother is petitioning me.  Can I marry?

If your petitioner is a father/mother who is legal permanent resident in the United States, you must be single until you travel to the United States with your resident visa.  Once you are a resident, you may marry and still retain your residency.

If you are being petitioned by a father/mother who is an American citizen, you may marry, however you category will change from F1 to F3.  In the last category, your spouse and children may be included in your petition.

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13. Do I need to bring translations of my documents on my appointment date?

Any document in Spanish does not need to be translated.  If you have documents in other languages, you must present translations that have been notarized in the U.S. Consulate.  To see the requirements for notarizing translations at the U.S. Consulate click here.

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14. How do you notify the beneficiaries of their appointment date?

The Immigrant Visa Section in Guayaquil mails an appointment packet (Packet 4) to the beneficiary on the case agent with a letter and instructions detailing the steps to request a "First Time Appointment" using the Visa Information System.  Beneficiaries can access the Packet 4 listings that are sorted by date on our website or check out the public listing on our Consulate buelletin board located on Hurtado street.  To access the Packet 4 lists, please click here.

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15. Can I have the medical exams, birth/marriage certificates and pictures ready ahead of time?

The medical exam must be performed by one of our panel physicians.  Obtaining medical exams takes about three days and the exams are valid for one year.  We recommend that you do not obtain your medical exams more than three months before your interview date.  The pictures must have been taken within six months of the appointment date.

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16. If my visa is issued, where do I get my passport?

If the visa is approved, the passport will be ready in ten business days from the day of the interview.  DHL will send your passport to your home or office or an approved DHL express center near you.  A DHL representative serving visa recipients is located inside the MOVISTAR-INDUSUR office in the INDUAUTO building at the corner of Quito and 9 de Octubre Avenues, in Guayaquil (two blocks east of the Consulate).  The DHL representative in the INDUAUTO building will only accept cash payments.

For questions regarding delivery of the passports please contact DHL at 04-2598-600 in Guayaquil.  You can track the status of your passport delivery by visiting www.dhl.com DO NOT open the visa envelope that you are going to receive with your passport.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please do not make final travel arrangements until you have received your immigrant visa.

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17. After receiving the resident visa, when can the beneficiary travel?

Usually the visa is valid for six months.  Beneficiaries who are about to turn 21 must travel to the U.S. with their immigrant visa prior to their 21st birthday.  Any exceptions to the six month travel period will be noted on the visa and explained to the beneficiary.

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18. What should a beneficiary do in case the visa has a mistake?

In the case that the information on the visa is not accurate please return the passport and the visa package via DHL to the Consulate; if the mistake is noticed in the principal applicant of a family case please return all of the visa packages and passports for proper processing.  Only the following errors will be corrected on the visa in the passport: names, last names, date of birth (these must be the same in the passport and the birth certificate that you provided on your appointment date), passport number, gender.  There will be no corrections to the page stapled to the visa package.

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19. Can a beneficiary enter the United States through a different city than the one stated in the DS-230 form?

Yes.

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20. How can I make a FOIA request?

The Freedom of Information Act provides that any person has a right to request access to immigration records, except those records exempeted by the Act (e.g. classified national security, business proprietary, personal privacy and investigative).

ALL REQUESTS MUST BE SUBMITTED IN WRITING FORM G-639 may be used for this purpose.  requests must be for access to existing records. The FOIA/Pa Program Office will not "create" records for the purpose of a FOIA request. The folllowing steps outline how to make a FOIA request.

1. On your written request, include phone number so that we may contact you; fees for searching, copying and reviewing records may apply, see below.

2. provide as much information as possible on the subject matter; this will help expedite the search process.

3. Mail the request to the nearest FOIA office (see FOIA Offices Location at www.dhs.gov).  Requests can be faxed; however, the original copy must be mailed and received by the FOIA Program Office before information is released.

Requests are deemed to constitute an agreement to pay any applicable fees that may be chargeable up to $25 without notice.  Most requests do not requiere any fees; however, if fees exceed $25, we will notify you beforehand.

For G-639 Form click here.

For more detailed information please click here.

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21. I am a legal resident in the United States and my son/daughter was recently born in Ecuador.  How can I take my baby with me to the United States?

A legal resident of the United States can request a transportation letter for his/her baby two years old or younger, if the baby was born during a temporary absence of the mother or the father outside the United States. The baby will qualify to enter the United States with a transportation letter only if this is the first trip back to the United States of the mother or father after the baby’s birth and if the father or mother is elegible to enter the United States as a legal resident. There is no fee for this process.

IMPORTANT: If the father/mother travles alone before doing this process, he/she will have to file an immigrant visa petition for the baby in the Department of Homeland Security nearest her domicile in the United States, this process will take approximately four years. For more information please clik here.

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