What is the IR2 Visa?
The IR2 Visa will award the child applicant with a Green Card which will enable him or her to live in the United States and continue their education. They will also be able to enter into employment without the need to acquire an Employment Authorization Document in the future.
As with all Immediate Relative visas, there is no annual cap imposed on the number of IR2 Visas which can be issued. As a result, the application waiting times are far less in comparison to Preference Relative visas.
The top 15 IR-2 Child Visa Interview Questions
Am I Eligible for the IR2 Visa?
For an IR2 Visa, the applicant must be under 21-years-old and be living in a foreign country.
An individual is eligible for an IR2 Visa/Green card if they fall under one of the following categories:
- Natural-born child to married parents (at least one of those must be a U.S. citizen)
- Natural-born child to unmarried parents (if the father is the U.S. sponsor, he must undergo a blood test to prove his paternity)
- Stepchild who was under the age of 18 when their parents got married
- Adopted child who was under the age of 18 at the time of the adoption. (Must have lived with their adoptive U.S. citizen/parent for at least two years
What is the Application Process for the IR2 Green Card?
There are two main stages to the IR2 Green Card application process.
First, the U.S. citizen needs to complete a petition on behalf of their child to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). If the petition is approved, the child then begins the IR2 Visa application process.
Whilst these are the two main stages in the application, the full application process is as follows:
- Sponsor completes petition form and sends it to the USCIS
- Department of Homeland Security processes petition
- If the petition is approved, National Visa Center (NVC) will send a package of information with instructions on the next steps to take
- Applicant fills in form DS-260. It is possible for the form to be completed by someone else if the applicant is a minor
- Child takes all necessary medical examinations and vaccinations
- All required documents are collected to form a portfolio of evidence
- Applicant attends an interview at a U.S. embassy
- Child travels to the U.S. to begin their American journey
What Happens During the Petition Stage?
The petition stage is the first step in the IR2 Visa application process.
The petition must be completed by the U.S. citizen and submitted to the USCIS. To do this, you must first complete Form I-130 (Petition for Alien Relatives).
The petition is then sent to the Department of Homeland Security where it is usually processed within a few months. If the petition is rejected, a refusal letter will be sent to the sponsor in the United States explaining the reason/s for the rejection.
If the petition is successful, the application will move to the NVC. The NVC will send a package with detailed information, including the next steps in the IR2 Green Card application process.
IR2 Visa Application Process
Once the petition has been accepted and the applicant has received their package, the official application process can begin.
As mentioned above, there is no annual cap on Immediate Relative visa applications. This means that the foreign national doesn’t need to wait for their application to become current before beginning the application. It can start as soon as they receive the package from the NVC.
The form which needs to be completed is Form DS-260, which is the form that all applicants for U.S. immigrant visas must submit. This form will ask questions related to the applicant’s background and the purpose for their desire to immigrate to the United States.
If the child is a minor, it is possible for an adult to help them with their application.
At the end of the application, a confirmation sheet will be displayed. It is vital that you print this page out and include it in your bundle of documents to send to the NVC.
The IAS can help if you have any questions about the IR2 Green Card application process. Our expert immigration attorneys have unrivalled expertise having dealt with numerous Green Card applications. Call us now on +1 844 290 6312 to find out more.
Who Can Apply for the IR2 Visa?
The criteria for the IR2 visa are not as extensive as some other types of visa. The child of the US citizen must be:
- Under 21 years old.
- Unmarried.
- Living in a foreign country.
- Has been living with adoptive US citizen parents for at least 2 years.
Besides the criteria for the child who will be applying for the IR2 visa, the US citizen must fulfill these criteria:
- Consent to adopting an unmarried child under 21 years old from a foreign country.
- Be a US citizen.
- Have adopted the child from a foreign country and lived with them for 2 years.
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The total processing time for an IR-2 child visa is anywhere from 17-24 months. The processing time used to be much quicker but the COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant delays.
The best way to ensure your application doesn’t get delayed is to file all your paperwork correctly the first time around. With Boundless, our team will help you steer clear of common mistakes and make sure your forms and documents are ready for attorney review. We can also help you include your children on your green card application for just $450 per child. Check your family’s eligibility here.
The government filing fees for applying for an IR-2 child visa is $1,080. Note, this does not include the cost of the medical examination, which varies from roughly $200 to $500. We’ll go over the cost breakdown in the sections below.
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The requirements for an IR-2 visa are:
- The sponsor must be a U.S. citizen
- The sponsor must have had legal custody of the child abroad for at least two years
- If the child is adopted, the adoption must have been finalized before the child’s 16th birthday
- The sponsor must have lived with the child for two years before applying for the visa (in the case of adoption, this isn’t always possible. Learn more about your options here)
- The child must be under age 21
- The child must be unmarried
- For stepchildren to qualify, the child’s birth parent and stepparent must have been married before the child turned 18
Do you have confidential questions about your eligibility for an IR2 visa? Boundless can guide your entire family through the entire green card process and answer any questions you may have.
The IR2 visa is part of the IR category (which stands for “Immediate Relative”), which has no yearly caps, meaning there is no wait until a green card becomes available.
How to Apply For the IR2 Visa?
The application process for the IR2 visa follows similar patterns to other types of family based visas. It has two main parts:
- The US citizen petitions for the child to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
- When the petition is approved, the child must apply to a US Embassy or Consulate in their home country
This shows that the application procedure must start within the US, with the US citizen petitioning to the authorities.
The petition can be done by filing Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relatives. The US citizen must fill the petition in all the necessary sections and then submit it to USCIS. There is also a fee which the US citizen must pay in order to process the petition.
The petition will then go through the Department of Homeland Security and processed within a few months. The US citizen will be notified about the status when the processing is complete. If the petition is denied, USCIS will let you know what the reasons were for the denial. If the petition is approved, it will then go to the National Visa Center (NVC). The NVC will then be your main contact for the IR2 visa.
The NVC will send a package with information and instructions to the applicant in a foreign country. The package will also include the case number and invoice ID number. This number serves to start the application from the US Embassy or Consulate in the foreign country.
Since the Immediate Relative Visas do not have a cap on the number issued each year, applicants do not need to wait for their priority dates to become current. Immediately after USCIS approves the petition, the applicant in the foreign country can begin their application at a US Embassy or Consulate. Since the child is a minor, they may have someone help them with their application. The US citizen does not have many duties in this part of the application.
Form DS-260, Immigrant Visa Electronic Application is the form which all applicants for immigrant visas must submit. The application can be accessed by using the NVC case number which links it to your case and the approved petition. The IR2 visa applicant or someone helping them must fill out all the necessary sections, which will have questions related to the applicant’s information, background, and purpose of immigrating to the US. When you submit the DS-260 form, you will get a confirmation page and number which you must attach to your supporting documents.
The US has certain medical and vaccination requirements which its citizens and immigrants must fulfill. Anyone who wants to immigrate to the US must get the necessary medical check-ups and vaccines. The NVC package which the applicant received after the approval of the petition will specify what medical procedures the applicant must complete and the vaccines they need to get. Only a licensed doctor who will sign them can complete the documents and the check-ups. These documents will be attached to your supporting file which you will then send to the NVC.
Besides the application form, you must also attach various supporting documents to give NVC a better reason as to why you should be allowed to immigrate to the US with an IR2 visa.
The IR2 visa file must contain the following required documents:
- Your valid passport for more than 6 months after your planned entry into the US
- A signed Form I-864, Affidavit of Support from the US petitioner (applicant’s parent)
- Form DS-260 confirmation page
- Medical examination and vaccination documents
- Two photographs per individual according to the US Visa Photo Requirements
- Court and criminal records and/or police certificate
- If you served in the military, you must bring your military records
Every immigrant applicant for the US must attend an interview at the US Embassy or Consulate where they are applying. The NVC will first make sure that you have submitted all the necessary documents and then will schedule the interview.
Since in this case, the applicant is a child, they may be accompanied by a caretaker. The child will be asked questions about who they are and the officials will determine whether the child can get the IR2 visa.
If the child’s IR2 visa is approved, they can travel to the US freely. The visa will be stamped on their passport and the Embassy will give them a package which the child must bring to the US when they first enter the country. You should not open this package under any circumstances. Only the US immigrant officials at any US point of entry will open it and decide whether the applicant can enter the country or not.
Do I Get Access to American Healthcare With an IR2 Visa?
Yes, you will have access to healthcare in the United States as an IR2 visa holder, however, the costs of getting medical treatment in the US are one of the highest in the world.
The treatment of a broken leg or broken arm will cost you $2,500, while staying at a US hospital may cost over $10,000, on average. You should pick a health insurance plan that fits you best, which overall is also affordable and covers your needs.
FAQ
Do I become a U.S. citizen once I get the IR2 visa?
How long does IR2 visa take?
What questions do they ask at immigrant visa interview?
- How, where, and when did you meet your spouse?
- Where did your first date take place?
- How long did were you with your spouse before getting married?
- When and where were you married?
- Did you go on a honeymoon? …
- What is your spouse’s current job?
What type of visa is IR2?
