DOS on New V Visa Form / Contacting Prospective Applicants
Posted Mar 23, 2001

On March 12, 2001 the Department of State (DOS) announced that a new form was now available for the purpose of processing V visa applicants. The form, known as the DS-3052, is to be used along with the standard nonimmigrant visa application form known as the OF-156. The form is available online, but, unlike other forms, will not be available from the Government Printing Office. (Please note the general website for DOS.) Consulates are being instructed to print the form locally so it can be distributed to applicants as needed. By June 30, DOS will also be issuing a new nonimmigrant visa application, the DS-156, to replace the OF-156.

Also on March 12, 2001 DOS stated in a telegram that the National Visa Center (NVC) would be sending letters to about 300,000 potential V visa applicants, to advise them that they may be eligible for this important new immigration benefit. The letter will be for informational purposes only, meaning that applicants do not need the letter to apply for the visa. Along with the letter, NVC will provide a form, the OF-156V, which applicants can send to the consulate. The DOS telegram therefore alerts Consular Officers to the likely influx of applications that may result from the letters.

To recap, the V visa is meant for spouses and children (under 21) of lawful, permanent residents (Green Card holders) for whom I-130 petitions have been filed on or before December 21, 2000, and who have been waiting at least 3 years. The NVC letter instructs persons in the U.S. to apply through INS, though INS has not yet issued application guidelines. [Editor's Note : it may be reasonable to file the same INS form in this situation that is used for the various dependent statuses (the I-539), but it is also quite possible that INS may develop a special form for the V visa, perhaps something similar to the 129F form for fiances.]

Persons outside the U.S. should apply at the appropriate U.S. Consulate. According to DOS, over half of the V visa applications will probably be processed at Ciudad Juarez. It is unclear to us whether that is because many of the waiting relatives are Mexican, or whether DOS is implying that Ciudad Juarez may possibly be willing to process cases for persons from other countries. There was no information on this point in the telegram.