How to get Family based green card whilst living in Italy

The U.S Embassy in Naples, Italy supplies Italians, who have a sponsor in the U.S, a green card, pending success. In 2023, 441 Family based green cards were issued to Italians with a family member with U.S citizenship. 

Here we will outline the process of successfully gaining a green card when you have a sponsor in the U.S.

Step 1:

Submit a petition

Your qualifying relative must complete an I-130 Petition for Alien Relative document to start their petition in your support. This must be submitted to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and can either be completed online or on paper and mailed. To find your relevant form and to access more information access https://www.uscis.gov/ 

Step 2:

NVC Processing

After USCIS approves your petition, they will transfer your case to the Department of State’s National Visa Centre (NVC) for processing. You will also have to pay your appropriate fees through the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC).

Step 3:

Affidavit of Support & Financial Documents

An Affidavit of Support, is a document an individual signs to accept financial responsibility for the applicant (you) who is coming to live in the United States, they then become your sponsor. Next, your sponsor(s) must prove that they meet the financial requirement, gather evidence of their finances and other supporting documents. 

Step 4:

Online Application

Next, you must complete the Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration (Form DS-260), this is a biographical information form that is essential for your application. After submitting Form DS-260 online, you must print the confirmation page and bring it to your interview. You can print this from CEAC any time after you complete your DS-260 application. 

Step 5:

Civil Documents

Scan & Submit Documents

After you complete your DS-260(s), you and each family member immigrating with you MUST collect the civil documents required to support your visa application.

Your civil documents MUST be issued by the official issuing authority in your country.

For Italy, you can find the required documents here

Types of Documents:

• Adoption/ Decreto di Adozione
• Birth Certificates/ Certificato di nascita 
• Marriage Certificates/ Certificato di matrimonio
• Divorce Certificate/ Certificato di divorzio
• Military Records/ Documenti militari
• Photocopy of Valid Passport Biographic Data Page/ Fotocopia della pagina dei dati anagrafici del passaporto valido
• Criminal Police Check/ Controllo della Polizia Criminale

Step 6:

Interview Preparation

If NVC determines you have paid the necessary fees, submitted the required immigrant visa application, Affidavit of Support, and supporting documents to NVC, you will receive an email that your case is documentarily complete and NVC will work with the U.S. Embassy in Naples to schedule an appointment for you.

The U.S. Embassy in Naples tells NVC what dates they are holding interviews, and NVC fills these appointments in a first-in, first-out manner. Please keep in mind, applicants in a numerically limited (preference) visa category can receive an appointment, their priority date must also be current. You can track your priority date using the Visa Bulletin at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin.html 

Please follow the steps below before your immigrant visa interview at the U.S. Embassy in Naples, Italy. 

Step A: Register your appointment online

You need to register your appointment online. Registering your appointment provides the Embassy with the information they need to return your passport to you after your interview. Registration is free, you can register here: https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-it/iv 

If you want to cancel or reschedule your appointment, you will be able to do so after you register your appointment. 

Step B: Get a medical examination

Medical Exam Instructions

All immigrant visa applicants, regardless of age, require a medical examination prior to the issuance of a visa.  Only a physician accredited by the U.S. Consulate can perform this exam.  Applicants are not required to contact the medical facility to schedule their medical examination. Medical appointments are scheduled by the US Consulate on your behalf upon scheduling of your visa interview. The medical examination will take place on the day before the interview at Istituto Varelli, Via Cornelia dei Gracchi 51/60, Naples.  Medical examination results from other physicians will not be accepted. 

Approved physicians:

Istituto Diagnostico Varelli

Via Cornelia dei Gracchi 51/60

Napoli

Tel: 081 7672202

Items to bring to your medical examination:

• Your visa interview letter
• Your passport
• Four (4) recently taken passport-sized color photographs, and
• A copy of your immunization records
• DS-260 Confirmation Page

During the medical exam

The medical examination will include a medical history review, physical examination, and chest X-ray and blood tests (for applicants 15 years of age or older). The United States also requires tuberculosis (TB) testing for all applicants two years of age and older. Please be prepared to discuss your medical history, medications you are taking, and current treatments you are undergoing. 

After the medical exam

When your examination is completed, the doctor will either provide you with exam results in a sealed envelope or send them directly to the U.S. Consulate. IF GIVEN AN ENVELOPE TO CARRY TO YOUR INTERVIEW, DO NOT OPEN THIS ENVELOPE. Instead, bring it to your visa interview.

Any x-rays taken will be given to you. You DO NOT need to bring the x-rays to your visa interview unless you suffer from tuberculosis (TB). However, you must carry the x-rays with you when you travel to the United States for the first time. The medical report must be less than six months old when you enter the United States as an immigrant.

 Vaccination Requirements

Panel physicians who conduct medical examinations on behalf of immigrant visa applicants are now required to verify that immigrant visa applicants have met the new vaccination requirement, or that it is medically inappropriate for the visa applicant to receive one or more of the listed vaccinations: 

• Mumps 
• Measles 
• Rubella
• Polio
• Tetanus
• Diphtheria
• Pertussis
• Influenza type B (HIB)
• Rotavirus
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Meningococcal Disease
• Varicella
• Pneumococcal Pneumonia
• COVID-19 (full series) 
• Influenza.

Should you not wish to take vaccines for the purpose of immigration to the United States, contact us today to discuss the possibility of an I-601 moral exemption waiver.

 Step C: Pre Interview Checklist

Please bring everything below to your interview:

• A copy of your NVC interview letter (does not apply to Diversity Visa, fiancé(e), adoptive, or asylee/refugee applicants).
  
• Unexpired passport valid for six months beyond your intended date of entry to the United States and a photocopy of the biographic page (where your name and photo are located).
  
• Two (2) color passport-size photographs of each person applying for a visa (5 cm x 5 cm, or 2 inch x 2 inch). Please review the official online photo requirements.
  
• Confirmation page from the Form DS-260 Application for an Immigrant Visa you submitted online at ceac.state.gov/iv.
  
• Your original birth certificate, English translation, and a photocopy.
  
• Medical examination results in a sealed envelope (if the physician gives you these results).
  
• You must bring the original version of each civil document you submitted to the NVC.
  
• Original or certified copies of birth certificates for all children of the principal applicant (even if he or she is not accompanying).

For family-based visa applications:

• The appropriate Form I-864 Affidavit of Support for each financial sponsor along with a photocopy of the sponsor’s IRS transcript or most recent U.S. federal income tax return, and any relevant W-2s.
  
• Proof of your U.S. petitioner’s status status and domicile in the United States (photocopy of a U.S. passport, naturalization certificate, or lawful permanent resident card).
  
• Evidence of the relationship between the petitioner and visa applicant (such as marriage or birth certificates, photographs, letters, or emails)

For any more information please visit. 

Step 7:

Interview Preparation

On the scheduled date and time of your interview appointment, go to the U.S. Embassy in Naples with your printed visa application (DS-260) confirmation page. A consular officer will interview you (and accompanying family member beneficiaries) and determine whether or not you are eligible to receive an immigrant visa. As part of the interview process, ink-free, digital fingerprint scans will be taken.

Step 8: 

After the interview

Do not sell your house, car or property, resign from your job, or make non-refundable flight or other travel arrangements, until you have received your immigrant visa.

If your application was successful:

You will be informed how and when your passport and visa will be returned to you.

Passport and Visa:

Your immigrant visa will be placed on a page in your passport. Please review the printed information right away to make sure there are no errors. If there are any spelling or biographical errors, contact the embassy or consulate immediately.

What do I need to do before I travel?

You must pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) after you receive your immigrant visa and before you travel to the United States. Only children who enter the United States under the Orphan or Hague adoption programs, Iraqi and Afghan special immigrants, returning residents (SB-1s), and those issued K visas are exempt from this fee. Please visit the USCIS website for more information and to pay the fee. 

Please Note: USCIS will not issue a Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551 or Green Card) until you have paid the fee.

The U.S Embassy in Naples will be your key contact through the immigration process into the United States. If you require assistance, please contact our team of experienced immigration professionals who would be happy to help you in every step of this process.