Immigrant Visas 

The three principal ways to immigrate to the United States are through: 

• a family relationship, 
• employment,or  
• the immigrant diversity program,  lottery once a year.

In all cases, the immigration process requires a petition (application) to be filed on the inmigrant’s behalf.  Forms and the accompanying fees for filing a petition may be found at: http://www.uscis.gov

U.S. Embassy, San Jose is Accepting I-130 Petitions for Immigrant Visas in Certain Cases (Updated August 2007)

• American citizens in Costa Rica can once again file petitions for immigrant visas for their spouses, children and parents.
• In order to do so, the American citizen petitioner must currently legally reside in Costa Rica.  
• The American citizen petitioner must be able to show that they have legally resided in Costa Rica for at least 6 (six) continuous months. 
• For purposes of proving residency in Costa Rica, the U.S. Embassy in San Jose will accept an official receipt from Costa Rican immigration documenting that the American citizen petitioner filed for legal status in Costa Rica at six months prior to the time the immigrant petition is filed.  If the American citizen is already a Costa Rican resident, the cedula and its issuance date may be issued as well.  

For more information on this new policy, please click here.

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