What is d260?

The DS-260, Immigrant Visa Application, is an online form for individuals and family members applying for the Diversity Visa as well as anyone who is trying to get a marriage-based green card and living out of the U.S. Submitting your DS-260 and receiving approval is an integral part of progressing through your consular processing application. Your DS-260 is reviewed by the National Visa Center (NVC) and not the USCIS.

The DS-260 is intended for permanent residents who have the intention of staying in the United States, not just those traveling to the U.S. temporarily for work or pleasure. On the form, you will be asked questions about your background, places you have resided (since 16 years old), educational history, questions about family members,  and other important details relating to past life events.

DS-260 fee in 2023, which is also known as the USCIS Immigrant Fee, is $325 and is required for USCIS to create and send you your physical green card. As soon as your receive your visa stamp, which you will use to enter into the U.S., it’s important to pay the fee online. USCIS will send the physical green card to the U.S. address you specified roughly three-to-four weeks after entering the United States.

Learn about filing fees for family green cards.

In 2023, it takes between 1 and 3 months for the NVC to process a DS-260 Form. However, your wait time can differ depending on the workload of the system. During the busy season, you should expect to receive an answer for your DS-260 in 2 to 3 months. When considering this wait time in contrast to the family-based green card, which takes between 10 – 17 months, the DS-260 processing time only takes a fraction of the entire process. Do you want to bring your foreign spouse to the U.S.? Let VisaNation assist you throughout the entire process and ensure that your application is prepared to the highest standards. Create your application today!

Find out more about family-based green card processing times.

Filing your DS-260 is just one of the steps in your immigration journey. Before you can file for DS-260, you must first get approval on your I-130 and second get approval on your DS-261. This implies paying all of the necessary fees and submitting all of the supporting documents for those two forms. Only after that can you file for DS-260, and below is a checklist for you to keep in mind:

Unfortunately, if you made a mistake on your DS-260 form, there is no way to fix it, which means that you cannot amend an already submitted form. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to start from the beginning or that your entire immigration process is ruined. You must simply let the U.S. consulate interviewing officer know about the mistake. It is a common practice for consulate officers to correct some application mistakes.

If you want to familiarize yourself with the form, you can consult a DS-260 sample, which will prepare you to fill out your own application. To locate the DS-260 itself, you must access it via the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) by going to the State Department’s website and then clicking on “Submit Visa Application and Civil Documents” or on your respective U.S. embassy or consulate website.

After you file DS-260, you will have to attend a green card interview appointment. Prior to your interview, you will have to undergo a medical exam and schedule the interview with the NVC at your local U.S. embassy or consulate. After scheduling the interview, you will receive an interview appointment letter from the NVC, which you will have to bring with you to the appointment. In the letter, there will be a list of people who should be present during the interview.

You must bring the following for your interview:

The U.S. embassy or consulate will decide on the outcome of your interview within a week. Not sure about the process? VisaNation makes the entire marriage immigration seamless and fast. Get started today!

Below are the supporting documents required from the applicant’s spouse as well as the sponsoring spouse. You do not need to send the originals, but provide copies of the following:

After submitting all the appropriate documents, it normally can take a few months to have your visa interview scheduled. Keep an eye out for a notice from the National Visa Center for your assigned interview date and time.

If you are filling out the DS-260 for the Diversity Visa Program, then you’ll need to first enter your Diversity Visa case number (found on your selection notice) onto the online DS-260 form. From there, you can access and update any information about yourself and/or your family that you originally submitted in your Diversity Visa entry application.

If there have been changes to the information in between submitting the entry application—like having a child or getting married—you’ll need to make those changes on Form DS-260. Technically, the term “family member” on the form refers to a spouse and/or unmarried children under the age of 21 when you entered the Diversity Visa program. Note that when you add relatives, you’ll need to submit documentation proving the familial relationship as well. Sometimes we’ll see that applicants had a spouse or a child before submitting the Diversity Visa entry, but they did not include them on the form. If that’s your case, then this may make you ineligible.

It’s never wise to lie on immigration documentation because it can ruin your chances of being approved for a visa. After you submit Form DS-260, print the confirmation page and take it with you to your visa interview.

If you are ready to file Form DS-260 online, then that means your I-130 has been approved, you submitted your DS-261, and you paid the State Department’s application processing fee and financial support form fee. After those payments are processed, you can then go fill out the DS-260.

You will need the following:

Fill out the DS-260 in English only. If your name or address has characters that are not available in the Roman alphabet, you need to use the corresponding letters. The National Visa Center, upon receiving your submitted DS-260, will send you a receipt notice. The receipt notice typically arrives the same day you submitted the DS-260. You’ll also need to provide the necessary supporting documentation for your case—either by email, mail, or upload—depending on which consulate is processing your case. Carefully read the notice the NVC sends to you to know which way to submit the required additional documents. As a rule of thumb, do not send them the original if they request them by mail but instead, make copies of the originals and send those. You can bring the originals with you to the U.S. consulate for your green card interview.

Below you will find answers to the most commonly asked questions about the DS-260.

Can I see a sample DS-260?

You can always see a sample DS-260 at any time during your application process. If you are in the middle of filling out the DS-260 and have to leave the online form to gather information, you can click the ‘Save’ button at the bottom of every page and then return to complete it at a later point.

How long does DS-260 take to process?

The length of processing will depend on many factors, including the wait times and backlog of the NVC, USCIS, and individual service centers amid the pandemic. The first part of the process is to have your I-130 approved by USCIS, and this can take 7–15 months or longer depending on your case.

How can I check my DS-260 status?

You can check your case status by logging into the CEAC website.

Can I answer the questions in my native language?

No, you must answer all required questions in English only. If you submit your application in a different language than English, it will likely get rejected, and you will have to redo the application with your answers in English.

Is it mandatory to complete all the fields?

You can leave the fields marked “optional” blank, but you must complete the rest of the fields. It is wise to have an experienced immigration expert review your paperwork to avoid any mistakes or setbacks in the green card process.

For more information about this part of the process of applying for an immigrant visa (and U.S. lawful permanent residence), see What Happens Between I-130 Approval and Consular Interview?

The DS-260 application can be submitted only online, and only after you have paid your required visa processing fees. There might be a few days' delay between the time you pay your fees and when you will be allowed to access the form.

Go to the Immigrant Visa "Sign In" page of the U.S. Department of State's Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) and log in. Type in your NVC Case Number (located on the letter you received from NVC) to access the application. Then click "Start Now" in the "Applicant Information" section under the heading "IV Application." You will also need your Invoice I.D. Number.

The form consists of quite a few pages, which ask you a number of questions. There will be biographical questions, such as all names used, all addresses where you have lived, work and educational history, and family member information.

You will also be asked questions to determine whether you are admissible to the United States. (U.S. immigration law has a number of grounds of "inadmissibility," such as commission of crimes, presenting a security risk, or being a likely "public charge," or someone who will require government assistance due to financial need.)

The CEAC system will not let you go on to the next page of the form if you leave any important information blank. If you find you can't move forward, look for the error message and red arrow pointing out where you need to supply missing information.

You must complete this form in English, using English characters only. Plan ahead, and have someone ready to help you if you aren't confident in your English-language ability.

It is important to save your work, preferably after you complete each page of the form. The system will "time out" and lose all your work (since the last save) if you let it sit idle too long. Look for the "save" button at the bottom of each page.

Another troubleshooting tip to avoid losing information you have entered is to adjust the dates for residential and employment history to allow you to save the application before moving to the next screen. For example, you need to provide all addresses for where you have lived since age 16. If you now are 50 and have lived in 12 different places, the DS-260 invariably will log out and delete all the addresses before you enter all 12. To avoid that, enter one or two addresses and for the last address enter the ending date as the day before your current address began. Then save the application. If you enter four or five addresses that take you up to when you were 35, the system will not allow you to advance to the next page, because you have not listed all addresses from age 16 to the present. Then, go back and keep adding one or two more addresses, save, and repeat until you have completed the entire residence history.

If you can't finish the DS-260 all in one sitting (it's pretty long!), don't worry. You can save your DS-260 and come back to it later if you need to.

You can access your saved form on the Immigrant Visa CEAC website, typing in your Case Number, and selecting "View/Edit" in the Summary Information screen. Select "Edit" for the application that you want to complete.

Before you can electronically sign and submit the DS-260, the system will make you review all your answers. Take advantage of this opportunity, because submitting erroneous or incomplete answers on the DS-260 can hurt your chances of getting a visa to the United States. Once you sign and submit the application, you will no longer be able to make changes.

What is the DS-260? The DS-260 is the green card application for applicants applying from outside the United States. The DS-260, officially called the “immigrant visa electronic application,” is handled through the National Visa Center (NVC) and your local U.S. Embassy or consulate.

If you are applying for a green card from outside the United States, you will be preparing the DS-260 online application. It also means you are nearing the end of what may have been a lengthy wait and often exhausting process.

Generally, it’s time to prepare the DS-260 online application once an immigrant visa is available and you’ve submitted all of the other documents that will support the application. This article provides you a general explanation of the steps leading up to the DS-260 application and an overview of what to expect after completing it.

The DS-260 Immigrant Visa Electronic Application is the U.S. State Department’s process for applying for permanent residence in the United States. While certain individuals already present in the U.S. may be able to apply through adjustment of status, individuals outside the U.S. must go through consular processing. The DS-260 online form is the path to submit this formal request for an immigrant visa. Individuals with an immigrant visa are known as permanent residents and will be issued a green card once inside the United States.

Prior to filling out the DS-260 online, you must go through several steps. In fact, an immigrant visa must be available to start the application. In order for an immigrant visa to be available to you, a visa petition must be filed, approved, and current.

There are various ways foreign nationals may be eligible for an immigrant visa. Most commonly, U.S.-based family members file a petition (Form I-130, Petition Alien Relative) or U.S.-based employers file a petition (Form I-140, Petition for Alien Worker). CitizenPath’s online immigration services can help your relative easily and affordably prepare the family-based petition. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services must approve the petition. Depending on the qualifying relationship, the I-130 processing time will vary significantly.

RECOMMENDED: Family-Based Immigration Overview

The online DS-261 is a simple electronic form that allows you to designate a person to receive communications. It tells the State Department how to communicate with you during the application process.

Although you may assign yourself as an agent, it is common practice to designate an attorney or family member (often the petitioner) as a contact. You may also receive communications. But assigning another contact will help keep them knowledgeable of your case.

Next, the NVC will require you to pay two mandatory fees online. There is a DS-260 online processing fee ($325) and a fee to process the affidavit of support ($120). The total fees are $445.

You will not be able to access Form DS-260 until NVC processes your payments. After submitting your payments online, it may take one week to process.

At this point, family-based applicants generally must submit a Form I-864, Affidavit of Support. The person who filed the I-130 petition will also fill out the I-864 affidavit for you. In short, Form I-864 is a contract between the petitioner (sponsor) and the U.S. government. The sponsor agrees to repay the government should you ever depend on the U.S. government for public benefits (welfare).

If the sponsor needs help preparing the document and gathering supporting documents, CitizenPath can help. Designed by immigration attorneys, our online service makes the form easier and helps eliminate common mistakes that cause delays and denials. We even guarantee that USCIS will accept your affidavit. You’ll get the neatly prepared form and custom filing instructions.

When NVC informs you it is time, you may prepare the DS-260 in the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) of the Department of State. Remember, you’ll need your case number and other details before you can start.

You’ll find that most the questions are straight forward, but these tips may help you navigate the process:

Upon completion, you’ll have an opportunity to print the online DS-260 confirmation page. Take this page with you to your consular interview. If your information changes before you interview, that’s okay. It’s common for people to change jobs, have new child, or open another social media account. Simply provide an update to the consular officer at your interview.

Never prepare your application based on a sample. But a sample DS-260 may be helpful to give you a preview of what to expect or give you context for a particular question. You can access the Department of State’s official sample DS-260 application here.

You’re not quite done. Before the NVC will schedule your immigrant visa interview, there are a few final steps.

You and each family member immigrating with you must submit civil documents. Civil documents include items such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, and police records that support the information provided on your online DS-260. You must gather, scan, and then upload these documents to the CEAC website. Your civil documents must be issued by the official issuing authority in your country. If these documents are not in English, you must also include a certified translation.

After the NVC schedules your visa interview appointment, they will send you, your petitioner, and your agent/attorney (if applicable) an email noting the appointment date and time.  Before you may attend the interview, you’ll need to do a few more things. Wait until you get your interview appointment letter. The letter will contain more specific guidance. U.S. embassies in different countries may have slightly different requirements. So place close attention to your particular letter. In general, you must:

If the consular officer approves your online DS-260 application, that means you’ve been granted permanent resident status in the United States. For now, the consulate will place an I-551 stamp inside your passport to indicate you’re a permanent resident.

There is one final fee – an immigrant fee of $220. Pay this fee at your earliest convenience. It goes toward the production of your new green card. Use the stamp in your passport to initially enter the U.S. If you’ve paid the immigrant fee, your green card should arrive within a few short weeks of entry.

The DS-260 online visa application comes near the end of the consular process. While important in its own right, many of the steps and ancillary responsibilities during the path to a green card are equally important. Most people can prepare the online DS-260 without significant problems. For petitioners, CitizenPath can help you ensure the petition (Form I-130) leading to a green card is prepared correctly and the Affidavit of Support (Form I-864) meets the criteria outlined by the government.