– in past three years, says Deputy Chief of Mission

THE US has issued some 104,133 immigrant and non-immigrant visas to Guyanese over the past three years.

In a breakdown, Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy Terry Steers-Gonzalez said the US issued about 86,133 non-immigrant visas and over 18,000 immigrant visas.
“It is over half of the non-immigrant visas issued by the embassy here so far in the 21st century,” said Steers-Gonzalez during his remarks at a farewell reception for the outgoing US Ambassador, Perry Holloway.

In 2017, it was reported that the US Embassy processed more than 72,000 non-immigrant and 7000 immigrant visas.

To apply for an immigrant visa, a foreign citizen seeking to immigrate generally must be sponsored by a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, immediate relative(s), or a prospective U.S. employer, and have an approved petition before applying for an immigrant visa.

The sponsor begins the process by filing a petition on the foreign citizen’s behalf with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

“You may wish to review our Directory of Visa Categories on usvisas.state.gov to learn about the different types of immigrant visas to the United States, including our Diversity Visa Programme,” the embassy said.