What You Need to Know About Form DS-230

If you want to become a U.S. resident, you need an immigration visa. To do that, you need to go through a whole process, which involves submitting some applications. What application is required for this, though?

Update: Form DS-260

If you want to enter the United States as an immigrant, then you need to submit Form DS-260. It is an application that will give you Alien Registration and an Immigrant Visa. The form can be applied electronically, making things much easier if you have access to the Internet.

Form DS-260 now replaced what was known as form DS-230, which used to be the application that helped with this matter. Unlike the DS-260, this one had to be submitted at the U.S. Consulate.

What Is Form DS-230?

Form DS-230 is basically an application that allows you to become an immigrant. It gives you access to an Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration. If you’re someone who wishes to get an immigrant visa, the application is a must. Therefore, to be more specific, people who intend to permanently reside in the U.S. need to file this form and obtain permission to do so.

The application consists of part I and part II. Usually, it follows the filling of two forms from USCIS, respectively the I-526, which is for investors, and the I-130, which is for family-based immigration.

Who Needs DS-230?

DS-230 must be completed and submitted by anyone who wants to settle in the United States. Those who wanted a better job and future were usually the ones submitting this application.

Having said that, people who are aliens and want to obtain an immigrant visa are the ones in need of filing form DS-230.

How to Complete Form DS-230

Completing the application is the most important part because you have to be careful to submit correct information. Otherwise, you risk getting rejected. When completing the application, it’s important to bear in mind that every section of the form needs to be completed. Both parts of the form will contain questions regarding some biographical information about the applicant. Also, this information will determine your eligibility for an immigrant visa, which is why it’s important to pay attention to every section.

Both parts of this form have to be filled out with the assistance of a consular office that can be found at the United States Embassy or Consulate where you are applying for an immigrant visa. It will take about an hour to be done completing both parts of the form.

If you have family members planning to immigrate with you, then you have to file this form for each member that will be immigrating. The form can be easily completed if you have a computer, by filling it in Adobe Reader.

Part 1

Part 1 of the application is where you start providing personal information about yourself. Here, you will be asked to give your full name, the same way it appears on your passport. If the name is different from the one you have on your birth certificate, you need to provide an explanation for the matter.

You will also have to include your family members’ occupation, current address, and the address you wish to reside in the United States. Also, some questions will ask you about your chronological job history that dates back 10 years, as well as the chronological residence places since you were 16 years old. Chronological education history will have to be provided as well. If you made any visits to the U.S. in the past, then you have to mention this on the form, and you will have to talk about your military service as well.

Other things such as your date and place of birth, as well as the country, province, nationality, gender, and marital status will be required.

Keep in mind that on part 1 of the DS-230, you have to provide a signature. Sign at the bottom of page 2, and make sure you use your original signature. Copies of facsimiles of the signature are not taken into consideration.

Part 2

Part 2 will require a few different things compared to part 1. Here, you may have to make some affirmations related to crimes, such as drug use, terrorism, espionage, drug trafficking, fraud, or anything of the sort. Your health status information will also be required. Basically, you will have to swear that you have good morals and are thus planning to enter the U.S. on good terms, without plans of doing anything illegal. Make sure you swear that your morals make you eligible to become a citizen of the U.S.

As for the signature, this part does not require a signature from you. When you’re having your visa interview, the application has to be signed when you’re instructed by the Consular Officer and not before that.

With form DS-230, you will also need some supporting documentation to prove that what you wrote in the application is true. This is also important in deciding your eligibility to become a U.S. resident.

Make sure to have vaccination records, diplomas, birth certificates, marriage or divorce decrees, and anything of the sort available. Make sure you have certified copies of them.

Also, if the alien is younger than 14 years old or not capable of completing an application, then the parent or guardian of the applicant has to be the one executing it. Meanwhile, if no parent or guardian exists, then any person that has legal custody of the applicant has to complete the application on his/her behalf.

Other than that, children who are able to sign their forms by themselves should do so. If children are under 16 years old, then the parent should sign the name of the child and write “by (mother) or (father)”.

Where to Complete Form DS-230

Form DS-230 can be found online, at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services website. There, you can download the application and complete it on your computer or laptop, as all you need is Adobe Reader, which makes the form easy to fill out.

However, you should only complete this with the assistance of the consular office, and not just by yourself.

Federal Regulations Relating to DS-230

When you apply form DS-230, you may have to print it and bring it to the visa interview. Also, when you are at the interview, you will be asked to swear an oath that all the information you provided is true and correct to the best of your knowledge.

When working on the form, you may have a third party assisting you in preparing it, but you have to be the one signing it. Also, on your form, you will have to mention any potential third party who assisted you in preparing form DS-230.

Read More

• How Do I Speak to a Live Person at USCIS?
• How Many Citizenships Can You Have?
• How Do I Know Which USCIS Service Center?
• How Do I Know If USCIS Received My Application?
• What “Country of Residence” and How to Know Yours When on a Visa
• How to Check Dropbox Eligibility with the App

Conclusion

Form DS-230 is useful in helping you obtain the immigration visa you so much desire, which is why it’s important to know how to complete it. Right now, DS-260 replaced what we knew as the DS-230, but the application completion process, as well as most of the other rules, are almost the same. You have to provide the same type of information in both parts of the form, and you will have to swear that everything you wrote was correct. You will also need forms for every family member that will travel with you.

We hope we helped clarify this form for you.

Frank Gogol

I’m a firm believer that information is the key to financial freedom. On the Stilt Blog, I write about the complex topics — like finance, immigration, and technology — to help immigrants make the most of their lives in the U.S. Our content and brand have been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, and more.

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