State Department Expands Questions on the DS-260 Immigrant Visa Application
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has introduced several new and expanded questions on the DS-260, Online Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration. The changes affect applicants pursuing immigrant visas through consular processing and require additional information about travel history, nationalities, and family relationships.
According to reports shared with the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the updated form includes the following changes:
Passports and Nationalities: Applicants must disclose other passports held within the past 15 years and all current and former nationalities, including those formally relinquished.
Travel History: Applicants must report travel outside the United States over the past 15 years, expanded from the previous five-year period, and identify who paid for the travel.
Spouses and Domestic Partners: The form now asks about current and former spouses or civil/domestic partners. Depending on the circumstances and applicable law, these disclosures could prompt additional scrutiny and potentially affect eligibility for certain family-based preference categories.
Family Information: Applicants must provide nationality information for their spouses or partners and children, as well as the full names, dates of birth, and nationalities of their siblings.
What Applicants Should Know
These changes may require applicants to gather additional information before completing the DS-260. Applicants should review their answers carefully, particularly those involving prior nationalities, travel history, and current or former relationships. Disclosures involving domestic partnerships may raise questions about marital status and immigration eligibility, depending on the applicable law and circumstances.
Concerns have also been raised about whether the new questions were properly implemented. AILA has noted that the additions do not appear in the Department of State’s prior public notices soliciting comments on proposed DS-260 revisions, raising questions about compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act.
Our office continues to monitor developments affecting consular processing. If you have questions about the DS-260 or your consular processing case, please contact our office to discuss your circumstances.