What is a home or worksite visit?
Immigration officers may conduct a visit to your home or worksite to ensure compliance with the EB-3 program. Home/site visits are standard and are not a cause for concern. If you receive a visit, please collaborate with the immigration officer, and provide them with all requested information or documentation.
Immigration officers may send an email to schedule a specific date and time for a home/site visit. However, visits can often be unannounced.
A good visit will make USCIS’s (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) job easier and get your approval faster.
How does USCIS choose where to conduct a home/site visit?
Visits are conducted randomly.
What happens during a visit?
You should first request to see the immigration officer’s badge and/or ID. Please take note of their full name and ID number.
Once the inspection starts, the immigration officer may ask for the following:
Information about the EB-3 Unskilled job. For example, the job title, job duty, salary, worksite, start date (or anticipated start date if you have not started work), and whether the job is full-time. The immigration officer is asking for this information to verify job details.
Recent paystubs to confirm employment if you have started work.
Job offer letter if you have not started working.
Housing arrangements and where you intend to live while working for the sponsor.
Recent bank statements.
Important note: If you are unable to immediately answer a question or provide evidence, please explain to the officer that additional time is needed. If the immigration officer requests information/documentation that is not readily available, you should promptly provide it afterwards.
Once the home/site visit is complete, please contact BDV to let us know about the visit and what information was requested. Please reach out to Corrie McKee (cmckee@bdvsolutions.com) Director of Client Services, and Chris Richardson (crichardson@bdvsolutions.com) our President and General Counsel.
How can you prepare for a home/site visit?
Visits are random and, often, unannounced. The best way to prepare for a visit is to ensure that you are already working for, or have the intent to work, full-time in the role and location listed in the EB-3 petition. Promotions that are a “natural progression” of the role are normal and allowed.
You must be able to clearly describe your sponsor, job title, job duties, start date, and salary to the immigration officer.
If a Supplement J has been filed to change your sponsor, you must be prepared to describe the new sponsor, job title, job duties, start date (if you have started work), and salary to the immigration officer.
What happens after a home/site visit?
USCIS will review the immigration officer’s report. If there are indicators of fraud or noncompliance, the case may be referred for further investigation.
The key takeaway is that visits are normal. Please provide all requested information/documentation to the officer. The best way to prepare for a visit is to ensure that you are working full-time in the job listed on the EB-3 filing.
What happens if I receive an email from an Immigration Officer for a virtual visit?
Please send the email request to John Cooper (john@bdvsolutions.com) and Chris Richardson (crichardson@bdvsolutions.com) our President and General Counsel. BDV can help you prepare a response to the Officer’s virtual inquiry.