It allowed permanent residents to achieve family unity with their spouses and children while the immigration process took its course.
Practically, the V visa is currently not available to spouses and minor children of LPRs who have applied after December 21, 2000.
The date is available in the Visa Bulletin[4] posted on the State Department's web site.
The beneficiary is not allowed to use this program in a manner that would suggest that they are actually living in the U.S. without an immigrant visa.
This is because the visitor and student visas (or the VWP) require demonstration of non-immigrant intent.
While the V visa is still available to those who satisfy the conditions, it is effectively no longer useful since the sunset date was December 21, 2000.
Nonimmigrants (including students, specialty workers, intracompany transferees) do not have this kind of problem.
Under current law it is only permanent residents whose spouses/minor children must wait many years to be admitted.
S.1919[8] (also 109th Congress) reclassifies spouses and children of permanent residents as immediate relatives.
[citation needed] The first V visas were issued in Fiscal Year 2001, after the LIFE Act became law.
The significance of the V visa has declined over time, because it applies only to people who had filed Form I-130 petitions on or before December 21, 2000.