After the immigration petition has been approved and accepted by INS, the next step is to obtain an immigration visa number. The petitions are processed in chronological order; the date on which the original petition was filed is known as the priority date. Because so many people apply for permanent residence, the process can take a long time. People can check with the U.S. State Department to get a general idea of how long the process will take. The department publishes a bulletin that notes the current month and year of petitions currently being processed.

Once individuals are assigned an immigrant visa number, they must apply to have their status adjusted to permanent resident. If they are outside the United States when they receive an immigrant visa number, they can complete the process at the nearest U.S. Consulate office.