Unused immigrant visas

FederalStatutes

Ask Donna

How this section applies to your facts.

Title 8—ALIENS AND NATIONALITY > CHAPTER 12—IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY > SUBCHAPTER II—IMMIGRATION > Part I—Selection System

This text was captured on Apr 17, 2026. It is a snapshot, not a live feed, so check the official code before relying on it.

Text

If an immigrant having an immigrant visa is denied admission to the United States and removed, or does not apply for admission before the expiration of the validity of his visa, or if an alien having an immigrant visa issued to him as a preference immigrant is found not to be a preference immigrant, an immigrant visa or a preference immigrant visa, as the case may be, may be issued in lieu thereof to another qualified alien.

( June 27, 1952, ch. 477 , title II, ch. 1, § 206, 66 Stat. 181 ; Pub. L. 89–236, § 6 , Oct. 3, 1965 , 79 Stat. 916 ; Pub. L. 104–208, div. C, title III, § 308(d)(4)(D) , Sept. 30, 1996 , 110 Stat. 3009–618 .)

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.