美国移民签证排期是根据申请人的出生地国籍，而非当前国籍确定的。这一规则适用于那些受到数额限制的移民签证类别，包括基于家庭和就业的移民签证。这种做法主要是为了保持签证申请的多样性，避免某些国家的申请者因国籍多而占用过多名额。
在特定情况下，如果申请人的配偶出生于其他国家，申请人可以选择使用配偶的出生国家来申请，这被称为“交叉收益”或“利用配偶的出生地”策略。来源于《移民和国籍法》（INA）的第202(b)节。这一条款规定，如果移民签证申请人的配偶出生于一个与申请人不同的国家，申请人可以选择按照配偶的出生国家进行签证排期，从而可能绕开自己出生国家的长期排队等待。此外，如果父母在临时身份下（如旅游或学生身份）在其他国家生下了申请人，申请人可能有资格使用父母的出生国籍进行申请。
具体而言，这种策略常见于全球各国移民美国的人数较多时，特定国家（如印度、中国、墨西哥和菲律宾）的排期可能特别长，使用配偶的出生国籍可以帮助缩短等待时间。
附：INA 202(b) Rules for chargeability
Each independent country, self-governing dominion, mandated territory, and territory under the international trusteeship system of the United Nations, other than the United States and its outlying possessions, shall be treated as a separate foreign state for the purposes of a numerical level established under subsection (a)(2) when approved by the Secretary of State. All other inhabited lands shall be attributed to a foreign state specified by the Secretary of State. For the purposes of this chapter the foreign state to which an immigrant is chargeable shall be determined by birth within such foreign state except that
(1) an alien child, when accompanied by or following to join his alien parent or parents, may be charged to the foreign state of either parent if such parent has received or would be qualified for an immigrant visa, if necessary to prevent the separation of the child from the parent or parents, and if immigration charged to the foreign state to which such parent has been or would be chargeable has not reached a numerical level established under subsection (a)(2) for that fiscal year;
(2) if an alien is chargeable to a different foreign state from that of his spouse, the foreign state to which such alien is chargeable may, if necessary to prevent the separation of husband and wife, be determined by the foreign state of the spouse he is accompanying or following to join, if such spouse has received or would be qualified for an immigrant visa and if immigration charged to the foreign state to which such spouse has been or would be chargeable has not reached a numerical level established under subsection (a)(2) for that fiscal year;
(3) an alien born in the United States shall be considered as having been born in the country of which he is a citizen or subject, or, if he is not a citizen or subject of any country, in the last foreign country in which he had his residence as determined by the consular officer; and
(4) an alien born within any foreign state in which neither of his parents was born and in which neither of his parents had a residence at the time of such alien's birth may be charged to the foreign state of either parent.
参考译文：INA 202(b) 确定签证归属的规则
每个独立国家、自治领地、委托统治地区以及联合国国际托管体系下的领土（不包括美国及其外围领地）应按照国务卿批准的方式，为第（a）（2）款下设立的数额级别被视为一个单独的外国国家。其他所有有居民的地区应归属于国务卿指定的外国国家。在本章的目的中，决定移民所归属的外国国家应根据在该国出生来确定，但有以下例外：
（1）外籍儿童，如果随同或随后加入其外籍父母或父母，可以归属于任一父母的外国国家，前提是该父母已获得或有资格获得移民签证，如果这样做是为了避免儿童与父母分离，并且归属于该父母已被或将被归属的外国国家的移民数量尚未达到该财政年度根据第（a）（2）款设定的数额级别；
（2）如果一名外籍人士应归属的外国国家与其配偶的不同，为了避免夫妻分离，可以决定该外籍人士归属的外国国家为其所陪同或随后加入的配偶的外国国家，前提是该配偶已获得或有资格获得移民签证，并且归属于该配偶已被或将被归属的外国国家的移民数量尚未达到该财政年度根据第（a）（2）款设定的数额级别；
（3）在美国出生的外籍人士应视为出生在他是公民或属民的国家，如果他不是任何国家的公民或属民，则视为在其最后的外国居住国出生，由领事官员决定；
（4）在一个外国国家内出生的外籍人士，如果其父母均未在该国出生且在该外籍人士出生时均未在该国居住，可以归属于任一父母的外国国家。
(郑重申明: 发布的信息仅供参考，不应视为有关任何主题的法律依据或建议。)