This article describes what to do when your i-140 petition is approved but you are not in the United States. When you are in the U.S., it’s easy to file an I-485 Adjustment of Status.
When you apply for a green card outside of the United States after an approved i-140 petition, the process is called Consular Processing, “Immigrant Visa Processing” (IVP Immigrant Visa Processing).
Lifehack: you can see some processes from people who won the Green Card DV lottery, they apply at KCC and you will apply at NVC(National Visa Center National Visa Center).
The first thing to do is to download any app from the app store for your smartphone on demand USCIS, there you will have to enter your case number, so you can track the process of getting a green card.
The “immigrant visa processing” (IVP) process will begin when your I-140 petition is approved and your priority date becomes current in the “Filing Dates” table in the monthly visa bulletin (here). Once your I-140 petition is approved, USCIS will forward the petition to the National Visa Center (NVC), and the NVC will then send you an invoice for payment if your priority date is current or close to current. You need to prepare supporting documents to send to the NVC, after which the NVC will review them. You should then wait for your priority date to become current in the Final Action Dates table of the monthly visa bulletin and for the local consulate to contact you for an interview.
Once you receive an immigrant visa, you must enter the United States within the validity period of the visa, which is usually 6 months from the date of your visa. Once you enter the United States on an immigrant visa, you will become a permanent resident as evidenced by the I-551 stamp in your passport. An I-551 alien registration card (commonly called a “green card”) will be mailed to the address on your immigrant visa application a few weeks after you enter the United States.
According to our firm’s latest data, the Immigrant Visa Processing (IVP) process typically takes about 5-8 months from the date of approval of the I-140 petition. For more information on the IVP process, please visit this link.
Processing through the National Visa Center NVC
The U.S. Department of State operates the NVC, which is located in the state of New Hampshire. Upon receipt of an approved petition, the NVC sends the petitioner or the petitioner’s attorney a fee invoice. The fee invoice is usually sent approximately 6-8 weeks after the petition is approved. After the fee is paid, the applicant completes and submits an online Form DS-260. The applicant or attorney also mails or emails supporting documents to the NVC, depending on which consulate the case goes through. The NVC usually takes about 6-8 weeks to review the materials. If all required documents are submitted, the NVC forwards the case to the appropriate consulate for further review.
Working with the consulate
After receiving the application from the NVC, the consulate conducts further verification and schedules an interview. Notification of the interview appointment is usually sent approximately 2-4 weeks after the case is referred to the consulate abroad. The interview itself is usually scheduled about 4-6 weeks after the date the applicant receives the appointment notice. The applicant must either attend the interview on the date and time specified by the consulate or apply to reschedule the interview. If the interview needs to be rescheduled, the new date can be scheduled either a month or several months later, as consulates are very unpredictable about rescheduling.
Necessary medical examination
Prior to the interview, all immigrant visa applicants, including dependent family members, must undergo a medical examination. The medical examination must be conducted by a physician approved by the Department of State and located in the country where the consulate conducting the interview is located. The applicant must bring to the examination the notice scheduling the interview, his or her passport, chest x-rays, passport photos, and copies of his or her immunizations and medical records. If no immunization records are available, the applicant may ask his or her physician to perform an antibody titration to use as proof of immunity.
Attending an interview at the consulate
The applicant and his or her dependent family members must bring their passports, their photographs, proof of the principal applicant’s employment in the case of an employment-based petition, and all required original documents to the interview. The interviewing officer will ask questions about the principal applicant’s employment history, job duties, and previous immigration history. Each applicant must sign their DS-260 form with a biometric signature, i.e., a fingerprint, to certify that they have read and understood the questions on the form and that all statements contained in their application are true and complete to the best of their knowledge.
After the interview.
If the immigration visa is approved, the applicant must leave his/her passport at the consulate for visa stamping. After a few working days, the passport with the visa will be sent to the applicant by courier. At this time, the applicant must pay an additional fee for himself and each dependent family member. Once this fee is paid, the applicant may enter the United States as a permanent resident.
Example in stages:
- About 2 weeks after the I-140 is approved (exactly from the moment of actual approval, not from the receipt of the paper notification, which takes about a week) on the USCIS website, the status changes to “Case was sent to NVC…”, until then there is no point in kicking NVC at all.
- About a week after the status “Case was sent to NVC…” the documents should already arrive at NVC. A week is notional, but that’s about how long it takes to get through the mail. From that point you can call NVC with the question “Please tell me my NVC Case Number”, they will ask for the USCIS code and should tell you either the case has been received or not. If they give you the NVC Case Number, you can track the status on the website(ceac.state.gov 8).
- Then they enter the case into the system and send a big letter with the NVC Case Number, invoices for their services, cover letter for the documents (outdated version, don’t use it) and some more information. That’s the letter you’re waiting for now, essentially telling you that the documents have been received by NVC. The average time from I-140 approval to receipt of this letter is 6-8 weeks, but we had 4.5 weeks. I suspect this was due to a call to NVC when they said “yes we have received the case but it’s not in the system yet, I’m going to do something about it and it will be in a few days. I suspect that the call pushed the process a little bit, that’s why I advise you to call a week after the corresponding status on the USCIS website.
By NVC Case Number and account number, go to ceac.state.gov 8 and there are options to pay the bill, see the status of the case and other details.
- When you get the letter, pay the bill. By this point you need to have an understanding of how to pay it because cards are NOT accepted – either a US bank account or money order payment will do. I agreed in advance with the lawyers that they would pay, so as soon as the bill came, we paid it right away.
Another nuance. If the I-140 was filed without attorneys, the first letter may not contain the bill at all, but will ask you to fill out the DS-261 Choice of Agent form. The form is simple, you need to indicate that your interests before the NVC will be represented by you. But its processing may take 1-2 weeks according to people and it is just the time for which everything will be delayed. Everything else is after it’s processed. If there was a lawyer in the I-140 form, he is automatically considered an agent and the lawyer will receive copies of all letters from the NVC.
- Immediately after paying the invoice you can see from ceac.state.gov 8 that the payment is being checked, but it is already open for printing the Cover Letter to the package of documents. I advise you to prepare all documents in advance (what and how described on nvc.state.gov 8, in particular, order in advance a certificate of criminal record for everyone who is traveling) and you can send them without delay. We did so via FedEx.
- About 2-3 days after payment it is checked and open to fill out the questionnaire DS-260 (hours 2 per person, but again we collected all the data in advance using the demo version of the questionnaire from the site nvc.state.gov 8, there for example you need to list work for 10 years and residence since 16 years).
- If you do everything as we did, you will have the forms filled in before the documents arrive and you will have to wait for this event. They do not inform you separately about the receipt of the documents, but it makes sense to call in 5 days after the post office says it has delivered them. Call and ask if you have received the Supporting Documents and what the Scan Date is. Since you filled out the forms earlier, this Scan Date is very important – it is the date when you provided everything that is required (money, forms, documents) and from it counts the period of processing of the case in NVC in fact (pre-processing). We had only a week from the moment we received the first letter from NVC to the Scan Date, during which we had time to fill out everything, send it and even they had time to receive it. Of course, if you start collecting data for DS-260 when the questionnaire is already open and order certificates of non-criminalization at the same time and then send documents by Ukrposhta, you can easily stretch it for a month or more.
- About 6 weeks after the Scan Date the documents will be processed and if everything is ok, nothing needs to be sent back, no questions arise, the case will have the status of processed. This is usually reflected in the status check on the website, sometimes an e-mail is also sent.
- Then they set the date of the interview. There is a different algorithm there too. Appointments are made at the junction of months (last few days + first few days). Appointments are made a month in advance. That is, if the processing of documents will be completed in mid-January (as we are waiting for our case), the appointment of the interview will occur in the last days of January or the first days of February and the date of the proposed interview will most likely be in early March. When the interview is scheduled within a few days they will send an e-mail about it with details. As I have already said to wait for such a letter is worth at the junction of months, if the calculations should already be but did not come again call to clarify. Sometimes there are also available dates of interviews and can appoint faster and send an invitation faster.
- Before the interview yourself to go to the medical commission (on the website of the embassy is written what to prepare from the documents and the phone number on which to record, there are queues for the record for 2-3 weeks) and also to collect documents for the interview. For Kiev still find information on the embassy’s website and register the method of delivery of passports. And all, wait for the interview. Very qualitatively prepare need, for example, a letter from the employer is not older than a month that they are not waiting and so on. If there are shortages of documents or hiccups-suspicions can put Administrative Processing and it delays from 2 weeks to several months.
It is very desirable to study the stages and lists of documents in advance on nvc.state.gov and prepare everything in advance, so that when the stage approaches, there will be no delays.
A detailed formal plan consisting of 7 steps
Step 1: Filing a petition
U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents living in the United States must file Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). This can be done either electronically or in traditional paper form by mail.
To learn more about how USCIS works and to access forms and instructions, visit http://www.uscis.gov/.
Petitioning from inside the U.S.
U.S. citizens and sponsors lawfully residing in the United States must file Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, with the USCIS office in Chicago, following the instructions on the USCIS website. U.S. employers must file Form I-140, Petition for Alien Employee, following the instructions on the USCIS website.
Petitioning from outside the U.S.
Although most immigrant visa petitions are filed in the United States, some types of petitions can be filed outside the United States. Learn about filing petitions outside the United States.
Approval of the petition
The immigration petition must be approved by USCIS before your case can be forwarded to the National Visa Center.
Step 2: Start processing documents at the National Visa Center (NVC)
Important announcement
Many frequently asked questions can be answered through our self-service tools. Please log on to https://ceac.state.gov to find out the current status of your case and to get a list of documents you need to submit.
For the latest information on U.S. embassies and consulates, including the status of consular section operations, visit https://usembassy.gov. NVC cannot predict when consular sections will resume normal operations or when your case will be scheduled for an interview.
For answers to frequently asked questions and steps in the visa application process, visit https://nvc.state.gov.
Once USCIS approves your petition, it will be forwarded to the U.S. Department of State’s National Visa Center (NVC) for pre-processing. The first step in this processing is to create your case in our system. We will then send you a welcome letter via email or regular mail. With the information in this letter, you will be able to log into our Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) to check your status, receive communications, and manage your case.
After you submit your fees, forms and supporting documents to the NVC, we will review your case to ensure that you have submitted all documents necessary to schedule an immigrant visa interview. Interviews are based on embassy/consulate availability.
To determine which cases are currently pending before the NVC, refer to the “NVC Case Deadlines ” page on the right navigation bar.
The number of visas per year is limited for certain categories
U.S. law limits the number of immigrant visas issued each year to certain visa categories. This means that even if USCIS approves your immigrant visa petition, you may not be able to get an immigrant visa number right away. In addition, U.S. law also limits the number of available visas in certain categories on a country-by-country basis. For limited categories, the availability of immigrant visa numbers depends on the date your petition is filed and the number of other people waiting for a visa in the same category. The date your petition is filed is called the priority date.
Priority dates are published monthly in the Visa Bulletin, which provides the current priority dates for cases processed by the NVC. Please note that while the NVC attempts to contact all applicants when their visa number becomes available, you may also use the Department of State’s Visa Bulletin to see if a visa is available for your application. If a visa is available and NVC has not yet contacted you, please let us know by using the Open Inquiry Form.
Important Notice: Termination of Registration:
Section 203(g) of the INA provides that “the Secretary of State shall terminate the registration (petition) of any alien who has failed to apply for an immigrant visa within one year” after notice of visa availability. The petition may be reinstated if, within two years of notification of visa availability, the alien proves that “the failure to file was due to reasons beyond the alien’s control.” Thus, if you fail to respond to NVC notices within one year, you risk having your petition terminated under this section of the law and losing the benefits associated with that petition, such as the priority date.
Step 3: Payment of fees
The first thing you need to do after receiving your NVC welcome letter is to pay the processing fee. There are two types of processing fees:
- Immigrant visa application fee
- Fee for an affidavit of support.
You will need a bank routing number and a checking or savings account number from a U.S. bank.
To pay the fee, log into your CEAC case and click “PAY NOW” under Affidavit of Support Fee or IV Fee on the summary page.
Please note that you cannot pay these two fees at the same time; the online system will ask you to pay them one at a time.
After submitting payments online, please allow up to 1 week for NVC to process your payments before proceeding to the next step. You will not be able to access Form DS-260 until NVC has processed your payments.
Step 4: Filling out the Affidavit of Support
An Affidavit of Support, also called Form I-864, is a document that an individual signs to assume financial responsibility for an applicant coming to live in the United States. The person signing the Affidavit of Support is also called the “sponsor.” The applicant must complete Form I-864; however, if the applicant’s income is insufficient, the co-sponsor may agree to also complete Form I-864 on the applicant’s behalf.
The affidavit of support is legally enforceable. The sponsor’s financial responsibility generally lasts until the applicant either becomes a U.S. citizen or is credited with 40 qualifying quarters of work (usually 10 years) under the Social Security Act.
By signing Form I-864, the applicant (including any co-sponsor) agrees to use its resources, if necessary, to financially support the beneficiary and any dependent(s). If the beneficiary and his or her dependents receive any specified federal, state, or local need-based benefits, U.S. law requires that the agency providing those benefits “must seek reimbursement” from the person signing the Form I-864.
NOTE: Please read the information below carefully. If you do not complete and submit the correct form(s) , your case will be delayed.
In most cases, the applicant must:
a) Complete the Support Application Form and;
b) Gather evidence of your financial status and other supporting documents (see Step 5).
Fill in the support application form
There are several types of Affidavit of Support forms (I-864, I-864EZ, I-864W, and I-864A). For more information about the requirements and forms of Affidavit of Support, visit the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website.
You can also find answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) here. Use the information in these FAQs and on this Web page in conjunction with, not instead of, the detailed instructions for completing the Affidavit of Support forms on the USCIS Web site.
Please note: NVC customer service representatives cannot tell you which Affidavit of Support form you should complete.
Poverty Guideline Calculation Calculator for 2022
Please use the calculator below to determine if your income meets the minimum income level for sponsorship and which Form I-864(s) you need to file, according to the table below. This will also help you determine what financial documents you may need to obtain in Step 6. The results should be used for informational purposes only.
Please enter a value between 2 and 20 in the text box corresponding to the number of family members in your household. The minimum income will appear in the line below.
For the 48 continental states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: at travel.state.gov
Fill in the support application form
If… | Then… |
You filed an I-130 petition for a foreign relative, and all three listed below are true:
1. You filed a Form I-130 petition for your relative; 2. Only one petitioner is listed on the Form I-130 petition; and 3. The income you use to qualify is based entirely on your wages or pension and is reported on one or more W-2 forms provided by your employer(s) or former employer(s). | You, the sponsor (petitioner), must complete Form I-864EZ.
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You have filed an I-130 petition for a foreign relative and meet the minimum income requirements | You, the sponsor (petitioner), must complete Form I-864.
See, e.g. tips for completing Form I-864 |
You’ve filed an I-864 form, do not meet the minimum income requirements and use a co-sponsor to meet the minimum income requirements | You, the sponsor (petitioner), and the co-sponsor must complete Form I-864.
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You’ve filed an I-864 form, do not meet the minimum income requirements and use a family member to meet the minimum income requirements | You, the sponsor (petitioner), and the co-sponsor must complete Form I-864A.
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You have filed an I-130 petition for a foreign relative and the petitioner has earned or can be credited with at least 40 qualifying quarters under the Social Security Act. | The applicant must complete Form I-864W. The applicant must also submit a statement of income and benefits from the Social Security Administration.
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You filed an I-130 petition in the name of a foreign relative and are sponsoring a child who will become a U.S. citizen immediately upon entry under the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (CCA). | You, the sponsor (petitioner), must complete Form I-864W. |
You have filed an I-600 petition and are sponsoring a sibling or adopted child other than a stepchild who is under 18 years of age. | You, the sponsor (petitioner), must complete Form I-864W. |
You filed an I-360 petition for an American, widow(er), or special immigrant and are a self-petitioning widow(er). | The applicant must complete Form I-864W. |
You have filed an I-360 petition for an American, widow(er), or special immigrant and you are an abused spouse or child. | The applicant must complete Form I-864W. |
Step 5: Collect financial evidence and other supporting documents
After the financial sponsor(s) completes the Affidavit of Support form, they must gather evidence of their financial status and other supporting documents. Complete the Financial Evidence Assistant form by clicking on the “What Financial Evidence Do I Need to Submit” button below to learn more about what needs to be submitted.
Please remember:each financial sponsor (applicant, co-sponsors and family members) must submit a statement of support as well as proof of their financial status and other supporting documentation. Failure to do so will delay the processing of your case.
WHAT FINANCIAL EVIDENCE DO I NEED TO PROVIDE?
Obtaining financial evidence
Description | |
IRS Tax Statement NVC strongly encourages the submission of tax return transcripts because they generally contain information necessary to assess the completeness of the support affidavit and allow for more efficient processing. Sponsors may submit copies of tax returns, but must comply with file size limitations for electronic upload to CEAC and may be delayed due to requests for additional documents. | If you filed Form I-864, I-864A, or I-864EZ, provide an IRS tax transcript for the most recent tax year, which NVC can process more efficiently than a copy of the tax return. Alternatively, you may provide a complete copy of the filed tax return for the most recent tax year. If you filed jointly: If you filed under the “spouses filing jointly” category, you must also file Form(s) W-2 or schedule(s) for the most recent tax year. Extension: If you applied for an extension for the most recent tax year, provide a photocopy of IRS Form 4868, or write and sign a statement that you have applied for an extension, along with your tax statement or tax return for the previous year. If you did not file a tax return: If you did not file an income tax return for the last tax year, write and sign a statement stating the reason why you should not have filed. |
Income confirmation | If you filed Form I-864, I-864A, or I-864EZ and the income reported on that form or on your tax statement reflects income below the poverty level for the year the form was filed, provide proof of your income. This can be proof of current employment or self-employment, recent paystubs, a letter from your employer on letterhead showing the date of employment, wages paid and type of work performed, or other financial data.
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Social Security Administration (SSA) Statement of Earnings | If the primary claimant may be credited with 40 quarters of eligibility under the Social Security Act, file Form I-864W and a statement of the claimant’s income from SSA verifying such coverage. |
Confirmation of assets | If you filed Form I-864, I-864A and used the assets to satisfy the minimum income requirements, provide a photocopy of proof that you own the assets. The proof can take any form as long as it confirms the location, ownership, and value of each of the listed assets, including the liens and liabilities on each listed asset. |
Proof of parentage | If you filed Form I-864A, provide proof of your relationship to the sponsor (the person who filed Form I-864). You can prove your relationship by submitting a photocopy of one of the documents listed below:
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Proof of permanent residence | If you filed Form I-864, I-864A, or I-864EZ and your mailing address and/or residence is not in the United States, but your country of domicile is the United States, write an explanation and provide documentation of how you meet the domicile requirement. Check out our frequently asked questions to learn more about domicile. |
Proof of U.S. citizenship status | If you are filing Form I-864 as a co-sponsor, provide proof that you are a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or lawful permanent resident. You must submit a photocopy of one of the following documents:
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Step 6: Complete the online visa application (DS-260)
Once you have paid your fees and your CEAC status has been updated to “PAID,” you and each qualified family member immigrating with you must complete the Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration (Form DS-260). Before you begin filling it out, you can view a sample DS-260 (PDF – 13.9 MB).
To complete the Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application, log into your CEAC case and click the “START NOW” button in the IV Application section of the Summary page.
Filing Form DS-260 does not constitute an official visa application. The visa application is not official until the applicant(s) has been interviewed by a U.S. consular officer.
After feeding the DS-260 form online, you must print the confirmation page and bring it to the interview. You can print it out at CEAC at any time after completing the DS-260 application.
Step 12: After the interview
Important note
Do not sell your home, car, or real estate, quit your job, or take non-refundable flights or other trips before obtaining an immigrant visa.
If the visa is approved
In case of a favorable visa decision, you will be informed how and when your passport and visa will be returned to you.
Passport and visa
Your immigration visa will be placed on a page in your passport. Please review the printed information immediately to make sure there are no errors. If there are spelling or biographical errors, contact the embassy or consulate immediately.
What do I need to do before traveling?
After obtaining an immigrant visa and before traveling to the United States, you must pay a USCIS immigration fee to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The fee is waived only for children entering the U.S. under the Orphan Adoption or Hague programs, special immigrants from Iraq and Afghanistan, returning residents (SB-1), and K visa holders. For more information and to pay the fee, visit theUSCIS website.
Please note: USCIS will not issue a permanent resident card (Form I-551 or Green Card) until you pay the fee.
When should I take my trip?
You must arrive in the United States and apply for admission no later than the visa expiration date shown on the visa.An immigrant visa is generally valid for six months from the date of issuance unless the medical certification expires sooner, which could result in your visa being valid for less than six months.
Entering the United States
When traveling to the U.S., the principal (or principal) applicant must enter the country before or at the same time as derivative family members who hold visas. Having a visa does not guarantee entry into the U.S. The authority to grant or deny entry into the U.S. rests with officials of the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). To learn about admission and entry requirements, visit the CBP website. Once you are authorized to enter the United States, you will become a lawful permanent resident, also called a green card holder, and you will be able to work and live in the United States.
When you become a permanent resident – Learn more about your lawfulpermanent resident status. You can also read Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants.
Social Security Number – To learn about the benefits provided by the U.S. Social Security Administration to legal permanent residents and how to apply for a Social Security card, visit theSocialSecurity Administration website.
If the visa application is refused
If your visa application is denied, the consular officer will tell you the reason why you are ineligible for a visa.Under U.S. law, not all applicants are eligible for a U.S. visa.Under U.S. law, many factors can make an applicant ineligible for a visa. For more information, see“Ineligibility for a U.S. visa.” In some cases, the law may allow you to apply for an ineligibility waiver. If you can apply for such an exception, a consular officer will advise you on what steps to take. More information can be found on the ” Visa Ineligibility Waivers ” web page.
In some situations, the consular officer may not have sufficient information to process your application for detention or you may not have any supporting documents. The consular officer will inform you of the missing information or documents and how to provide them.
Administrative processing
Some visa applications may require additional administrative processing. The consular officer will inform the applicant that administrative processing is required at the end of the interview. The duration of the administrative processing depends on the specific circumstances of each case. At the end of the administrative processing, the consular officer may conclude that the applicant is now eligible for the visa for which he or she has applied. He or she may also conclude that the applicant is still ineligible for the visa.
Except in cases of emergency travel (i.e., serious illness, injury, or death of immediate family members), applicants must wait at least 180 days from the date of the interview or submission of additional documents, whichever is later, before requesting administrative processing status.
Step 11: Interview the candidate
Before your interview, make sure you have followed the interview preparation instructions given by the U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
Go to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate on the date and time of your interview with a printed copy of the visa application confirmation page (DS-260). A consular officer will interview you (and your accompanying family members) to determine your eligibility for an immigrant visa. Digital scans of inkless fingerprints will be taken during the interview.
Important note
Before obtaining an immigrant visa, you should not make permanent financial commitments, such as selling your home, car or real estate, quitting your job, or taking other travel-related actions.
Who should be present at the interview
You, your spouse and any unmarried children immigrating with you must participate in the interview.All applicants who must participate in the interview will be listed on the interview appointment letter you will receive from the National Visa Center (NVC).
If your spouse and/or qualifying unmarried children immigrate later and are traveling separately from you, they are not required to participate in your interview. A separate interview will be scheduled for them. If necessary, you should contact the U.S. Embassy or Consulate directly to arrange a separate interview.
Your sponsor/applicant is not present at the visa interview.
What to bring with you to the interview
The applicant must bring all required original or certified copies of civil documents to the visa interview. Failure to bring all required documents to the interview may result in a delay or refusal to issue a visa. The following documents must be brought to the interview:
- Appointment Letter- The interview appointment letter you received from NVC.
- Passport – For each applicant, an unexpired passport valid for six months after the proposed date of entry into the United States
- Photographs – twoidentical color photographs for each applicant, which must meet the general requirements for photographs .
- DS-260 confirmation page
- Supporting Documents-Original or certified copies of all civil documents you uploaded to CEAC.
Original documents will be returned to you at the end of the interview. The photocopies provided may be retained.
- English translation- If documents requiring English translation have not been sent to the NVC, they must be received and presented on the day of the interview. For more information, please see the U.S. Embassy or Consulate interview preparation instructions.
- Visa Fees- If the visa application fees have been collected by NVC, you do not need to pay them again. However, if you or a family member has not paid all required fees, you will be asked to pay any outstanding fees at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
Failure to appear for an interview – If you are unable to appear for your scheduled interview, contact the U.S. Embassy or Consulate as soon as possible.If you do not contact the U.S. Embassy or Consulate within one year of receiving your interview appointment letter, your case may be terminated and your immigrant visa petition canceled, and fees paid will not be refunded.
You need to change your interview date and time – Instructions for rescheduling your interview date and time are available in the U.S. Embassy or Consulate interview preparation instructions.
Step 10: Preparing for the interview
Once the National Visa Center (NVC) has scheduled an interview time, it will send you, your applicant and your agent/advocate (if applicable) an email notifying you of the date and time of the interview.Once you receive the interview appointment letter from NVC, you need to follow the following steps BEFORE the interview date.
1. Schedule and undergo a medical examination
You (and each member of your family or “derivative applicant” applying for a visa with you) must undergo a medical examination by an authorized physician in the country where you will be interviewed.The examination must be conducted by an embassy-approved physician, also called a “group physician” . Examinations performed by other physicians will not be accepted. You must pass a medical examination and complete all required immunizations prior to your scheduled interview date.Please visit our List of U.S. Embassies and Consulates for country-specific instructions on how to pass a medical examination.
After the examination, the board doctor will either send the results of the examination directly to the embassy or give you a sealed envelope. If the doctor gives you an envelope, do not open it; instead, bring it to the visa interview and give it to the consular officer.
2. Registration with courier service/other instructions before the interview
3. Collect the documents required for the interview
Each visa applicant, regardless of age, must bring certain documents to the interview, including photographs and originals or certified copies of all civil documents filed with NVC. You do not need to bring an affidavit of support or financial certification filed with NVC.
What happens if you forget to bring any of the items on this list? The consular officer will not be able to finalize your visa. You will have to collect the missing items and submit them to the embassy or consulate and possibly attend an additional interview. Failure to bring all items on the list above may result in a delay in visa issuance.
Useful video on preparing for the interview, watch it with Yandex browser, it can translate the voiceover into Russian https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_zbvXLOHvo.
Step 9: Uploading and submitting scanned documents
IMPORTANT:Do not send any documents to the NVC by mail. However You must bring all civil documents that you have uploaded and submitted with your application to the visainterview .
To submit documents, log in to CEAC and navigate to the “Start Now” buttons located in the Affidavit of Support Documents and Civil Documents sections. Once you have uploaded all required documents for each section, click the “Submit Documents” button. The “Submit Documents” buttons will not work if you have not uploaded all required documents for each person. Once you click “Submit Documents”, your case will be queued for processing at the National Visa Center (NVC).
You should only send postal mail to the National Visa Application Center if it is explicitly stated in an email, phone call or letter from the National Visa Application Center. In most cases, the document request is for a case that is not processed electronically. If it is necessary for your case, the NVC will provide you with a mailing address. Never send original documents to the National Visa Center.
To determine which cases are currently pending before the NVC, refer to the “NVC Case Deadlines ” page on the right navigation bar.
Once NVC has reviewed your case, you will receive one of the following emails:
Corrections required
If NVC determines that you have submitted incorrect documents, you will receive a notice that your case status has been changed. Once you receive this notice, follow the instructions for logging into CEAC. Follow the instructions to provide additional information or correct the documents. You must then resubmit the case for review by clicking the “Submit Documents” button.
Remember to follow the scanning requirements in step 8 to make corrections.
Documented
If NVC determines that you have paid the required fees, submitted your immigrant visa application, affidavit of support, and supporting documents to NVC, you will receive an email stating that your case is documented and NVC will work with the appropriate U.S. Embassy or Consulate to schedule an appointment for you. NVC cannot predict when an interview will be scheduled for your case.
The U.S. Embassy or Consulate General provides the NVC with interview dates, and the NVC completes these appointments on a first-come, first-served basis. Note that applicants in the restricted (preference) visa category may receive an appointment, but their priority date must also be current. You can track your priority date by using the Visa Bulletin at usvisas.state.gov/visabulletin
Step 8: Scanning the collected documents
Once you have collected all the necessary documents, you need to scan and save them.
Scanning documents requires access to a computer and scanner or a smartphone with an Internet connection. If you do not have access to such equipment, you can find it at libraries, community centers, internet cafes, and copy shops. Note: If you choose to use a public computer, be sure to delete your scanned documents after you finish downloading them.
Do not send any documents to the National Visa Application Center (NVC) by mail unless specifically instructed to do so by the National Visa Application Center (NVC). Otherwise, you will delay the processing of your case and risk losing all the documents you have sent.
To avoid delays in processing your case, follow these guidelines when scanning documents:
Requirements:
Size and type of a single file
Acceptable file types: .pdf (preferred) .jpg and .jpeg
The size of each individual file (scanned document) should not exceed 4 MB (megabytes).
Scan and upload a multi-page document, such as I-864, as a single file. If the document is larger than 4 MB, compress the file.
“Zipped” files, modifiable PDFs, or password protected files will not be accepted.
Image quality
Your scans should:
- Being in color.
- Include the front and back of any document that has stamps, seals, or writing on the back.
- Attach the certified translation of the document to the original (i.e. foreign language document) in one file. Please note that translation is not required for documents in the language of the country where the visa interview will take place.
- Be clear, easy to view and read, with no cropped parts of the document.
- Oriented so that it can be read full screen without having to rotate the document.
Most scanning programs have a preview function to make sure the document is easy to read. If the scanned document is not readable, scan it again at a higher resolution. Keep in mind that the saved file will be larger and may need to be compressed before uploading.
Fill out the forms in block letters or pen and sign them in pen so that the text is visible on the scan.
File compression
Compression means saving a document in a smaller file size. This not only allows the file to take up less space on your hard disk, but also makes it faster to download or email. However, not all file types are easily compressed. Most computer operating systems have an option to compress a file. This option is often found under File or Save, or appears when you right-click on a file name in the navigation window. More information about what is available to you can be found in the “Help” of your computer’s operating system.
There is also third-party file compression software available, either free or purchased. Keep in mind that the Department of State cannot accept zipped files.
Step 7: Collection of civil documents
After completing the DS-260, you and each family member immigrating with you MUST gather the civil documents necessary to support your visa application.
Your civil documents MUST be issued by the official issuing authority in your country. Please refer to the Document Search section for country-specific civil document requirements.
Please note that all documents not in English or in an official language of the country from which you are applying must be accompanied by a certified translation. The translation must include a statement signed by the translator that:
- The translation is accurate, and
- The translator is competent in the field of translation.
Important note on missing documents: If a required document is missing according to country-specific guidelines, you do not need to scan it to CEAC. However, if you are unable to obtain the required document for another reason, you must provide a detailed written explanation to the NVC when scanning other documents. During the visa interview, the consular officer will determine if you need to obtain the missing document before the visa is issued. Generally, any document that is listed in the country-specific guidelines as “available” must be reviewed by a consular officer. Failure to obtain all required documents will result in a delay in processing your case.
Documenting the adoption
If the child sought to be adopted has been adopted and if their immigration petition is based on a parent-child relationship, the custody documents listed below must be submitted.
If you are an adoptive parent and/or applicant, you must provide:
- A certified copy of the adoption decree.
- A decree of legal guardianship if the guardianship occurred prior to the adoption.
- A statement indicating the dates and places where the child lives with the adoptive parents.
- If the child was adopted at age 16 or 17, proof must be presented that the child was adopted in conjunction with the adoption or after the adoption of a sibling under age 16 by the same adoptive parent(s).
Birth certificates
You and each family member immigrating with you must obtain the original birth certificate or a certified copy.
Court and prison records
If you have been convicted of a crime, you MUST get a certified copy of all court and prison records, even if you have subsequently been amnestied, pardoned, or received other acts of clemency.
Marriage certificates
If you are or have been married, you must obtain an original marriage certificate or certified copies of EVERY marriage certificate.
Document of dissolution of marriage
If you were previously married, you must obtain proof of the termination of EVERY previous marriage. The proof must be an original or certified copy of one of the following documents: A final divorce decree, death certificate, or annulment document.
Military records
If you have served in the armed forces of any country, you will need to obtain a photocopy of your military ID card.
Applicant’s documents
If you are applying for an IR5 visa as a parent of a U.S. citizen or an F4 visa as a sibling of a U.S. citizen: You must obtain your applicant’s original birth certificate or a certified copy.
If you are applying for an IR1, CR1, or F2A visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and your applicant spouse was previously married: you must obtain proof of the termination of EVERY previous marriage of your applicant spouse. This proof must be an original or certified copy of one of the following documents: final divorce decree, death certificate, or annulment papers.
A photocopy of the biographical data page of a valid passport
You and each family member immigrating with you must provide a photocopy of the biographical data page of a valid passport. The biographical data page is the page with your photograph, first name, last name, date and place of birth.
Police credentials
If you are 16 years of age or older, you must provide a photocopy of a police certificate from all countries in which you have resided based on the criteria below:
| If you … | And you– | Then present the police certificate… |
|---|---|---|
| Are 16 years of age or older | Have lived in your country of citizenship for more than 6 months in any period of your life | Your country of citizenship |
| Are 16 years of age or older | Have lived in your country of current residence (if different from your nationality) for more than 6 months | Country of your current residence |
| Have you ever lived in another country for 12 months or more? | You were 16 years of age or older at the time of residency | The country in which you used to live |
| have been arrested for any reason, regardless of how long you have lived in that city or country, and regardless of your age | The city and/or country where you were arrested. |
Note: Current and former U.S. residents are NOT required to submit U.S. police certificates.
Important: Police certificates expire after two years, unless the certificate was issued in the country of your previous residence and you have not returned there since the police certificate was issued.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
- Frequently Asked Questions on Immigrant Visa Processing
- Questions and answers about paying the immigration visa fee
- Frequently Asked Questions on the Immigrant Support Affidavit
- DS-260, FAQ on online immigrant visa applications
- Frequently asked questions about medical examinations for immigrant visas
- Frequently asked questions about preparing for an immigrant visa interview
