Unfortunately, applicants for visas sometimes receive fraudulent or inaccurate information from unscrupulous persons regarding the United States visa process and how to complete the necessary requirements for the application. This edition of Ask the Consul aims to address questions associated with the visa process for non-U.S. citizens who want to visit or immigrate to the United States.
Q: Can I get a visa without an interview?
NO! It is important to beware of callers who say they have a “contact” in the Consular Section at the United States Embassy and have the ability to get you a visa without an interview. All visa applicants must attend a visa interview in order to determine whether or not they are qualified for that visa under United States immigration law and regulations.
Non-immigrant or temporary visitor visa interviews can be scheduled through the link located on the United States Embassy website georgetown.usembassy.gov. For immigrant visas, the United States National Visa Center schedules the interviews, and the applicant is then notified of the appointment through the mail.
Q: I just received a call that I need to get my medical exam for the immigrant visa application from a doctor that is not listed on the travel.state.gov website; and the caller instructed me to pay $175 for visa processing. Is this correct?
Medical Examinations are required in order to process an immigrant visa application. Immigrant visa applicants should complete their medical examinations with authorized physicians before their scheduled interview dates. Medical examinations performed by non-authorized physicians will not be accepted. The first step in preparing for the medical examination is to determine which doctors in your area are authorized to perform a medical examination for U.S. immigration purposes. The website
http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_3739.html has a link that generates a list of the authorized physician(s) contact information for you to schedule your medical examination appointment, as well as instructions related to the required medical examination including the fees associated with the exam. All fees for the medical exam should be paid to the authorized physicians. Any instructions outside of that process are not accurate.
Q: I just received a call that I won the Diversity Visa Lottery and I am going to receive a United States green card. All I have to do is pay $500 for visa processing. Is this true?
NO! The United States congress mandated the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program to make up to 55,000 diversity visas (DVs) available annually, drawn from random selection among all entries to persons who meet strict eligibility requirements from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. Beware if someone calls or emails to tell you that you have won the Diversity Visa Lottery! Scammers may contact non-U.S. citizens and tell them that they have won the Diversity Visa Lottery and/or a United States green card and instruct them to wire money. Individuals who applied for the Diversity Visa Lottery will not receive a notification letter or email from the United States Government, but instead, must check their status online.
Diversity Visa applicants can only find out if they were selected to continue with DV processing by checking their status online through the DV Entrant Status Check at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov . Also many scammers send fraudulent emails promising United States visas or “green cards” in return for a large fee.
Fees for the DV application process are paid to the U.S. Embassy or consulate cashier at the time of your scheduled appointment. The United States Government will never ask you to send payment in advance by check, money order, or wire transfer. More information on recognizing fraud and reporting it can be found at www.travel.state.gov/travel.
As of December 12, 2011, all documents that are requested during a visa interview with a United States Consular Officer can be submitted only Friday mornings between 7:00am and 9:00am.
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“Ask the Consul” is a fortnightly column from the U.S. Embassy answering questions about U.S. immigration law and visa issues. If you have a general question about visa policy please email it to us at AskGeorge@state.gov. We select questions every other week and publish the answers in Stabroek News and on our website at http://georgetown.usembassy.gov/ask-the-consul.html. Information about visas and travel can be viewed at http://georgetown.usembassy.gov, http://travel.state.gov, and at http://www.dhs.gov. Applicants are strongly encouraged to prepare their own documents and avoid “visa advisors/brokers”.
Other than the questions we select, we DO NOT respond to questions sent to Ask the Consul. Please contact the visa inquiries unit (email visageorge@state.gov or call 225-7965 between 8 am and 4 pm Monday through Friday) if you have questions about a specific case.
