The United States Embassy is happy to answer some common questions about immigrant visas.
Q: What is an immigrant visa?
A: Foreign citizens who want to live permanently in the United States must first obtain an immigrant visa. This is the first step to becoming a lawful permanent resident. To be eligible to apply for an immigrant visa, a foreign citizen must be sponsored by a U.S. citizen relative, U.S. lawful permanent resident, or a prospective employer. The sponsor begins the immigration process by filing a petition on behalf of the foreign citizen with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Q: What is a petition?
A: U.S. citizens and lawful permanent resident sponsors residing in the United States file Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, with USCIS. U.S. employers file a Petition for Alien Worker (Form I-140). Your immigrant petition must be approved by USCIS before you can begin the immigrant visa application process.
Q: What happens to an approved petition?
A: Petitions (Forms I-130 and Forms I-140) approved by USCIS in the United States are sent to the Department of State’s National Visa Center (NVC) for pre-processing. When your petition becomes current, or is likely to become current within one year, NVC initiates immigrant visa pre-processing, including collecting visa fees, forms, and documents from sponsors (petitioners) and immigrant visa applicant(s).
Q: What happens when your petition becomes current?
A: NVC will notify you via letter or email when your case becomes current or is likely to become current within a year, and will ask you to begin next steps. You will be asked to submit the required immigrant visa application and supporting documents. For more information on the specific steps, please visit https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/immigrate/immigrant-process/approved/contact.html.
Q: The Department of State’s National Visa Center has received the required immigrant visa application and supporting documents. When will I receive my appointment date?
A: After you have submitted the required immigrant visa application and supporting documents to the NVC, they will review your file. Once they determine your case qualifies for an interview, NVC will work with the U.S. Embassy to schedule an appointment for your interview. Once it’s scheduled, NVC forwards all related paperwork to U.S. Embassy Georgetown.
An interview appointment notification letter is sent to you (the applicant), your petitioner (sponsor), and your agent/attorney (if applicable) regarding the date, time, and location of the interview. There may be a wait of several months for an interview date to become available.
- I received my immigrant visa appointment letter. What do I do next?
A: All Immigrant Visa applicants who have received an appointment letter must register their cases online prior to their appointment date. Registering your case provides the Embassy with the information we need to return your passport and visa package after your interview.
Q: Where do I complete my registration?
A: Registration can be completed at the following link: https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-gy/iv/users/sign_in. For assistance with registration call our Visa Information Centre at 592-225-8732.
Q: Why is it important for me to register my case?
A: Immigrant visa registration is important for many reasons. Without registration, you cannot collect your visa from DHL. Registering streamlines communication between you and the U.S. Embassy. Finally, it helps you avoid unnecessary delays in your immigration to the United States.
Q: Are there any additional steps I must take to prepare for my interview?
A: The U.S. Embassy will send you an e-mail with a list of additional documents required for the interview. It is also important to schedule and complete a medical examination.
Medical Exam. You (and each family member or “derivative applicant” applying for a visa with you) are required to schedule a medical appointment with an authorized physician in the country where you will be interviewed. You must complete your medical examination, along with any required vaccinations, BEFORE your scheduled visa interview date. This exam must be with an embassy-approved doctor. Exams conducted by other physicians will not be accepted.
Additional Documents. Every visa applicant no matter their age must bring certain documents to the interview, including photographs, the original version of all civil documents submitted to NVC, copies of those documents, and financial documents from the petitioner and any other financial sponsors. Note that civil documents issued prior to 01 January 2010 are not accepted.
Q: What happens if I forget to bring something on this list?
A: If you don’t bring all the required documents, the consular officer will not be able to complete the processing of your visa and you’ll be required to come in for additional interviews. Please use the following link to schedule your follow up appointment: https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-gy/iv/users/sign_in.
“Ask the Consul” from the U.S. Embassy Consular Section answers 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.
Information about visas and travel can be viewed at https://gy.usembassy.gov/, http://travel.state.gov, and http://www.dhs.gov.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to prepare their own documents and avoid third-party advice. Regulations change frequently and non-US government advisors frequently provide inadequate, incomplete and inaccurate information.
Other than the columns you see printed here, we aren’t able to respond to questions sent to Ask the Consul. Please contact the Visa Information Service on telephone number 225-8732 or 703-439-2359 if you have procedural questions or e-mail visageorge@state.gov for case specific information.
