Preparing for your Immigrant Visa Interview

Ask-the-Consul Installment 24-05

Embassy of the United States of America  100 Duke & Young Streets, Kingston,Georgetown, Guyana 

Taking the time to adequately prepare for your immigrant visa interview will prevent unnecessary delays in processing your application.  In this edition of our Ask-the-Consul, we will provide guidance on actions you should take prior to coming to the Embassy for your interview.

Register your case for visa services on our website.

After receiving your appointment notification from the National Visa Center (NVC), you MUST register ALL traveling applicants online at https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-gy/iv.  Registering each applicant provides us with the information we need to return your passport to you after your interview.  Applicants who are not registered will not be able to pick up their visas.

Schedule your Medical Examination

As soon as you receive your appointment date, you should schedule a medical examination with one of our approved physicians.  Contact information for the physicians and other medical examination information can be found online at at https://travel.state.gov/content/ travel/en/us-visas/Supplements/Supplements_ by_Post/GEO-Georgetown.html#medical_exam_instructions. 

Upload NEW documents.

If you have new documents that were not previously submitted to the National Visa Center (NVC), such as a recently issued birth certificate or an updated police certificate, you must upload those documents to your case record at https://ceac.state.gov/IV/Login.aspx.  Log in to your case record using the Case Number and Invoice ID you received from NVC.  Failure to upload new documents will delay visa processing. 

Bring the ORIGINAL documents to your interview,

Even though all required documents are submitted online, applicants MUST bring the original paper versions to their interview.  Consular officers can’t approve the visa without seeing the original supporting documents.  For a complete list of documents required at the interview, see our pre-interview checklist at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Supplements/Supplements_by_Post/GEO-Georgetown.html#pre_interview_checklist.

Financial Requirements for Sponsors

You or your sponsor must upload to your case a signed Affidavit of Support, the sponsor’s most recent tax transcript and W2 form, and a copy of the sponsor’s U.S passport, Green Card, or Naturalization Certificate.

Failure to satisfy the financial requirements is one of the most common reasons an immigrant visa is refused.  Get detailed information about a sponsor’s eligibility and income requirement at https://travel.state.gov/content/ travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process/step-1-submit-a-petition/i-864-affidavit-faqs.html. 

Information for Fiancé(e) Visa Applicants

Fiancé(e) visa applications are processed similarly to immigrant visa applications, requiring many of the same documents, including a medical examination for each applicant.  Fiancé(e) visa applicants should prepare for their interview by following the detailed instructions at https://gy.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/fiancee-visa/the-interview/.

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“Ask the Consul” is a monthly column from the U.S. Embassy answering questions about U.S. immigration law and other Consular topics.  Detailed information about visas can be viewed at https://gy.usembassy.gov/, https://ais.usvisa-info.com/, and https://travel.state.gov/.  Information about American Citizen Services can be found at https://gy.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to prepare their own documents and avoid third-party advice.  Consular processes change frequently, and non-U.S. government advisors often provide inadequate or inaccurate information.  Please contact our Visa Information Service Center using the contact information at https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-gy/niv/information/contact_us if you have general visa questions.