Taking the necessary steps to prepare for an immigrant visa interview can help prevent delays in processing applications, according to guidance provided by the U.S. Embassy. The embassy advises applicants to register their cases online, schedule medical examinations promptly, upload new documents if applicable, and bring original documents to the interview.
Applicants are required to register all traveling applicants on the designated website after receiving an appointment notification from the National Visa Center (NVC). This registration is crucial as it provides information needed for returning passports post-interview. Those who fail to register will not be able to collect their visas.
Scheduling a medical examination with an approved physician should be done immediately upon receiving an appointment date. Details about approved physicians and further instructions can be found on the travel.state.gov website.
For those with new documents such as recently issued birth certificates or updated police certificates that were not previously submitted to NVC, these must be uploaded using the case record at ceac.state.gov. Failure to do so could delay visa processing.
Bringing original paper versions of all required documents is mandatory for interviews, even though they have been submitted online. Consular officers require these originals for visa approval.
The financial requirements for sponsors include uploading a signed Affidavit of Support along with the sponsor’s most recent tax transcript and W2 form, plus a copy of their U.S passport, Green Card, or Naturalization Certificate. Not meeting these financial requirements is a common reason for visa refusal.
Fiancé(e) visa applications follow a similar process as immigrant visas and require many of the same documents, including medical examinations. Detailed instructions are available on the U.S. Embassy's website.
“Ask the Consul” is a monthly column from the U.S. Embassy addressing questions about U.S. immigration law and other consular topics. It emphasizes preparing one's own documents due to frequent changes in consular processes and potential inaccuracies from non-U.S government advisors.
For general visa inquiries, applicants are encouraged to contact the Visa Information Service Center using details available online.