Immigrant Visas
Fees, Medical Examinations and Other Important Information
Medical Examinations
Before the issuance of an immigrant visa, every applicant, regardless of age, must undergo a medical examination. The examination will be conducted by a doctor or clinic designated by the U.S. Embassy. The applicant must pay any examination costs, and they are in addition to the visa fees. This immigrant visa unit will provide information on the clinics approved by the Health Service of the United States where you must undergo a medical examination.
United States immigration law requires immigrant visa applicants to obtain certain vaccinations (listed below) prior to the issuance of an immigrant visa. The physicians who conduct medical examinations of immigrant visa applicants are required to verify that you have met the vaccination requirement, or that it is medically inappropriate for you to receive one or more of the listed vaccinations:
- Mumps
- Measles
- Rubella
- Polio
- Tetanus and diphtheria toxoids
- Pertussis
- Influenzae type b (Hib)
- Hepatitis B
- Varicella
- Pneumococcal and
- Influenza
In order to assist the physician and avoid delays in the processing of your immigrant visa, you should have the vaccination records of all family members applying for immigration available at the time of the medical examination. Waivers of the vaccination requirements are available only upon recommendation of the examining physician. Only the physician can determine which of the listed vaccinations are medically appropriate for you, given your age, medical history and current medical condition.
Visa Fees
The cost of each formal immigrant visa application is U S $355 plus a $45 security surcharge for each intending immigrant, regardless of age. Diversity Visa applicants pay the $355 visa application fee, plus the $375 diversity visa fee, and the $45 security surcharge. All fees are non-refundable. All immigrant visa fees may be paid in dollars, or the equivalent in euros. Traveler's checks may be accepted under certain circumstances. We, however, do not accept personal checks. You can pay with the following credit cards: Visa, Master Card, Discover, and American Express. Fees should not be sent to the embassy unless requested specifically. There are separate Department of Homeland Security fees for filing petitions.
Miscellaneous
Since no advance assurances can be given that a visa will be issued, you should not make any final travel arrangements that cannot be changed, dispose of your property, or give up your job until the visa has been approved. An immigrant visa is valid for six months from the issuance date.
Be sure to notify this office if circumstances that might affect your visa application have changed. For example:
- Change of address
- Change of marital status
- Death of petitioner
- Birth or adoption of additional children
With a few exceptions, a person born in the United States has claim to U.S. citizenship. A person born outside the U.S. may have a claim to U.S. citizenship, under United States law, if either parent was:
- A U.S. citizen at the time of their child's birth, and
- Lived in the United States for a specific period of time prior to the child's birth.
If you may have a claim to United States citizenship, you should not apply for a visa until your citizenship status has been determined by a consular officer. Please contact the American Citizens Services unit at the Embassy for adjudication of a claim to U.S. citizenship.
If you have any children who intend to immigrate with you to the United States, please be aware that in order to immigrate with you to the United States, your children must be unmarried, eligible to be listed under your visa classification and under the age of 21 at the time they enter the United States. If any of your children will turn 21 within 60 days, please notify this office.
At the port of entry DHS officials will take the immigrant visa and assign each immigrant an "alien number." They will stamp the immigrant's passport with this number and make a notation that you are registered for an I-551 alien registration card ("green card"). It normally takes several months for DHS to process and send you the alien registration card . In the interim, the passport stamp permits employment and travel until the card arrives. You may depart and return to the U.S. before you receive the alien registration card, as long as the DHS stamp in your passport has not expired.
Should you wish to leave the U.S. and your stamp has expired and you have not yet received your alien card, you should contact DHS in the U.S. before departure to ensure you have permission to return to the U.S.
If you plan to remain outside the U.S. for more than 12 months, you must apply for a re-entry permit (Form I-131) in the U.S. before departure. This re-entry document is valid for a maximum of two years. Without a re-entry permit, any absence from the U.S. of 12 months or longer, or any residence established outside the U.S., is grounds for loss of your permanent resident status. If you are permanently relocating outside the U.S., you can formally abandon your permanent resident status at a U.S. Embassy overseas.