Ask the Consul – My Immigrant Visa was Approved… Now What?

An image of a visa.

If your immigrant visa has been approved, first of all, a heartfelt congratulations!  You and your family have navigated a long and complicated path, and you as an applicant are finally in the last steps of moving to the United States.  The question remains, however, now what do you need to do?

First – Check your email!  Within about ten days of your immigrant visa interview you will receive an email to the address you listed on your online profile.  The email will have details on when and where to pick-up your visa packet and “visa-ed” passport.  When you first created your on-line profile at ustraveldocs.com, you selected a destination for your immigrant visa packet.  Most applicants send their documents to the Visa Application Center (VAC) at Galeria 360.  However, you may also choose to have your visa packet sent to one of the 16 Mail Boxes Etc spread around the country or to your home address, if you paid for the premium home delivery option.

Second – Find your identification card! All you need to pick-up your packet and “visa-ed” passport is your identification card.  You do NOT need to pay any additional fees at the time of pick-up!  If a family member or representative is picking up the visa packet on your behalf, please be sure to follow the detailed instructions on the back of the visa approval sheet on how to authorize them to do so.

Third – Do not open your visa packet!  This sealed packet needs to be handed to an immigration officer when you first enter the United States.

Fourth – Verify the information on your visa!  Please review your personal information on your visa. It needs to match exactly the information on your passport. If you notice there is an error on the visa, please use the e-mail address  support-dominicanrepublic@ustraveldocs.com to contact the U.S. Embassy. If all is correct, take note of your visa expiration date and be sure that you arrive in the United States before that date!

If you have any questions, please visit our website at do.usembassy.gov.