December 12, 2016
If you are applying for an immigrant visa, please schedule and attend your appointment at the Visa Applicant Center in Galeria 360 before your immigrant visa interview at the Embassy. We cannot conduct an interview if you have not completed the necessary processes at Galeria 360.
While processing times vary by applicant, we aim to keep your wait to a minimum. We recommend that you arrive just 15 minutes before your immigrant visa appointment time to minimize any time spent for visa processing. You do not need to arrive at 7:00 AM.
Providing Information and Evidence at Your Interview
Consular officers conduct immigrant visa interviews at the embassy to determine the legitimacy of the petitioner’s relationship to the beneficiary. Please keep in mind that all questions at the interview are designed to give the applicant the opportunity to provide adequate information so that the officer can make the correct determination.
Let’s take, for example, an immigrant visa case that is based on a marital or fiancé/fiancée relationship. A few suggestions of relationship evidence you might choose to bring are as follows: Photographs showing the beneficiary’s and petitioner’s lives together throughout their relationship (please note that these photos must be printed before you arrive, as cell phones and other electronic devices are not allowed in the Embassy); letters the beneficiary and petitioner have written to each other, or printouts of emails or text messages; bank account or insurance statements to prove joint accounts; joint property titles and/or lease agreements; birth certificates (“in extensa” and “legalizada”) of a couple’s biological children (regardless of age).
If it is not possible for both the beneficiary and the petitioner to be present at the immigrant visa interview together, it is even more important to bring evidence that supports the case.
The bottom line is that the consular officer must decide if the relationship in the petition is genuine when conducting an immigrant visa interview. Any evidence that the beneficiary and petitioner can bring to the interview to illustrate the validity of their relationship will be helpful in making the immigrant visa process go more smoothly..
If you have any questions about your case or the process, email SantoDomingoVisas@state.gov.
