Many residents of Santo Domingo know where the United States Embassy is, and where to apply for a visa. But have you heard of the Visa Application Center (the “VAC”)? All applicants for Immigrant Visas must first visit the VAC prior to their interviews at the embassy. The VAC is located in Galleria 360 mall in Santo Domingo, and that’s where you will go to have your fingerprints and photo taken. To schedule an appointment at the VAC, please visit the website: www.ustraveldocs.com. Remember to bring your DS-160/DS-260 confirmation sheet and your passport to your VAC appointment. Once you have completed the VAC visit, make sure you have these and all other appropriate documentation prior to your interview at the embassy.
Documentation requirements are more extensive for Immigrant Visas. An Immigrant Visa applicant needs to include a birth certificate to verify their own identity, so that their case can proceed. Each Immigrant visa is associated with an employment- or family-based petition, so these relationships need to be verified at your visa interview. Bring birth certificates and any marriage or divorce certificates that you have. Family-based visas require affidavits of support from the petitioning family member as well.
The Vice Consul will also review your DS-260 online form at the interview, as well as your medical results. Don’t forget to pick-up your Medical Exam results, unless the panel physician informs you that the office will send the results directly to the Embassy. Each applicant who is more than 18 years old will need to provide a police certificate, and those who have had any problems with the law need to provide court documents that explain any prior legal problems or arrests.
Having all these documents at the time of the interview will make it easier for the Vice Consul to process your case more quickly, but this will also save you time! If you know that you will not have all the required documents ready by the day of your scheduled Embassy interview, please re-schedule your interview at this website, where you can also learn more about the process: www.ustraveldocs.com/do.
