Immigrant Visa Information

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Overview

In general, a person who wishes to immigrate to the United States must have a petition approved by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) before applying for an immigrant visa. The petition is filed either by a qualified relative or a potential employer at a USCIS office in the United States. Specific information about filing immigrant petitions is available on the USCIS website. An individual with an approved petition and a priority date that is current for processing (when applicable) is eligible to apply for an immigrant visa or K nonimmigrant visa.

U.S. immigration law also provides for a class of immigrants known as “diversity immigrants,” from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. A limited number of visas are available each fiscal year. Specific information about requirements and how to register for the diversity immigrant program can be found here.

Petitions

Effective August 15, 2011, petitioners residing in Lebanon, where USCIS does not have a public counter presence, must file their Forms I-130 by mail with the USCIS Chicago lockbox. U.S. Embassies and Consulates that do not have a USCIS presence will only be able to accept and process Forms I-130 in exceptional circumstances, as outlined below. Forms I-130 that were properly filed at the U.S. Embassy overseas where USCIS does not have a presence before August 15, 2011, will not be affected by this change.

USCIS Chicago Lockbox addresses for regular mail deliveries:

USCIS
P.O. Box 804625
Chicago, IL 60680-4107

USCIS Chicago Lockbox address for express mail and courier deliveries:

USCIS
Attn: I-130
131 South Dearborn-3rd Floor
Chicago, IL 60603-5517

For additional information about how to file a Form I-130 with the USCIS Chicago lockbox, visit the USCIS website at http://www.uscis.gov or contact USCIS by telephone in the United States at 1-800-375-5283

USCIS Immigrant Fee

Effective February 1, 2013, all individuals issued immigrant visas overseas must pay a US$220.00 USCIS Immigrant Fee before traveling to the United States.  Only prospective adoptive parents whose child(ren) is/are entering the United States under either the Orphan or Hague Process, Iraqi and Afghan special immigrants who were employed by the U.S. government, returning residents, and those issued K visas are exempt from the new fee.  The below USCIS website has more details on the new fee, including contact information for USCIS, if there are further questions: www.USCIS.gov/immigrantfee.

Exceptional Filing

Beginning August 15, 2011, petitioners who believe their situation merits an exception may request the Consular Section to accept the filing. Each request will be evaluated individually.

A petitioner seeking to file a Form I-130 should contact the Consular Section to request consideration for exception and explain the circumstances in detail. The Consular Section will then relay the request for an exception to the USCIS field office with jurisdiction over the U.S. Embassy. The determination of whether the case presents exceptional circumstances which warrant an exception to the general filing process will be made by USCIS. USCIS will publish guidance on the circumstances that may qualify as exceptional on their website.

Medical Requirements

All applicants must undergo a medical exam by an Embassy-approved Panel Physician. Information about the medical exam can be found here. You will receive instructions about how to schedule an appointment for your medical exam from NVC or the Embassy. Do not try to make an appointment before receiving these instructions.

U.S. Embassy Appointment

If you have an interview date, you must appear at the U.S. Embassy on the date and time of your appointment. Please read about security restrictions at the U.S. Embassy that describes what you can and cannot bring with you to your interview. You should bring your appointment letter and the documents required for your visa class.

Given the suspension of routine visa processing due to the COVID-19 pandemic and under the restrictions of Presidential Proclamation 10014, at this time U.S. Embassy Beirut can only schedule emergency and mission-critical IV cases, including IR/CR1, IR/CR2, IR/IH3, IR/IH4, SQ/SI-SIVs, certain employment-based healthcare professionals, and cases involving an applicant who is aging out of eligibility.  Please see these notices which contain detailed information about the current status of visa services worldwide and visa restrictions related to the COVID-19 global pandemic

Required Documents

Required Documents for IV applicants:

  • Valid passport;
  • DS-260 application confirmation page;
  • Civil Documents:
    • Original Individual Record/Extract;
    • Original Family Record/Extract;
    • Original Police Record (required for applicants 16 years old and above) for each country in which you lived for six months or more;
    • Original Birth Certificate;
    • Original Marriage Certificate (issued by the government in the country where the marriage took place);
      • Religious contracts are not accepted
      • Please provide marriage certificates for all current and prior marriages for both the petitioner and the beneficiary
    • Divorce Decree for all previous marriages, if any (issued by the government in the country were the divorce took place);
      • Religious contracts are not accepted
    • Death Certificate of late spouse, if applicable;
    • Certified copies of prison records, if applicable;
    • Certified copies of military records, if applicable;
  • Two Passport photos (5cmX5cm):  Uniforms and/or head coverings obscuring the applicant's features, hair, or hairline, may not be worn. If the applicant must wear a head cover, the ears, hairline, and forehead must be seen clearly;
  • Affidavits of Support:
    • The petitioner must provide an original, signed I-864 Affidavit of Support for each case.  This must be accompanied by his/her proof of U.S. citizenship or legal permanent resident status and their most recent IRS tax transcript, available at www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript.
    • If the petitioner does not exceed Department of Health and Human Services’ Poverty Guidelines set forth in Form I-864P, s/he may submit one of the following:
      • An original, signed I-864A from a household member (listed on the same tax return as the petitioner), including that person’s proof of U.S. citizenship or legal permanent resident status and their most recent IRS tax transcript;
      • An original, signed I-864 from a joint sponsor.  This must be accompanied by his/her proof of U.S. citizenship or legal permanent residence and their most recent IRS tax transcript.
    • Medical Exam Report submitted by one of our Accredited Panel Physicians see (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Supplements/Supplements_by_Post/BRT-Beirut.html#med_exam_instructions);
    • If the petitioner is your spouse, please bring proof of your on-going relationship, including but not limited to pictures, letters, e-mails, etc.;
    • If ineligibilities exist, the applicant must submit court documents or other documentation pertaining to this ineligibility.  (Ineligibilities include but are not limited to unlawful presence in the United States, deportation, drug use, crimes and convictions, misrepresentation, etc.).

If you have questions about required documentation, please email us at BeirutIV@state.gov in advance of the visa appointment.

Please do not make travel plans until after you’ve received the visa and can verify its contents.

Please keep in mind:

  • Documents must be new originals or notarized copies of the original.
  • All civil documents (individual and family records, birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, and police certificates ) must be accompanied by a sworn English translation. 
  • There is no need to certify the documents with the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  • If you do not bring all required documents to the scheduled interview, visa processing will be delayed.

Required Documents for K1/K3:

You must bring all of the following to your interview appointment.  Documents must be originals or notarized copies of the original.  All non-English documents must be accompanied by sworn translations into English. 

  • Individual civil record + translation;
  • Family extract + translation;
  • Birth certificate + translation;
  • Original Marriage Certificate for K3 applicants, (issued by the government in the country where the marriage took place);
    • Religious contracts are not accepted
    • Please provide marriage certificates for all current and prior marriages for both the petitioner and the beneficiary
  • Divorce Decree for all previous marriages, if any (issued by the government in the country were the divorce took place);
    • Religious contracts are not accepted
  • One Passport photo (5cmX5cm):  Uniforms and/or head coverings obscuring the applicant's features, hair, or hairline, may not be worn. If the applicant must wear a head cover, the ears, hairline, and forehead must be seen clearly;
  • Engagement or wedding ceremony photos;
  • Proof of relationship;
  • Beneficiary’s passport;
  • I-134 filled out and signed by the petitioner, along with proof of petitioner’s employment and last year’s tax returns and W2s;
  • Results of Medical Examination;
  • Police certificate(s) from any country(ies) in which you have resided for more than six months after the age of 16 + translation.

Applicants will need to bring to the interview their DS-160 confirmation page, the bank receipt, a photo, passport, and all other documents.  Failure to provide the necessary documents will delay the applicant’s interview process and may result in the rescheduling of the interview appointment. 

 To continue scheduling your visa appointment, please click here