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Q: How can I ensure I am prepared for my Immigrant Visa interview?
Each day, many applicants are temporarily refused their visas due to lack of preparedness. You can avoid this by having all the required documents completed. Depending on the type of visa, most applicants require an Application for Immigrant Visa (Form DS-230), certificates of birth, marriage, and divorce, a medical report, a police certificate, and an Affidavit of Support (Form I-864). By following the advice listed below, you can help ensure the timely processing of your visa application.
1. The DS-230 must be completed in advance. Do not sign the form. The DS-230 must be signed in front of the consular officer. Please be sure to answer all questions truthfully and accurately.
2. The Embassy requires newly issued civil documents (birth certificates, marriage certificates, etc.). Please make sure the civil documents presented at your interview have been issued within the last two years.
3. The spelling of the first and last names must match in the birth certificate and the passport (as well as in divorce and marriage certificates). If you have had a name change or have used a name other than your registered birth name, you must provide evidence to establish your identity (i.e. a deed poll).
4. Check your passport. Make sure it is not about to expire. Also, if your child is listed in your passport, the Embassy requires you to have the child’s name deleted from your passport before we can issue your visa. Furthermore, if the child is also a recipient of an immigrant visa, he/she will need his/her own, separate passport.
5. Have a medical exam for every applicant, including babies. Medical examination results are valid for one year.
6. You must present a police certificate for every country where you have resided longer than a 12 month period. For example, if you have lived abroad in another Caribbean country for over a year, you must have a police certificate from that country as well as one from Guyana. Police certificates are also valid for one year.
7. The petitioner must submit an Affidavit of Support (Form I-864) with original signatures on all supporting documents. A copy of the most recent U.S. Federal tax return must accompany the Form I-864. Include photocopies of the I-864 for each applicant.
8. Be honest. If you have traveled to the United States illegally, or on a nonimmigrant visa and overstayed the allowed time, or have been arrested, do not conceal these facts. Previous violations will not necessarily preclude you from immigrating to the United States. In some situations, a previous violation will not lead to visa ineligibility, and in some other cases you may be able to apply for a waiver of the ineligibility. Keep in mind that applicants who knowingly conceal or falsify information may be found permanently ineligible for immigration.
We want the immigrant visa process to be efficient, fair and in compliance with United States immigration law. If you have all the required documents and provide accurate information, your interview should proceed as quickly as possible.
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