What to Expect During Your Consular Interview 

Have you been notified of your consular interview appointment? If so, congratulations. The consular interview is a milestone step in obtaining a United States visa. Before the visa is granted, there are several steps that must be taken, including completing a consular interview at the U.S. embassy in the country where you are currently living. However, it is important not to just show up. There are important aspects of preparation that must be taken care of prior to attending your interview so that you can actually be admitted to the interview by the consular officer and complete this necessary step. 

Preparing for Your Consular Interview

• Check the date, time, and location of your appointment. First of all, it’s critical that you do not miss your appointment. You will receive a notice from the National Visa Center (NVC), which will include the date, time, and location of your consular interview. Make sure you understand when and where your appointment is, and double-check it before and after adding it to your calendar. It will be important to make sure that you have everything that you need to have done before the interview date. 
• Get a medical exam from an approved physician. One of the requirements for receiving a United States visa is that you have a medical examination with an embassy-approved physician. You should schedule this appointment as soon as you receive notice of your consular interview. At the end of your appointment, the physician may send your results directly to the embassy, or they may give you a sealed envelope. If they give you a sealed envelope, make sure that it remains sealed. Do not open it, or the consular officer will not be able to accept it. 
• Collect all necessary documentation. Make sure that you have all required documents and that any documents requiring an English translation are translated. 

What to Expect During Your Consular Interview

• Collection of documentation. The consular officer will ask you for a number of items and documents. You will be required to provide the appointment notification letter that you received from NVC, an unexpired passport that is valid for at least six months after your intended date of entry to the United States, two identical color passport photographs, the DS-260 confirmation page, and the original versions or certified copies of all civil documents uploaded to CEAC. Original documents will be returned to you at the end of the interview, but certified copies may be kept. Failure to provide all of these documents will keep you from moving forward in the visa process. 
• Fingerprinting. As part of your interview, you will be fingerprinted digitally (no ink!). 
• Payment of Visa Fees. If you did not pay your visa fees when you submitted your application, you will be asked to pay at the embassy. 

Schedule a Consultation with the Sverdloff Law Group

If you need assistance with an immigration-related matter or would like help navigating the visa application process as quickly and easily as possible, the experienced immigration attorneys at the Sverdloff Law Group in Chicago, Illinois, are ready to help. Contact the Sverdloff Law Group today to schedule a consultation.