IMPORTANT NOTICE
Beginning April 12, 2022, the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City will TURN AWAY immigrant visa (IV) applicants who have not brought ALL the required documents to their interview and have not uploaded ALL the required documents to CEAC. For further information, see here.
Overview
We know you have waited a long time for your visa interview. We appreciate your patience and preparedness. Below is additional, detailed information about how to prepare for an immigrant visa interview. You may also watch our video here.
Please visit ustraveldocs website NOW to register your address for your documents/visa delivery. If you need assistance with the address registration, you may also contact the Call Center via email at: support-vietnam@ustraveldocs.com. This requirement is not applicable to K (Fiancé), Refugee/Asylee and Amerasian visa applicants.
Immigrant visa interviews are conducted at the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City. When you arrive at the Consulate, you will:
- Go through security.
- Have your fingerprints taken. Please read the Fingerprinting Instructions here (PDF 449KB) and Oath Statement (PDF 79KB).
- Submit all required documents and answer some basic questions.
- Pay the appropriate fees, if you haven’t paid already. Please click here for fee information. If you’re not sure whether you paid the fee, please bring money to the interview.
- Interview with an American officer.
On the scheduled interview date, the beneficiary should appear at the Consulate General with the appointment letter and other supporting documents. Beneficiaries must show their appointment letter and passport to security to enter the Consulate.
We are trained to conduct interviews in Vietnamese. If you still cannot understand the American officer, one of our local staff will help interpret.
Legal representatives are not permitted to attend the immigrant visa interview. Only people listed on the appointment letter are allowed in the Consulate. Exceptions are made for the following:
- The petitioner.
- The parent/guardian of any applicant under the age of 17.
- The parent/guardian of any applicant who is mentally/physically challenged (handicapped).
- The son/daughter/caregiver of elderly applicants (over 70 years old).
- An interpreter if the applicant does not speak English or Vietnamese well enough to participate in an interview.
Note: If you have small children whose names are not on any confirmation letter, you should arrange for alternate childcare during the interview as they will not be allowed in the Consulate. Any other family members, relatives or friends of the applicant who do not meet one of the four conditions above will not be allowed to enter the Consulate.
We try to process the applications as quickly as possible. However, due to the large volume of beneficiaries that are processed daily, beneficiaries should plan on being at the Consulate for several hours.
If your application is approved, you will submit your passport for visa printing. Please click here for further information.
If your application is not approved, an officer will provide you with an OF-194 (“blue sheet”) that explains the next steps in your application process. Please click here for further information.
What do I need to do before the interview?
Please follow the steps below to help avoid any unnecessary delays during the immigration process.
— Apply in a timely manner
Section 203(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act requires intending immigrants to pursue their visa applications within one year from the date we send official notice to a beneficiary to apply for an immigrant visa. If the beneficiary fails to take action on the case within a year, the visa petition is temporarily terminated. You are responsible for providing current and correct addresses to the National Visa Center (NVC) or our office to ensure that correspondence regarding visa petitions reaches beneficiaries in time.
— Register your address
Please visit ustraveldocs website NOW to register your address for your documents/visa delivery. If you need assistance with the address registration, you may also contact the Call Center via email at: support-vietnam@ustraveldocs.com. This requirement is not applicable to K (Fiancé), Refugee/Asylee and Amerasian visa applicants.
— Let us know if anything changes
Petitions can take a very long time before you get your interview date. If you have had any significant life changes like marriages, births, divorces or deaths, please let us know by following these steps to update your personal information. Also, be sure to let us know if someone on the petition may turn 21 years old before their interview. This is important as it relates to the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA).
Note: The CSPA does not apply to K1 fiancé(e) visas and applications filed under the Amerasian Homecoming Act.
— Complete your medical examination and vaccinations
As soon as you have your interview appointment date, you must visit one of the Consulate’s designated panel physicians for your medical examination and vaccinations. For more information, please click here.
— Be Prepared!
One of the biggest reasons people have to make multiple trips to the Consulate is because they are missing paperwork. Please ensure you bring all the required documents to your interview, along with any evidence to help prove the relationship being petitioned is bona fide. Click here for required documents for K-1 Fiancé(e) Visa and other Immigrant Visas.
If you need to reschedule your interview
If for any reason you are unable to attend the scheduled interview appointment, you may reschedule another interview appointment based on your visa category:
Contact Us
Please note that we will not respond to inquiries sent by postal mail or fax.