General Immigrant Visa Information
To apply for an immigrant visa, a foreign citizen seeking to immigrate generally must be sponsored by a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident immediate relative(s), or prospective U.S. employer, and have an approved petition before applying for an immigrant visa. The sponsor begins the process by filing a petition on the foreign citizen’s behalf with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). You may wish to review our Directory of Visa Categories to learn about the different types of immigrant visas to the United States, including our Diversity Visa Program. Then, follow the steps on the Immigrant Visa Process to begin applying for an immigrant visa.
Once USCIS has approved your petition and you have completed pre-processing with the National Visa Center (NVC), or if you have filed the petition overseas because of an exceptional circumstance, review the instructions given to you by the NVC or by the Consular Section along with the information presented on this website, for further guidance and instructions.
Types of Immigrant Visas
Please check your case status here using your case number (usually begins with BNS): https://ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker/Status.aspx
If your case is at the National Visa Center (NVC), you will receive notification of your interview date when one becomes available. If you have an emergency request for expedited processing or other questions about your case, please contact the NVC directly (contact information here).
If you are a K1 visa applicant and your case is at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, please continue to check the appointment scheduling page. We will add appointments as our capacity allows. (For the latest K Visa Processing Update visit the the following webpage.)
If your case is at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, and you would like to request an expedited appointment due to an urgent unforeseen emergency situation, please contact us at buenosaires-IV@state.gov. For general updates on operating status, please continue to check this webpage and Embassy social media pages.
2023 Diversity Visa Applicants: After the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) has reviewed your completed DS-260, you may receive an e-mail from KCC to let you know that an interview has been scheduled at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate you selected on your DS-260 form. Please do not contact the embassy to request an interview appointment as we do not schedule these appointments directly with applicants. All appointments are scheduled through the KCC. Please visit this page