Please follow the steps below before your immigrant visa interview at the U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia:
As soon as you receive your appointment date, you must schedule a medical exam in Ethiopia. Click the “Medical Exam Instructions” button below for a list of designated doctor’s offices in Ethiopia. Please schedule and attend a medical exam with one of these doctors before your interview.
It is important that you bring all required original documents to your interview. We’ve created a checklist that will tell you what to bring. Please print the checklist below and bring it to your interview along with the listed documents.
Read our interview guidelines to learn about any special actions that you need to take before your visa interview
All immigrant visa applicants, regardless of age, require a medical examination prior to the issuance of a visa. Only a physician accredited by the U.S. Embassy can perform this exam. It is your responsibility to schedule a medical exam with one of the offices listed below before the interview at the U.S. Embassy. Medical examination results from other physicians are not accepted.
American Medical Centre (AMC)
Address:
Lemi Kura Sub City Woreda 13 (Inside the Sunshine Real Estate compund (Meri Luke)
Tel. +251116678020/21
Email: ethiopiaamc@gmail.com
International Office for Migration (IOM)
Address:
Bole Kefle Ketema, Kebele 01 Woreda 03/05, Meseret Defar Road, Behind Millennium Hall
Tel: +251914316731, +251914316732, +251929500365
Email: iomaddisababamhu@iom.int
Items to bring to your medical examination
The doctor will need the following items to complete the medical exam forms:
You should allow at least 14 days to complete the medical examination process, from start to finish. Please also make sure that you do not book the appointment earlier than three (3) months before your scheduled immigrant visa interview with the embassy. Any medical examination fees are performed at applicant expense, including x-ray and blood tests. Fees must be paid directly to the examining physician or clinic.
During the medical exam
The medical examination will include a medical history review, physical examination, and chest X-ray, gonorrhea test, and blood test (for applicants 15 years of age or older). The United States also requires tuberculosis (TB) testing for all applicants two years of age and older. Please be prepared to discuss your medical history, medications you are taking, and current treatments you are undergoing. More information on general medical requirements for U.S. immigrants is available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website.
U.S. immigration law requires immigrant visa applicants to obtain certain vaccinations prior to the issuance of a visa. Current immigrant vaccination requirements are available on the Centers for Disease Control website. You can also read Frequently Asked Questions about our medical examination requirements online.
After the medical exam
In most instances, the doctor will provide you with exam results in a sealed envelope when the exam is completed.
DO NOT OPEN THIS ENVELOPE. Instead, bring it to your visa interview.
In other instances the physician’s office will send the results directly to the embassy. This depends on the results of the medical exam. In this case, the consular officer will receive your medical exam results before your visa interview, and you do not need to bring them with you.
Any x-rays taken will be given to you. You DO NOT need to bring the x-rays to your visa interview unless you suffer from tuberculosis (TB). However, you must carry the x-rays with you when you travel to the United States for the first time. The medical report must be less than six months old when you enter the United States as an immigrant.
Please use the list below to determine the items that the applicant must bring to the immigrant visa interview:
Applicants who fall into any category below should bring these additional documents:
For family based visa applicants:
Please note: To prevent unnecessary delays, additional evidence of the petitioner’s finances is often useful: petitioner tax records for the last three years, job letters specifying salary and length of employment, W-2 forms, and/or payment stubs. Please bring recent financial information to your interview to show that the Petitioner meets the minimum Poverty Income Guidelines.
If you are married: Your original marriage certificate, English translation, and a photocopy.
If you were previously married: Your original divorce or spouse’s death certificate, English translation, and a photocopy.
If you are older than 16 years of age: The original police certificate from your country of current residence and countries of previous residence.If these three items are all true, you must bring a more recent police certificate to the interview:
For employment-based visa applications: A letter from your U.S. employer dated less than one month ago.
Please note: If you are immigrating to the United States through employment (such as EB1), the I-864 Affidavit of Support (AOS) is generally not required. The AOS is required only if your relative filed the IV petition on your behalf or has at least a 5% ownership interest in the business that filed the petition. The letter from your U.S. employer should also confirm that the employment officer is still valid and available as of the time of the interview. This statement must be on employer stationary and be notarized.
If you have ever been convicted of a crime: Court and criminal records, English translation, and a photocopy.
If you have served in any country’s military: Military records, English translation, and a photocopy.
If you are adopted: Adoption papers or custody documents, English translation, and a photocopy.
If you are the petitioner’s stepchild: The original marriage certificate of the petitioner and your biological parent, English translation, and a photocopy along with divorce records for any previous marriages of either parent.
These instructions will help you prepare for your Immigrant or Diversity Visa appointment at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa. Please read all instructions completely. U.S. law (the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act or INA) requires every applicant demonstrate that they qualify for a U.S. visa. This means that the petition’s beneficiary must show a valid relationship, that you must prove your correct age and identity, and that all requirements are met – such as education or work experience. A consular officer can make a decision on a visa application only after reviewing the formal application and interviewing the applicant. There is no guarantee that you will receive a visa. Do not make any travel arrangements, quit your job, or sell property until you receive a valid U.S. visa.
Sending documents to the U.S. Embassy Ethiopia
If you need to send us any documents, please DO NOT mail them to us directly. Instead, visit ais.usvisa-info.com and ask for information on courier services. Please do not send any original documents to us; only send photocopies via courier or mail. You may bring original documents (plus a photocopy for the embassy’s files) to your visa interview.
Rescheduling or cancelling your interview
If you are unable to attend your appointment, please go to ais.usvisa-info.com to select a new appointment date. There may be a significant wait before the next available appointment, so please attempt to attend the date already assigned. For some family-based and employment preference visa categories, a visa became available within the month you have been scheduled by NVC. DV applicants should be aware that visas are numerically limited and must be issued by September 30 of the program year. There is no guarantee that a visa will still be available on the date of your rescheduled interview. Please carefully consult the Visa Bulletin before you request to reschedule your interview. Please reschedule your appointment through the “Missed My Appointment” option in your online account at ais.usvisa-info.com or by calling +251 011 558 2424. Failure to appear for your interview within one year may result in the cancellation of your petition.
Please note: You need to register your original NVC/KCC appointment online before you can reschedule it. Rescheduling is only possible on a date after your assigned appointment.
Security screening procedures
All visitors to the U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, must follow certain security procedures. Any visitor who declines to be screened by U.S. Embassy security personnel will be unable to enter the Embassy. To avoid delaying your entry and that of those in line behind you, please bring only what is required for your interview. If you leave items in your car, be sure to put them in the trunk and lock your car; do not leave any personal items in view in the passenger compartment. Please arrive at least 30 minutes before your appointment to clear security.
Accompanying persons
Attorneys are not permitted to accompany clients into the waiting room or to their interview. Applicants may bring ONE person to help if they are elderly, disabled, or a minor child.
If you have not paid all required fees to either the National Visa Center or via the appointment website, please be prepared to pay these fees on the day of your interview.
Please note: The fee for an Immigrant Visa (IV) is USD 325.00 per person or the equivalent in local currency. IV applicants must pay this fee on the appointment date if the petitioner (your sponsor) did not pay this fee in advance. The fee for a Diversity Visa (DV) is USD 330.00 per person or the equivalent in local currency. DV applicants must pay this fee at the U.S. Embassy on the day of your interview appointment.
If you are found ineligible to receive a visa, the application fee cannot be refunded. You can find a complete list of fees on our Fees for Visa Services webpage.
Do not make travel plans outside of Ethiopia
If your visa is approved, we will keep your passport at the embassy while we prepare your immigration packet and print a visa for your passport. We will return your passport to you later via courier services only. If you have to travel within Ethiopia while your passport is still with us, please make sure you have a valid picture ID other than your passport.
If more information is needed
Sometimes a consular officer is unable to make a decision on a visa application because he/she needs to review additional documents or the case requires further administrative processing. When additional documents are requested, the consular officer will give you a refusal letter that asks you to submit additional documents. The letter will include instructions on how to send those documents to the embassy. Administrative processing takes additional time after the interview. Most administrative processing is resolved within 60 days. However, the timing varies based on the circumstances of each case. Before inquiring about the status of administrative processing, please wait at least 60 days after your interview.
What happens after the visa approval
Passport, Visa, and Sealed Immigrant Packet – We will place your immigrant visa on a page in your passport. Please review your visa to make sure there are no spelling errors. Please be sure that your name appears on the visa exactly as it appears in your passport. If you notice any error, please bring it to consular staff’s attention by returning to the embassy at 11:00 a.m. Monday through Thursday. We will also give you a sealed envelope containing documents that you must give to U.S. immigration authorities when you arrive in the United States for the first time. If you receive X-rays during your medical examination, carry those with you and give them to the U.S. immigration authorities.
Do not open this envelope. You must carry it with you; do not put it in your checked luggage. If you open the envelope you may be denied entry to the United States.
If your visa category requires you to be single (e.g. IR2, F2B, F2A child) you must remain unmarried until you travel to the United States and obtain Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status.
If you change your intended U.S. address after obtaining your visa, please notify the immigration officer at the port of entry.
USCIS Immigrant Fee – All individuals who are issued immigrant visas overseas must pay an Immigrant Fee to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) prior to traveling to the United States. This fee is for processing your residency status and printing your Permanent Resident Card. The only people exempt from paying this fee are: children entering the United States under the Hague Process, returning residents, and people traveling on a K visa.
When You Should Travel – You must enter the United States before the expiration date on your visa, which is usually six months from the date of printing. If the visa category on your passport is F11, F21, FX1, F24, F31, F41, E11, E21, SE1 or DV1 the principal applicant must enter before or at the same time as other family members with visas. The period of your immigrant visa validity is printed on the visa. It may be less than six months if other documents in your case, such as your medical exam, expire within that time. Your visa is single-entry and not renewable. Your visa cannot be extended.
Getting a Green Card – Your Form I-551 Permanent Resident Card, also known as a green card, will be automatically mailed to the address in the United States that you write in your visa application form. This is a very important document that proves you have permission to reside in the United States. If you plan to travel outside the U.S. before your green card arrives: Please consult USCIS’s and CBP’s websites for rules about what documents you need to re-enter the country. We also recommend you check with the airline to ensure you are in compliance with their rules. Once your card is issued, you should not stay outside of the United States for more than one year. If you do, you will lose your status as a Lawful Permanent Resident.
Children’s Issues – In the United States, children are required to have certain vaccinations before they can enroll in school. We recommend that you bring your child’s complete vaccination records with you to the United States. If your child is adopted, you have full custody as a result of a divorce, or you share custody with another parent, you should bring a copy of all applicable adoption or custody papers from the authoritative court in your home country. You will need these papers (translated into English) for issues such as school enrollment, medical care, and eventual citizenship.
Information for New Immigrants – Please visit the USCIS web page for helpful information on moving to the United States. You can read their publication “Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants” online.
If you are interviewing for a Diversity Visa (DV), all of the above instructions apply to you. Please schedule and attend a medical examination prior to your visa interview; enroll in the required courier service; and gather the required documents.
Below are additional instructions that apply only to DV applicants. For instructions in Amharic, please follow this link.
Bring to your interview
In addition to the documents listed on the Pre-Interview Checklist in this package, DV applicants should also bring the following items to your visa interview:
If you cannot meet the educational requirements, you may submit evidence of qualifying work experience. Qualified work experience is defined as at least two years of full-time employment during the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of college training or experience. Please be advised that it is very difficult to fulfill the educational requirements based on work experience. Qualifying occupations are defined as those with Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) rating of 7 or above and are listed as job zone 4 or 5 on the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Skills List found at www.onetonline.org. We strongly suggest you research your work experience on this website before proceeding with your DV application if you wish to qualify based on work experience.
Somali citizens: The U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa cannot verify educational or work experiences that occurred in Somalia. Without such verification, please know that it may not be possible to process your case to completion.
If you submit any fraudulent documents with your application, you will be ineligible to receive a visa. Documents presented are subject to independent verification by trained professionals. Do not take the risk of presenting a false document. Marrying a person in order to confer an immigration benefit through the Diversity Visa program WILL result in a permanent ineligibility for both you and your spouse.
Review your DV Program
Prior to your visa interview, we recommend that you review the data on your initial E-DV entry. On your initial E-DV application, you must have correctly entered your marital status. If you are legally married you must have listed your spouse, even if you are currently separated from him/her (unless your spouse is a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident). This includes children who are your spouse’s from a previous marriage, and children who have been formally adopted. The only exceptions are:
Additionally, you must have listed ALL of your living children who are unmarried and under 21 years old. This includes your natural children, your spouse’s children, or children you have formally adopted in accordance with the laws of your country.
Failure to have listed an existing spouse or children at the time of your entry in the Diversity Visa lottery will result in the denial of your visa and visas for your family. Any fees paid to the U.S. government in support of your visa application(s) are nonrefundable. If you failed to include a child who had already been born, or a spouse to whom you were married when you entered the lottery, you should not proceed with the visa application. You can review the eligibility requirements on our Diversity Visa Process webpage.
Please be advised that there is no guarantee that Diversity Visas will be available after the month of your scheduled appointment.
Under no circumstance can a visa be issued after September 30.
Last Updated: 11/19/2022
Algeria St
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
