Please follow the steps below as soon as possible to reserve your immigrant visa interview at the U.S. Consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa or you may not be permitted entry on your interview date.

Step 1: Register your appointment online

You MUST create an account online with our customer service provider before you can schedule or reschedule an appointment. Rescheduling is only possible on a date after your assigned appointment.

Creating an account online gives us the information we need to return your passport and documents to you after your interview. When your documents are ready for pickup, you will receive an SMS and email notice on the phone number and email address provided on this link. It is therefore important that you provide the correct information. Registration is free. Click the “Register” button below to register.You need to register your appointment online. Registering your appointment provides us with the information we need to return your passport to you after your interview. Registration is free. Click the “Register” button below to register.

Register >>

Step 2: Schedule a medical exam in South Africa

As soon as you receive your appointment date, you must schedule a medical exam in South Africa. Click the “Medical Exam Instructions” button below for a list of designated doctors’ offices in South Africa. Please schedule and attend a medical exam with one of these doctors as soon as possible.

Medical Exam Instructions >>

Step 3: Complete your pre-interview checklist

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.

Pre-Interview Checklist >>

Step 4: Review interview guidelines

Read our interview guidelines to learn about any special actions that you need to take before your visa interview.

Interview Guidelines >>

Medical Exam Instructions

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 doctors listed below before your visa can be issued at the U.S. Consulate. Medical examination results from other physicians will not be accepted.

Approved physicians:

Dr. Junaid Hoosen
Family Medical Centre
Suite 108, Medical Mews
Sandton City
Sandton
Johannesburg
Phone: +27 (0)11 783 7320 
Fax: +27 (0)11 783 7321
 

Dr. Marcus Brauer MBChB (UCT), Dip PEC, DOH
Dr. Brauer and Associates
Suite 207, level 2, Clock Tower Office Suites
Clock Tower Shopping Centre
V&A Waterfront
Cape Town
Phone: +27 (0)21 419 1888
Fax: +27 (0)21 419 1886
E-mail: marcus@drbrauer.co.za

Items to bring to your examination

The doctor will need the following items to complete the medical exam forms:

• Your visa interview appointment letter,
• Your passport,
• Two (2) recently taken passport-sized color photographs, and
• A copy of your immunization records.
• DS-260 confirmation page.
  

Any medical examination fees, including x-ray and blood test fees, must be paid directly to the examining physician.

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During the medical exam

The medical examination will include a medical history review, physical examination, and chest X-ray and blood tests (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 from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

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 CDC's website. You can also read Frequently Asked Questions about our medical examination requirements Travel.State.Gov.

After the medical exam

When your examination is completed, the doctor will send them directly to the U.S. Consulate. Any x-rays taken will be given to you. You DO NOT need to provide x-rays to the U.S. Consulate General. 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 (6) months old when you enter the United States as an immigrant.

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Pre-Interview Checklist

Please use the list below to determine the items that every applicant must bring to the immigrant visa interview. Any documents that are not in English must be accompanied by a certified English translation:

• A copy of your NVC interview letter (does not apply to Diversity Visa, fiancé(e), adoptive, or asylee/refugee applicants).
  
  
• Unexpired passport valid for six (6) months beyond your intended date of entry to the United States and a photocopy of the biographic page (where your name and photo are located).
  
  
• Two (2) color passport-size photographs of each person applying for a visa (5 cm x 5 cm, or 2 inch x 2 inch).  Please review our online photo requirements.
  
  
• Confirmation page from the Form DS-260 Application for an Immigrant Visa you submitted online at ceac.state.gov/iv.

• Your original birth certificate and a photocopy.

• Medical examination results in a sealed envelope (if the physician gives you these results).

• Original or certified copies of birth certificates for all children of the principal applicant (even if he or she is not accompanying).

Applicants who fall into any category listed in italics below should bring these additional documents:

For family based applications:

• The appropriate Form I-864 Affidavit of Support for each financial sponsor along with a photocopy of the sponsor’s IRS transcript or most recent U.S. federal income tax return, and any relevant W-2s. 
  
  
• Proof of your U.S. petitioner’s status and domicile in the United States (photocopy of both sides of the Lawful Permanent Resident card I-551, Certificate of Naturalization, or U.S. passport).
  
  
• Evidence of the relationship between the petitioner and visa applicant (such as photographs, letters, WhatsApp and Facebook chats, financial support evidence, phone records, and emails).

If you are married:  Your original marriage certificate and a photocopy.

If you were previously married:  Your original divorce or spouse’s death certificate 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 for six months or more. If you answer affirmatively to the following three questions, you must bring a new or more recent police certificate to the interview:

1. You are older than 16 years;
2. You obtained a police certificate; and
3. You still live in the country that issued the police certificate.

For employment-based visa applications: Letter from your U.S. employer dated less than one month ago.

If you have ever been convicted of a crime: Court and criminal records and a photocopy.

If you have served in any country’s military: Military records and a photocopy.

If you are adopted:  Adoption papers or custody documents and a photocopy.

If you are the petitioner’s stepchild:  The original marriage certificate of the petitioner and your biological parent, and a photocopy along with divorce records for any previous marriages of either parent.

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Interview Guidelines

Sending documents to the U.S. Consulate Johannesburg

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 consulate’s files) to your visa interview.

Rescheduling or cancelling your interview

If you are unable to attend your appointment, please email JohannesburgIV@state.gov as soon as possible. Then visit the appointment website in which you registered in order to reschedule your appointment. 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. 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. DV applicants should be aware that visas are numerically limited and must be issued by September 30 of the program year.

Security screening procedures

All visitors to the U.S. Consulate must follow certain security procedures. Any visitor who declines to be screened by U.S. Consulate security personnel will be unable to enter the consulate. To avoid delaying your entry and that of those in line behind you, please bring only what is required for your interview. You may not bring a laptop computer and will need to deposit any phones with the guards at the entrance to be collected on your departure.

Accompanying Persons

Attorneys are not permitted to accompany clients into the waiting room or to their interview. The following persons may accompany a visa applicant to their interview:

• Interpreter:  Applicants may bring ONE interpreter if they do not speak English well enough to participate in an interview.
• Special Needs Visitors:  Applicants may bring ONE person to help if they are elderly, disabled, or a minor child. 

Immigrant visa fees

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. All fees may be paid in U.S. dollars. We accept cash and credit cards only. Please note that if you are found ineligible to receive a visa, the application fee cannot be refunded. A complete list of fees can be found Travel.State.Gov.

Do not make travel plans outside of South Africa

If your visa is approved, we will keep your passport at the consulate 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 (see Step 1). If you have to travel within South Africa while your passport is still with us, please make sure you have a valid picture ID other than your passport.

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After Your Visa Interview

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 sell your house, car or property, resign from your job or make non-refundable flight or other travel arrangements until you have received your immigrant visa. 

If more information is needed

Sometimes a consular officer is unable to make a decision on a visa application because they need 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 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. 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. Do not open this envelope. You must carry it with you; do not put it in your checked luggage. If you receive X-rays during your medical examination, carry those with you and give them to the U.S. immigration authorities. 

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 (6) months from the date of printing. Your visa cannot be extended and all fees are nonrefundable. The principal applicant must enter before or at the same time as other family members with visas. Unless they are eligible for benefits under the Child Status Protection Act, children who are issued a visa before turning 21 years of age must enter the United States before their 21st birthday to avoid losing their immigrant status.  

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 without obtaining advance permission from USCIS. If you do, you may 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 custodial 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.

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Diversity Visa Applicants - Additional Information

If you are interviewing for a Diversity Visa (DV), all of the above instructions apply to you. Please schedule and attend a medical examination as soon as possible; enroll in the required courier service; and gather the required documents.

Below are additional instructions that apply only to DV applicants. 

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:

• Appointment information printed from the “Entrant Status Check” on the E-DV website
• Documents showing your level of education (for the principal applicant only; more information is available Travel.State.Gov).
• Payment in cash of the $330 Diversity Visa Application Fee for each visa applicant.

Review your DV Lottery entry

Prior to your visa interview, we recommend that you review the data on your initial E-DV entry. 

Any fees paid to the U.S. government in support of your visa application(s) are nonrefundable. You can review the eligibility requirements at Travel.State.Gov.

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