Please follow the steps below before your immigrant visa interview at the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan, Armenia.

After you receive your visa interview appointment, you must complete each of the steps that follow. If you do not complete each step before your visa interview appointment the consular section may require you to reschedule for a later date.

All applicants must follow the instructions below before going to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

Step 1: Create your online account for document drop off/pickup services

Before your visa interview appointment, you must create an account online here. Choose Registration of document delivery information. Your registration ensures we have the correct information to return your passport and documents after your visa interview. Registration also allows you to cancel or reschedule your interview if necessary. To reschedule your interview appointment, choose Rescheduling of NVC/KCC appointment, and send a request for pre-approval by the Consular section to be able to enter the appointment calendar.

Register >>

Step 2: Get a medical exam in Armenia

As soon as you receive your appointment date, you must schedule a medical exam in Armenia. Click the Medical Exam Instructions link below for a list of designated doctors’ offices in Armenia. Schedule and attend a medical exam with one of these physicians accredited by the U.S. Embassy Yerevan before your interview.

Medical Exam Instructions >>

Step 3: Complete your pre-interview checklist

If your case is being processed electronically, you are required to upload documents to your CEAC account online. Do that before the interview and bring all required original documents to your interview appointment. If you do not upload and provide all required documents, your appointment will be cancelled and your interview could be delayed by several months. We cannot schedule your appointment or issue your visa until you provide all required documents and information.

To help you collect the required documents for your immigrant visa case, please review the checklist below.

Pre-Interview Checklist >>

Step 4: Important Pamphlet for K-1, K-3, IR-1/CR-1, and F2A Immigrant Visa Applicants (International Marriage Broker Regulation Act)

If you are applying for a visa as a fiancé(e), spouse of a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident, it is important that you carefully read the pamphlet on the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act before your interview. You will learn about your rights and protections and the resources available to you, if you need help when you come to the United States.

To review the pamphlet, scan this QR code or visit https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/imbra.html

Medical Exam Instructions

Everyone applying for an immigrant visa, no matter how old they are, must have a medical exam before they get their visa.

• Only a physician approved by the U.S. Embassy can do the exam.
• It is your responsibility to schedule and attend a medical exam with the following clinic at least two weeks before your visa interview.
• Medical exam results from a different medical practitioner will not be accepted

Approved Physicians:

Dr. Kristine R. Khachatryan
Normed Medical Center
Yerevan, Zeytun district, Nersisyan 12/6 st.
2^nd floor examination room N2

Tel: (37410) 56-72-65 (work) or (37491) 20-51-43 (mobile)
E-mail: kristinekhachatryan@ymail.com
Hours for appointments and phone inquiries:
Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Dr. Anush M. Ordyan
Normed Medical Center
Yerevan, Zeytun district, Nersisyan 12/6 st.
2^nd floor examination room N1

Tel: (37410) 55-69-06 (work) or (37491) 41-00-31 (mobile)
E-mail: anushordyan@mail.ru
Hours for appointments and phone inquiries:
Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Dr. Anna Ayvazyan
Normed Medical Center
Yerevan, Zeytun district, Nersisyan 12/6 st.
2nd floor examination room N3

Tel: (37455) 57-86-65 (mobile)
E-mail: annaayvazyanmed@yahoo.com
Hours for appointments and phone inquiries:
Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Dr. Hasmik Ohanyan
Normed Medical Center
Yerevan, Zeytun district, Nersisyan 12/6 st.
2nd floor examination room N3

Tel: (37493) 51-55-39 (mobile)
E-mail: oh.hasmik.71@gmail.com
Hours for appointments and phone inquiries:
Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Items to bring to your medical examination

Bring these items to your medical exam:

1. Your visa interview letter
2. Your passport
3. Six (6) passport-sized color photographs taken within the last six months.
4. A copy of your immunization records
5. Your Form DS-260 visa application confirmation page
6. Your home address, address in the U.S. where you intend to live, personal contact information, email address and phone number

• The basic examination fee for each applicant is 50 000 AMD.
• Chest X-ray and laboratory tests will be conducted for additional fees according to age requirements.
• Applicants aged 15 and older must have a chest radiography (chest x-ray). Chest X-ray in one position is 8 000 AMD. The fee for two positions 12 000 AMD
• Applicants aged 2 years and older must have an IGRA test. The IGRA test fee is 40 000 AMD. If the test is positive, an additional chest X-ray is required
• Applicants aged 18-24 must be tested for gonorrhea. The gonorrhea NAAT test costs 10 000 AMD.
• Applicants aged 18-44 must be tested for syphilis. The syphilis test fee 2 000 AMD.

During the medical exam

The medical examination includes:

1. A medical history review
2. A physical examination
3. A chest X-ray
4. A gonorrhea test
5. Blood tests for applicants ages 15 and older
6. The United States also requires tuberculosis (TB) testing for all applicants ages two and older
7. Please be prepared to discuss your medical history, medications you are taking, and current treatments you are undergoing.

• If you are required to take additional laboratory tests based on findings from a chest x-ray that suggest tuberculosis, your immigrant visa appointment will be cancelled.
• Once your test results are received and your final medical report is submitted to the Consular, we will contact you to schedule a new appointment.
• This process makes sure that applicants with potential TB are managed correctly to prevent the spread of the disease and to comply with health and safety regulations.

More information on medical requirements for U.S. immigrants is available at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website (CDC).

U.S. immigration law requires immigrant visa applicants to get certain vaccinations before a visa will be issued.

• Current immigrant visa vaccination requirements are available at the CDC website.

You can also read Frequently Asked Questions about medical examination requirements at travel.state.gov.

After the medical exam

When your examination is finished, the doctor will send your report.

X-rays that were taken will be given to you. You DO NOT need to bring the x-ray results to your visa interview. However, you must carry the x-ray results with you when you travel to the United States for the first time.  

Medical reports are only valid for either three (3) or six (6) months from the date of your examination. The length of the validity period depends on the results of your medical exam.

• Your visa, if approved, will usually be limited to the expiration date of your medical examination. That means you must enter the country before your medical report expires.

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Pre-Interview checklist

Use the checklist that follows to learn what documents you must upload to your online application and/or bring with you to the interview.

• Any document that is not in English must have a notarized or a certified English translation.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: All applicants: Read the information below carefully. If you do not upload and bring all required original documents to your interview, your appointment will be cancelled, and your interview could be delayed by several months. We cannot schedule your appointment or issue your visa until you provide all required documents and information.

CIVIL DOCUMENTS:

• A copy of your immigrant visa interview invitation letter
  
  
• An unexpired original passport valid for six (6) months after the date you intend to enter the United States and
  • A photocopy of the biographic page. Upload a copy for electronic cases.
     
• 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. Upload a copy for electronic cases.
  
  
• The confirmation page from the DS-260 Visa Application form you submitted online at ceac.state.gov/iv
  • Your complete employment history is required in your DS-260 application.  
  • For K1/K2 fiancé(e) visa appointments, bring the confirmation page of your DS-160 Non-Immigrant Visa Application.
     
• For Iranian applicants, a resume or CV explaining your entire education and work history.
  
  
• Your original birth certificate, English translation, and a photocopy. Upload a copy for electronic cases.
  
  
• Your petitioner’s original birth certificate, its English translation and a photocopy if required by your case category. Upload a copy for electronic cases.
  
  
• Medical examination results sent directly to the Embassy by the panel physician before your interview.  
  
  
• Your original marriage certificate, its English translation and a photocopy required by your case category. Upload a copy for electronic cases.
  
  
• If you or your petitioner were previously married: The original divorce certificate for you and the petitioner or the spouse’s death certificate(s), and English translations, and photocopies if required by your case category. Upload a copies for electronic cases.
  
  
• Original proof of name change from you and your petitioner and its English translation with a photocopy. Upload a copy for electronic cases.

• Original police certificate for applicants aged 16 or older. It must have been issued within the last 24 months. It must include your current and  every former names and surnames and an English translation if the document is not in English. Upload a copy for electronic cases.
  
  Police certificates are required from:
  1. Your current place of residence (If you have lived there for more than 6 months).
  2. Your country of nationality (If you lived there more than 6 months).
      •   Armenian nationals should apply to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia.
  3. Any other country of residence where you lived for 12 months or more after the age of 16.

Note1: If you ever changed or corrected your date of birth in your birth certificate or passport, a police certificate with both dates of birth is required.
Note2: Police certificates from Iran and the United States are not required.

• Your military records: Original military book or military card and its English translation with a photocopy. Upload a complete copy and English translation for electronic cases.
  
  
• Court and Prison records: If you were arrested or convicted of a crime:
  • You MUST obtain a certified copy of each court and prison record, even if you were later granted amnesty, a pardon, or other act of clemency.
  • If your case is electronic, upload all documents and their English translations into your case and bring the original documents to your interview.
     
• Evidence of the relationship between the petitioner and the visa applicant, such as:
  • Photos: Showing the relationship between the Petitioner and Principal Applicant (PA), as well as between the PA and each derivative applicant.
  • Communication Records: Records of communication such as emails, chat logs, letters, and any other forms of correspondence.
  • Proof of Visits: Evidence of visits, such as travel itineraries, boarding passes, hotel receipts, and any other relevant documents.
  • DNA Test Results if applicable: If you previously had a DNA test while your case was with DHS/USCIS, bring the DNA result(s).
     
• If you are adopted:  Original adoption papers or custody documents, English translations and a photocopies. Upload copies for electronic cases.
  
  
• If you are the petitioner’s stepchild:
  • The original marriage certificate of the petitioner and your biological parent, English translation, and a photocopy
  • Divorce records for all previous marriages of both the petitioner and the biological parent.
  • Upload copies for electronic cases
     
• Employment-based visa applications: Original letter from your U.S. employer dated less than one month ago.

SPONSORSHIP DOCUMENTS:

• Valid Form I-864 Affidavit of Support for the petitioner and the joint sponsor (if it applies) for family-based immigrant visa cases. Upload the form for electronic cases in CEAC.
  
  
• Valid Form I-864A Contract Between Sponsor and Household Member if the household member’s funds will be used for sponsoring the applicant’s visa case. Upload the form for electronic cases in CEAC.
  
  
• Most recent tax forms from the petitioner, household member and any joint sponsor showing income that meets 125% of HHS Poverty Guidelines for family size:

1. Most recent IRS tax transcript
2. Form 1040 IRS tax transcript
3. Form 1040 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return
4. All W-2 1099 forms.
5. Upload the forms for electronic cases.

• Proof of your U.S. petitioner’s and joint sponsor’s status and domicile in the United States (Such as a photocopy of a U.S. passport, naturalization certificate, or lawful permanent resident card). Upload copies for electronic cases.
  
  
• All household member’s ID copies. Upload copies for electronic cases.
  
  
• For K1 (fiancé/fiancée) and DV visa cases, sponsorship form to be submitted on the interview day is Form I-134, Declaration of Financial Support along with the sponsor’s most recent tax forms and proof of US status.
  
  
• Public Charge:  You may be required to communicate a plan showing that you are unlikely to become primarily dependent on the U.S. government for subsistence, either through receipt of public cash assistance for income maintenance or through long-term institutionalized care at U.S. government expense.
  
  The applicant must establish their eligibility for a visa. Evidence could include (but are not limited to):
  •   Support beyond Petitioner’s or Joint Sponsor’s Affidavit of Support
  •   Health insurance for the United States
  •   Employment offers
  
  NOTE:  Based on your presented documents and interview results, the Consular Officer may ask for more information or documentation as part of processing your immigrant visa case.

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Interview Guidelines

Rescheduling or cancelling your interview

If you cannot attend your appointment, please contact the Consular Section by visiting the Visa Navigator at Yerevan Visa Unit to reschedule your appointment. The date you select must be after the date of your NVC scheduled interview.

1. There may be a significant wait before the next available appointment, so please make every effort to attend the appointment NVC scheduled for you.
2. For some family-based and employment preference visa categories, a visa  became available within the month you have been scheduled by NVC.
3. DV applicants should be aware that the number of visas is limited and must be issued by September 30 of the program year.
4. Review the Visa Bulletin carefully before you ask to reschedule your interview.

Important: There is no guarantee that a visa will still be available on the date of your rescheduled interview.

To reschedule your interview appointment date, go back and review Step 1: Create your online account for document drop off/pickup services.

• After you create an account at the courier partner’s website, log into your account and follow the steps to submit NVC/KCC interview appointment rescheduling request.
• Once we receive your request and pre-approve it, you will be able to access the appointment calendar, check the vacant appointment slots and register your new interview appointment date. 
• If you have technical problems with your account, contact the call center for support: +374 44 083 504 or visit www.ustraveldocs.com/am/en/contact-us/

Security screening procedures

All visitors to the U.S. Embassy must follow certain security procedures.

1. Any visitor who refuses to be screened by U.S. Embassy security personnel cannot enter the embassy.
2. To avoid delaying your entry and those in line behind you, bring only what is required for your interview.
3. Review forbidden items at Immigrant Visas - U.S. Embassy in Armenia under Visiting the Embassy.

Accompanying persons

Attorneys cannot go with clients into the waiting room or to their interview.

Only these people may go with a visa applicant to the interview:

• Interpreter: Applicants who do not speak English may bring ONE interpreter.
• Special Needs Visitors:  Applicants who are elderly, disabled or a minor child may bring one person to help.
• Non-parents that accompany minor children must bring a notarized power of attorney from the child’s parents giving them the power to apply for the visa on behalf of the minor.
• K (Fiancé) cases: Petitioners may accompany their fiancé(e) to the visa interview.
• IR-1/CR-1 cases: Petitioners may accompany their spouse to the visa interview.

Immigrant visa fees

If you have not paid all the required fees to either the National Visa Center or through the appointment website, be prepared to pay them on the day of your interview.

• Fees must be paid in cash and in one currency, either U.S. Dollars or the Armenian Dram equivalent. Card payments are not available at the Consular.

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 via travel.state.gov

Do not make travel plans outside of Armenia

If your visa is approved, we will keep your passport while we prepare your immigration packet and print a visa for it. We will return your passport by courier service only (see Step 1).

Please Note: It often takes 1-2 weeks after visa approval to receive your passport and visa packet.

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After Your Visa Interview

Consular officers can only make decisions on applications after they review the formal application and interview 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 receive your immigrant visa.

If more information is needed

There are only two possible outcomes for U.S. visa applications.

• The consular officer will either issue or refuse the visa.
• If a visa applicant has not established that he or she is eligible for a visa, the consular officer must refuse the application.

If the consular officer refuses a visa, but asks for additional documents, you have one year from the date the visa was refused to submit the additional documents.

• If you do not provide the required additional information within one year, you must reapply for the visa and pay another application fee.

When additional documents are requested: The consular officer will give you a refusal letter that asks you to submit additional documents. It will include instructions about how to send them to the Embassy by courier service.

Some visa applications refused (under 221(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act) may require more administrative processing. 

• The consular officer will inform the applicant at the end of the interview.
• The duration of the administrative processing differs based on the details of each case.

At the end of the administrative processing period, the consular officer may decide that an applicant qualifies for the visa. Otherwise, the officer may conclude that the applicant remains ineligible for a visa.

Except in cases of emergency travel (such as serious illnesses, injuries, or deaths in your immediate family), before they inquire about the status of their case, applicants should wait at least 180 days from the date of interview or submission of additional documents, whichever is later.

What happens after visa approval

Passport, Visa, and Sealed Immigrant Packet: We will place your immigrant visa on a page in your passport.

1. Please check your visa to make sure there are no spelling errors.

2. For immigrant visa cases processed in paper form, we will give you a sealed envelope containing documents you must give to U.S. immigration authorities when you arrive in the United States for the first time.

DO NOT OPEN THAT ENVELOPE.

You must carry it with you. Do not put it in your checked luggage.

• Please note that electronic visa cases will not have a sealed immigrant packet.

If you receive X-rays during your medical examination, carry them with you and give them to the U.S. immigration authorities.

3. USCIS Immigrant Fee: Everyone who is issued an immigrant visa overseas must pay an Immigrant Fee to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) before traveling to the United States.

This fee is for processing your residency status and printing your Permanent Resident Card. The only people who do not have to pay this fee are children entering the United States under the Hague Process, returning residents, and people traveling on a fiancé (e) (K) visa and follow-to-join asylee and refugee applicants.

4. When You Should Travel: You must enter the United States before the expiration date on your visa.

• Your visa cannot be extended and fees cannot be refunded.
• The principal applicant must enter before or at the same time as other family members with visas.

Getting a Green Card: Your Form I-551 Permanent Resident Card, also called a green card, will be automatically mailed to the address in the United States that you gave in your visa application form.

1. If you plan to travel outside the U.S. before your green card arrives: Make sure you review the USCIS and CBP websites for rules about the documents you need to re-enter the United States.

• We recommend checking with your airline about specific rules they may have for travelers without a green card.

2. After your green card is granted, check your rights and responsibilities, including international travel, at the USCIS website: Rights and Responsibilities of a Green Card Holder (Permanent Resident) | USCIS

3. Permanent residents are free to travel outside the United States. Temporary or brief travel usually does not affect your permanent resident status.

• However, if it is determined that you did not intend to make the United States your permanent home, you will be found to have abandoned your permanent resident status.

4. If you remain outside the United States for more than one year or longer than your Re-entry Permit’s validity, you may lose your status as an LPR and will need a new immigrant visa to resume permanent residence.

5. If your Green Card is lost, stolen or expired and you have been outside of the U.S. for less than a year, the U.S. Embassy may be able to issue a boarding foil to help you to return to the U.S. to apply for a new card at USCIS. Only USCIS can issue new green cards.

For information about how to apply for a Returning Resident visa or a boarding foil, please visit the U.S. Embassy’s website, under Legal Permanent Residents (LPR) at Immigrant Visas - U.S. Embassy in Armenia

Children’s Issues: In the United States, children must have certain vaccinations before they can enroll in school.

1. Bring your child’s complete vaccination records with you to the United States.
2. If your child is adopted, or if you have full custody because of a divorce, or if you share custody with another parent, bring a copy of all adoption or custody papers from the court that has the authority for such matters in your home country.
3. 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 about 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 the above instructions apply to you. Please schedule and attend a medical examination before your visa interview, enroll in the required courier service, and gather the documents listed below. Any documents that are not in English must be accompanied by a notarized or a certified English translation.

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, DV applicants must bring these items to their visa interview:

• Appointment information printed from the Entrant Status Check on the E-DV website.
  
  
• Documents that show you have either a qualifying high school education OR two years of qualifying work experience in the five (5) years immediately before your application (for the principal applicant only).
  
  
• Payment in cash of $330 Diversity Visa Application Fee for each family member.

Review your DV Lottery entry

Before your visa interview, we recommend that you review the data on your first E-DV entry.

1. On your first E-DV entry, you must have correctly entered your marital status. If you are legally married you must have listed your spouse, even if you are now separated from him or her. (Unless your spouse is a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident.)
2. Also, 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 under the laws of your country.

If you did not list an existing spouse or child at the time of your entry in the Diversity Visa lottery, you will be disqualified and the visas for your family will be denied.

Your application may be disqualified or refused, if it is missing any required information, at any time before selection, after selection, or during the visa application process.

All DV applications must include the name, photograph, date and place of birth of the principal applicant, the applicant’s spouse and all children who are unmarried and under the age of 21 on the date of the initial entry.

• This includes your biological children, your spouse’s children, or children you have formally adopted according to the laws of your country.

Fees paid to the U.S. government for your visa application(s) cannot be refunded.

NOTE: Failure to list an existing spouse or child at the time of your entry in the Diversity Visa lottery might result in the denial of your visa and visas for your family.

• You can review the eligibility requirements at travel.state.gov.

To qualify for entry at the time of visa adjudication, DV applicants must show that they have the financial resources to pay for living and medical costs that can be realistically foreseeable. Visa applicants must prove that they will not become a public charge after entering the United States.

• That determination is based on a consular officer’s assessment of the totality of the circumstances, including but not limited to age, health, family status, assets, resources, financial status, education and skills.

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