Applying for the Visa

This is an overview of the steps required to apply for a visa. Keep reading our website for more detailed information, including how to book your medical exam, a list of documents required on the day of your visa interview and what to expect during your interview.

Petition approved by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in London
As soon as the Immigrant Visa Unit receives your approved petition from USCIS London, they will write to you about booking your appointment. This will be within 8 weeks of your petitioner receiving the I-797 Notice of Action.

When to follow these steps: You should only follow the below step-by-step instructions if you have received confirmation that your case file has been received by Embassy London’s Immigrant Visa Unit. If more than 8 weeks have passed since your petition was approved and you have not received this confirmation, please contact us through our contact form to confirm the full name and UK mailing address of the visa applicant, the full name of the petitioner, and the date of petition approval.

Step 1 - Application Form (DS-260)

Complete the application Form DS-260 for each family member applying for a visa. You should enter your immigrant visa case number, which is typically LND followed by 10 digits. The form is accessed by clicking on this link. Once submitted, you must make a note of your application number.

Please disregard any instructions to mail documents to the National Visa Center (NVC) in the United States, as that information is not relevant to your case. You are required to bring all supporting documents with you to your visa interview appointment at the Embassy in London.

When you begin completing the application form, you may type the immigrant visa case number (typically LND followed by ten digits) when you are asked for your NVC Case Number. When you are asked for Invoice ID Number, you should provide the visa applicant’s date of birth in the format YYYY-MM-DD.

Please note: If your case was processed by NVC, you will require your Invoice ID Number when completing the Form DS-260.

If, after completing Form DS-260, you realize that you made a mistake with the spelling of your name, information about your previous addresses, or general typographical errors, you will not be required to complete a new application form. You should provide the updated information to the consular officer during your visa interview.

However, you will be required to complete a new application form prior to your interview if you made a mistake or missed information out when completing the ‘Security and Background’ section relating to matters such as arrests or immigration violations. Please contact us through our contact form for information about how to resubmit the form.

Step 2 - Supporting Documents

Gather all of the documents that you will need to bring with you to your visa interview, including the Affidavit of Support from your relative. For a list of required documents click here. Do not send any documents to the Immigrant Visa Unit before your interview.

Step 3 - Scheduling Your Interview

After you have attended your medical examination, you should then schedule your visa interview through the Visa Appointment Service website at https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-gb/iv and follow these instructions:

Select “I have received a letter from the consular section with instructions to schedule an immigrant visa appointment”;
Follow the onscreen instructions to register an account;
- A separate account is needed for each separate case number. If your family members are applying under your case number, you may “add” applicants to your account after you have added your own details.
You will be asked to select your delivery method for the return of your passport if your visa application is successful. Delivery to a courier depot is free. If you wish to upgrade to home/office delivery you can pay an additional fee through your account;
You will be offered the first available interview date, but you may choose any available date;
Please go to “Print Instructions” in order to print your courier confirmation page. You must bring this with you on the day of the visa interview.

For more tips and guidance on booking your visa interview, please see our instructional SlideShare presentation at http://www.slideshare.net/USAinUK/us-immigrant-visas-how-to-book-a-visa-interview-appointment

Step 4 - Medical Examination

Schedule a medical examination with the Embassy approved physician in London. All visa applicants, regardless of age, require a medical examination. Information about the medical, including how to book is available here. No other physician can conduct the medical.

From October 1, 2021. Any visa applicants required to attend for a medical, must be able to prove they have been fully COVID vaccinated in order for the Panel Physician to complete and conclude the medical. If you are NOT age-appropriate or you have contraindication or precaution, please inform the Panel physician when calling to schedule your appointment.

Case processed by National Visa Center (NVC)
If your petition was approved by USCIS in the United States and your application was subsequently processed by NVC, they will contact you with your interview appointment date.

You will be required to provide all original documents on the day of the visa interview appointment. For a list of required documents click here. Do not send any documents to the Immigrant Visa Unit before your interview.

If your application was processed by NVC and forwarded to the Embassy before you completed the application form, then you should input the invoice number provided to you by NVC.

When to follow these steps: you should only follow the below step-by-step instructions after NVC has contacted you to notify you of your visa interview date.

Can’t attend the appointment date scheduled for you by NVC? You are first required to register the assigned appointment date through the Visa Appointment Service website. You must then contact us through our contact form in order to cancel the appointment. Please be aware that you will only be able to select a new date after the scheduled interview date has passed.

If your case has been forwarded to the Embassy for urgent humanitarian reasons, NVC will not schedule your visa interview. Once you have received a letter confirming your case has been received by Embassy London’s Immigrant Visa Unit, please follow the ‘Petition approved by USCIS London’ instructions above to prepare for and book your visa interview appointment.

Step 1 - Medical Examination

Step 2 - Registering Your Interview

After you have attended your medical examination, you should then register your visa interview through the Visa Appointment Service website at https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-gb/iv and follow these instructions:

Select “I have received a Consular interview appointment date from the National Visa Center (NVC), Kentucky Consular Center (KCC), or the Consular Section and I have been instructed to register my appointment on this site”;
Follow the onscreen instructions to register an account;
- If your family members are applying under your case number, you may “add” applicants to your account after you have added your own details.
You will be asked to select your delivery method for the return of your passport if your visa application is successful. Delivery to a courier depot is free. If you wish to upgrade to home/office delivery you can pay an additional fee through your account;
Please go to “Print Instructions” in order to print your courier confirmation page. You must bring this with you on the day of the visa interview.
You should also bring your appointment letter you received from NVC.

For more tips and guidance, please see our instructional SlideShare presentation at http://www.slideshare.net/USAinUK/us-immigrant-visa-interview-appointments-scheduled-by-nvc

Important: If your interview date was assigned by NVC and you cannot attend, you are still required to register your interview through the Visa Appointment Service website. You must then contact us through our contact form in order to cancel the appointment. You will only be able to select a new date after the scheduled interview date has passed.