Scheduling of the visa interview

Visa interviews are conducted on weekdays with the exception of U.S. and local holidays. Please do not purchase a plane ticket until you have the approved visa in hand.

Petitions filed in the U.S. (except fiancé(e) visas)

For family-based and employment petitions (with the exception of fiancé(e) visas), the National Visa Center (NVC) will handle the scheduling of visa interview appointments. After the applicants have submitted the necessary immigrant visa documents including the Affidavit of Support, civil documents, police clearances, application forms, and other key documents, NVC will send the applicant a letter with the time and date of the visa interview. All required documents on the checklist as well as any documents that were not submitted to NVC should be brought to the interview.

Rescheduling an interview

If an applicant is unable to appear at the Consulate at the scheduled interview date, he/she should use the Visa Inquiry Form or send fax or mail to the Immigrant Visa Section to inquire about the possibility of obtaining a different appointment slot. You must provide a thorough explanation of why you will be unable to attend the scheduled appointment. The criteria for approving the rescheduling of an appointment are rigid. Applicants who request to have their appointment rescheduled will be placed at the back of the queue of waiting cases. Rescheduling an appointment may result in a significant delay to processing your visa case.

Medical examination

The Immigration and Nationality Act requires that all immigrant visa applicants and certain nonimmigrant visa applicants, regardless of age, undergo a medical examination before receiving a visa. All applicants must undergo a medical examination administered by one of the designated doctors before the visa interview. Reports take approximately one week to prepare. Please bring the unopened results to your visa interview. Please do NOT open your results. Please see Medical Examinations.

Day of the interview

Please appear at the Consulate General interview at the appointed time. Late arrivals may not be processed. Applicants should plan to spend several hours at the Consulate. Please bring all documents indicated on the checklist to the interview. All immigrant visa applicants, including children under 14, must appear in person for an interview. Applicants will go through a pre-screening process, have their fingerprints taken, and be interviewed by a consular officer. Please see “Prepare for the Interview” – “Step 2: Register for Courier Service/Other Pre-Interview Instructions” from Hong Kong (Type the City where you will be interviewed or choose from the List of Posts) that is helpful to review prior to the interview.

Visitors may bring small, hand-carry items such as a purse or a small folder containing application documents. Please take note of the prohibited items that will not be allowed into the Consulate and may result in you missing your visa appointment.

Prohibited Items (NOTE: DO NOT bring to the Consulate. The Consulate cannot store these items. Visitors in possession of these items will be turned away from the Consular Section).

• Firearms/Edged weapons;
• Explosive devices;
• Flammable liquids;
• Any food or consumable. Drinking water is available;
• Other weapons/contraband;
• Any bags, such as travel bags, backpacks, suitcases, briefcases, or cloth bags. Applicants can only carry hand bags 12 x 10 x 3 inches (30 x 24 x 7.5 centimeters);
• Computers/accessories, including laptops;
• iPads and other tablet devices;
• Still/video cameras;
• Pocket knife with a blade of less than 2.5 inches;
• Other large electronic or electrical devices

Non-Dangerous Prohibited Items (Can be Retained at the Guard Checkpoint)

• Small electronic devices (cellular telephones, Smart phones, BlackBerry units, PDAs, Bluetooth devices etc.);
• iPods and MP3 players;
• Handheld gaming devices;
• Smartwatches;
• Wearable electronic fitness devices;
• USB/thumb drives;
• Recording devices (includes smart watches and other non-traditional devices);
• Other items deemed contraband by Consulate Regional Security Office

If you have items which are not permitted to bring into the Consulate, you may wish to store it to the Nearby Luggage Storage. The Consulate General does not vouch for the price or quality of service of any of the organisations. This list of suggestions is provided only as a convenience for those requesting services we are unable to provide.

Access to the Consulate is limited and generally only applicants are permitted to enter and be present during visa interviews. On a case-by-case basis, applicants may be accompanied by ONE non-applicant to assist the applicant during the visa application process if a special need is demonstrated. Please note: The Consulate has the right to refuse entry to any person.

• Special Needs Visitors: Applicants may bring one person to assist them if they are over 80 years of age, are a minor child, or are disabled and require assistance to complete the application process.
• Due to waiting room size, the large volume of applicants and the time required to screen consular clients, persons not meeting the criteria above will not be permitted to accompany an applicant. Drivers, friends, and extra relatives, including the relatives of interpreters, must wait outside or return to meet the applicant after the interview has been completed.

Most applicants will be told if they qualify for a visa at the time of the interview. Because it usually takes several business days to process and print the visa, applicants should not purchase tickets to the United States until they have received their passport with the U.S. visa affixed inside.

See also: Related Information on Applying for an Immigrant Visa