At the end of your immigrant visa interview, the consular officer will inform you whether your visa application is approved or denied.

Some visa applications require further administrative processing, which takes additional time after the visa applicant’s interview by a consular officer. Applicants are advised of this requirement when they apply. Most administrative processing is resolved within 60 days of the visa interview. When administrative processing is required, the timing will vary based on the individual circumstances of each case.  You can check the status of your visa application on ceac.state.gov.

If your visa is approved, you will receive your passport containing the immigrant visa via our courier service within 7-10 days.  The date on which the visa will expire corresponds to the expiration date of your medical report.

If your personal circumstances do not permit you to travel to the United States prior to the expiration of your visa, you may be eligible to apply for a replacement visa by submitting a new visa application and re-paying the visa fees.  Please keep the following in mind:

• The U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macau will not respond to requests for a replacement visa unless your previous visa has expired.  If your visa has expired, you may request to submit a new visa application by sending a written request through the Visa Inquiry Form.
• Approval of your request to submit a new visa application means you have been granted an opportunity to apply for a new immigrant visa using the same petition. You will need to pay the visa fees again, submit a new medical report, and be found eligible for the visa by a Consular Officer.  During the subsequent visa adjudication, you will be required to submit updated financial documents, police certificates, and proof of the petitioner’s domicile in the United States.
• Just because you have been previously approved for the immigrant visa does NOT mean that your replacement visa will automatically be approved.  The Consular Officer will make a new adjudication of your application.
• There is no guarantee your interview for the replacement visa will be soon.  Depending on our backlog, you may need to wait some time before we can schedule you to submit a new application for an immigrant visa.

If you receive a blue refusal sheet at the end of the interview, this means that your visa has been refused.  In order to overcome that visa refusal, you should submit the items requested by the Consular Officer and indicated on the form.  If you fail to take the action requested within one year following visa denial under INA 221(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, then your petition will be permanently terminated under INA 203(g). Please send required documents and passports to us through the courier service.

If you receive a white refusal sheet at the end of the interview, this means that your visa has been refused.  You may find useful information on Ineligibilies and Waivers here.  The refusal sheet will indicate whether you are eligible for waiver relief.