Post-Interview Steps - Immigrant Visa Package and Fee

Hello everyone,

Following my approval at my visa interview in London on the 26th September, I had to wait for my passport to be returned to me. I was initially informed that this would take up to two weeks, however I found myself in great disbelief when I had an email from the Department of State a few days later informing me that my documents had been passed to the courier already! They will provide you with a tracking number in that email so you can see where your package is online at the website they send you. I'll be honest, I'm not exactly sure how it works if you chose to collect your documents from a depot (which is the default option unless you chose home delivery), however I would imagine you still get emailed with the specifics, otherwise there would be no way of knowing they were ready for collection.

So, my documents were delivered less than a week later, and I was now able to book my flight! Your documents will be sent (or handed over at the depot) to you in a plastic courier bag. You can open this bag, and inside you will find your passport (with the visa printed in it) along with information about how to pay the immigrant visa processing fee before arriving in the US. There will also be a large envelope in the package which contains other documents about you. This envelope states clearly on the front that you must NOT open it or tamper with it in any way. It is only to be opened by the immigration officer at the border, upon entry into the US.

As I said above, before you can travel to the US, you must visit the visa service website to pay for the processing of your immigrant visa. Only you, the immigrant, can do this. The fee is currently $165, which once converted by my bank was around £105. You can find out more information here.

Once that is paid for and you have booked your flight, you are free to travel to the US before the expiry date printed on your visa.

I'll make another post later about checking in for your flight and arriving at the US border, as there are some points worth mentioning with those.

Dan.