Immigrant Visas 

What Happens Next?

If your immigrant petition (I-130) was approved by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in the U.S., it will be sent to the National Visa Center (NVC). The NVC will contact the petitioner (your American relative or employer) to request more documentation and the required fees. When they have been submitted and reviewed, the NVC will forward them and your I-130 petition to the Embassy in Beirut with a scheduled appointment. This process takes at least a few months.

If your immigrant visa was approved at the Embassy, you will be given an interview packet that will list documents that you must gather, and forms that must be completed before scheduling a visa interview. The documents needed will include official Lebanese documents, as well as governmental documents from other nations in which you have lived for more than six months since your 16th birthday. This will also include a mandatory physical exam to be administered by one of the panel physicians listed in the packet. Once you have assembled ALL of these documents and completed ALL of the forms, you will contact the Immigrant Visa Section by e-mail or fax to schedule a visa interview appointment. Failure to have all documents and completed forms can result in delays in the processing of a visa.

On the day of your visa interview, you must pay any remaining fees and a consular officer will determine whether you are eligible for a visa. If you are found eligible, you will receive your visa in the following days. If not, you will be informed of any additional processing that may be required.