Immigrant Visa (IV)

What is an immigrant visa?

An immigrant visa is required for anyone who wishes to enter the United States to reside there permanently, whether or not planning to seek employment.  U.S. immigration law provides for the issuance of various types of immigrant visas.  Major immigrant categories are:

• Family-based:
   - Immediate relatives (non- numerically limited)
   - Other family-sponsored preference categories (numerically limited)
• Employer-sponsored
• Special Immigrants

Additionally, the Diversity Visa (DV) program provides a certain number of permanent resident visas annually for individuals from countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S. (including Djibouti).  For information on Diversity Visas (DV), please click on the corresponding left-hand side link.

How to apply for an immigrant visa?

In most cases, except for DV candidates, prospective immigrants cannot petition for their own immigrant visa.  Someone must file a petition on their behalf.  The “petitioner” is the person or company who files the petition and the “beneficiary” or “applicant” is the prospective immigrant.

Once the Consular Section at U.S. Embassy Djibouti receives a petition, it contacts the applicant(s) via mailed letter and/or telephone, as applicable, to invite them to start their process.  They should then come to the Embassy the first available Sunday (See “days and hours of operation” box right).

Please visit the left-hand side navigation bar as well as the frequently asked questions list below to find more information for petitioners and beneficiaries.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I get an interview appointment, and what do I need to know about interviews?

How much time does my process take, and what do I need to know about decisions made by interviewing Consular Officers?

When, where and how shall I do my medical examinations?

What do the following expressions mean: “Numerical limitation”, “priority date”, “cut-off date” ?

Are there any special requirements I need to consider when applying for an immigrant visa at U.S. Embassy Djibouti?

 

For additional specific information on application and documentation requirements by immigrant visa classification, please visit the Immigrant Visa Types webpage of the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs.