Applying for a Visa Abroad: U.S. Embassies and Consulates

Here's where -- and how -- to begin the immigration process if you're outside of the United States.

The vast majority of U.S. visas are issued outside the United States at embassies or consulates, overseen by the U.S. Department of State. When you are ready to apply, you will have to locate the consulate nearest you that is authorized to issue the type of visa you want. The U.S. Department of State's website has helpful immigration information, including how to find a consulate near you. Begin your search at www.state.gov.

Where to Apply

When you apply for an immigrant or nonimmigrant visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate, you must usually do all or part of the application process in the country where you live. Embassies and consulates outside your home country will normally refuse to accept your application -- unless you can show a compelling reason why you are unable to apply at home. If, for example, the United States has no diplomatic relationship with the government of your homeland, another country's U.S. consulate may take your application. Check with the embassy or consulate where you want to apply to learn their rules.

To apply for a nonimmigrant visa in any country, you must usually be physically present in that country. Although some applications may be submitted by mail, you will nearly always have to go to the embassy or consulate for a personal interview. (For security reasons, the U.S. government is requiring more personal interviews than ever before.) Contact the U.S. embassy or consulate in your country to learn its requirements.

How to Apply

For some types of visas, such as visitor visas, applying is a one-step process that takes place at the embassy or consulate (though the final decision may be delayed while security checks on you are completed).

For student visas, applying is a two-step process. First, you must find a school to admit you and send you a special form. Then you take that form and your own application to the U.S. consulate.

For other types of visas -- including work and immigrant visas -- obtaining a visa is a three-step process. First you must find a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or employer willing to sponsor you. Then your sponsor must file a petition with an office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS, formerly called the INS) in the United States, requesting permission for you to apply for a visa. If USCIS approves the petition, the third step is for you to file an application for a visa at the U.S. embassy or consulate in your home country.

As indicated just above, most sponsorship petitions are filed with USCIS in the United States -- not at embassies or consulates. This is because most sponsors are U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or companies inside the United States. However, if the sponsor is a U.S. citizen living abroad, the petition may be filed at the U.S. embassy or consulate in the foreign country where the U.S. citizen is living.