Consulate General of the United States Hamilton, Bermuda

Effective February 1, 2013, all individuals issued immigrant visas overseas must pay a $165.00 USCIS Immigrant Fee before traveling to the United States.  Only prospective adoptive parents whose child(ren) is/are entering the United States under either the Orphan or Hague Process, Iraqi and Afghan special immigrants who were employed by the U.S. government, returning residents, and those issued K visas are exempt from the new fee.  The below USCIS website has more details on the new fee, including contact information for USCIS, if there are further questions: www.USCIS.gov/immigrantfee .

General Information
An immigrant visa is required of anyone who wishes to enter the United States to reside there permanently, whether or not that person plans to seek employment in the United States. In general, any applicant for an immigrant visa must have a relative or potential employer petition on their behalf.

Service hours:  Appointments are required for all Immigrant Visa services. Please contact us at HMLVisaQuery@state.gov or (441) 295-1342. There is no public parking allowed at the consulate, this includes motorbikes. Our visitors are allowed to park at the parking lot located to the west of the consulate on Middle Road in Devonshire. Please note, the Visa Section is closed for all official Bermuda and U.S. holidays.

Categories of Immigrant Visas
U.S immigration law provides for the issuance of immigrant visas in four general categories:

A. Immediate Relatives

B. Family Based Immigration

C. Employment Based Immigration

D. Diversity Immigrant Visa Program or the “Green Card Lottery”

Under U.S. immigration law these categoreis are further divided into two more categores called

1. Non-numerically limited; and
2. Numercially Limited visas.  

A few categories of applicants such as priority workers, investors, and certain special immigrants can petition on their own behalf.  All other intending immigrants must have a relative or potential employer petition on their behalf.