EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES DJIBOUTI

 Please read this important note: Rights and Protections for Foreign-Citizen Fiancé(e)s and Spouses of U.S. Citizens and Spouses of Lawful Permanent Residents.

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 link under the left navigation bar.

How to apply for an immigrant visa?

Note – As of November 1, 2012, we only accept immigrant visa cases for applicants residing full-time in our consular district – the Republic of Djibouti. The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi has been designated as the primary processing post for all Somali applicants residing in Somalia, Somaliland and Puntland. Please find more information on the immigrant visa process at U.S. Embassy Nairobi by visiting their website. We will not accept cases in which the beneficiary cannot show proof of Djiboutian residency.

First, a petition must be filed and approved on behalf of the prospective immigrant before that one can apply for an immigrant visa. In very limited situations, the prospective immigrant can self-petition. In most cases, however, 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. Please visit the left navigation bar for information on how to file a petition.

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 or Tuesday (See “days and hours of operation” box on the right).

More Questions?

Please see below:

• 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 information on application and documentation requirements by immigrant visa classification, please visit the Immigrant Visa Types page of the Department of State's website managed by the Bureau of Consular Affairs.