Immigrant Visas
Those who wish to enter the United States (U.S.) to reside there permanently, whether or not they plan to seek employment, must obtain an immigrant visa. For further information on immigrant visas, please click on the link below: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1326.html.
Electronic Immigrant Visa Application (DS-260):
As of July 1, 2012 all applicants processing in Yemen are required to fill out an online DS-260 prior to their interview. If one was submitted to NVC for review, an additional DS-260 is not needed. If only the DS-230 was submitted to NVC, the applicant must fill out the online DS-260 prior to their interview.
- Complete the DS-260 form online. If you provided a DS-260 to NVC already, go to step 3. https://ceac.state.gov/iv/
- To complete the DS-260 you will need to retrieve the Invoice ID Number and each traveling applicant’s Beneficiary ID Number from the Notice to Applicant page of your appointment letter. If you do not have your appointment letter, your Invoice ID and Beneficiary ID Numbers are also available on the Immigrant Visa Application Processing Fee Bill Invoice you or your petitioner received prior to paying your IV fees through the National Visa Center. If your petitioner no longer has the Fee Bill Invoice, they may contact the NVC to obtain the invoice ID number.
- Print the DS-260 form confirmation page and bring it to your interview.
The Immigrant Visa Unit is in the process of contacting applicants to reschedule Immigrant Visa interviews. We are currently scheduling the following categories - immediate relatives of American Citizens (IRs), beginning with applicants whose April appointments were cancelled. If your visa interview appointment was cancelled, you will be notified when the appointment is rescheduled. We are also beginning to review cases that have been in administrative processing and will notify you when we have reviewed your case. We appreciate your continued patience as we work to clear the backlog of cases.
If you need to file an immigrant visa petition for your family members, you must file the petition with the appropriate USCIS service center in the United States. You can gather more information regarding this service at USCIS’s website: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis. Or you can contact USCIS at: National Customer Service Center (NCSC): 1-800-375-5283.
The Immigrant Visa Unit is in the process of contacting applicants to reschedule Immigrant Visa interviews. We are currently scheduling the following categories - immediate relatives of American Citizens (IRs), beginning with applicants whose April appointments were cancelled. If your visa interview appointment was cancelled, you will be notified when the appointment is rescheduled. We are also beginning to review cases that have been in administrative processing and will notify you when we have reviewed your case. We appreciate your continued patience as we work to clear the backlog of cases.
If you need to file an immigrant visa petition for your family members, you must file the petition with the appropriate USCIS service center in the United States. You can gather more information regarding this service at USCIS’s website: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis. Or you can contact USCIS at: National Customer Service Center (NCSC): 1-800-375-5283.
Immigrant visa applicants who have not yet been interviewed by a consular officer may request another U.S. embassy or consulate that processes immigrant visa applications to accept their immigrant visa case(s). Any request must be sent directly to the Immigrant Visa Section of the relevant U.S. embassy or consulate. Once another Embassy notifies us that they will accept your case, we will transfer the file to them; we cannot transfer your case until we get that request.
Information on which U.S. embassies and consulates process immigrant visas is available at www.travel.state.gov. Immigrant visa fees which have been paid to the U.S. Embassy in Sana’a or to the National Visa Center in the United States are valid for visa processing at another U.S. embassy or consulate.
If you determine that the security situation in Yemen warrants the immediate departure of your family members, please explore alternate safe havens overseas – including nearby countries for which your family members have visas or that do not require visas for non-U.S. citizens – and consider arranging for their departure from Yemen via available commercial means.
Please monitor the Embassy’s website at http://yemen.usembassy.gov/ for any updates to this information.
Priority Dates
For information on priority dates, please on the link:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_1360.html
Immigrant Visa Interview Schedule
The Immigrant Visa Unit conducts immigrant visa interviews by appointment only. When your petition adjudication appointment or visa interview is scheduled, you will be notified of your appointment date in a letter from the Kentucky Consular Center (for Diversity Visa candidates), or from the National Visa Center (NVC) or the Consular section in Sana’a (for all other Immigrant Visa applicants).
If you have missed your appointment and wish to reschedule, please e-mail us at IVSanaa@state.gov.
Note that the appointment time for all interviews is 7:30 a.m. If the beneficiary does not appear with required documents and appropriate interview/issuance fees before 8:00 a.m. on that day, his/her appointment will be rescheduled for a later date. It is the applicant's responsibility to contact us, either by e-mail or in writing, to reschedule the appointment.
Instructions for Medical Exam
A medical examination is a required part of your visa application. It is your responsibility to obtain this examination at your own cost. You should take this instruction sheet, the accompanying medical examination forms and your passport to one of the Embassy panel physicians listed here (PDF_328KB).
Important Note for Diversity Visa Applicants: Please be informed that if the principal applicant is found to be ineligible for the DV program, fees for the application will not be refunded. The criteria under which one may be found ineligible are as follows:
- Insufficient education or work experience
- Multiple lottery entries in the same program year
- Failure to list a spouse or child on the initial application to the program
For additional information on the Diversity Visa program, please click on this link: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1318.html
Contact
How can I contact the Immigrant Visa Section?
The Immigrant Visa Section will be pleased to reply to inquiries about your cases via email at IVSanaa@state.gov. Please make sure to provide your 10 digit case number that begins with “SAA.”
Note that we can only provide information to the petitioner, beneficiary or attorney of record.
Pamphlet: Information on the Legal Rights Available to Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence in the United States and Facts about Immigrating on a Marriage-Based Visa. (Both versions are in .pdf format)
