Please follow the steps below before your immigrant visa interview at the U.S. Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
As soon as you receive your appointment date, you must schedule a medical exam in Sri Lanka. Click the “Medical Exam Instructions” button below for a list of designated doctors’ offices. Please schedule and attend a medical exam with one of these doctors before your interview.
All immigrant visa applicants, regardless of age, require a medical examination prior to the issuance of a visa. Only a physician accredited by the U.S. Embassy can perform this exam. It is your responsibility to schedule and attend a medical exam with one of the doctors listed below before your visa interview at the U.S. Embassy. Medical examination results from other physicians will not be accepted.
Approved Physicians:
Dr. Geetha P. Liyanage
Dr. Nimal Herat-Gunaratne
Asiri Surgical Hospital Ltd.
21, Kirimandala Mawatha
Colombo 05Telephone No: 011-45214400, 011-45412818, 011-45412819
Email: geethaliyanage@hotmail.com
Email: nimalg2001@yahoo.com
The doctor will need the following items to complete the medical exam forms:
You must pay all medical examination fees, including X-ray and blood test fees, at the examining physician’s office.
The medical examination will include a medical history review, physical examination, and chest X-ray, gonorrhea test, and blood test (for applicants 15 years of age or older). The United States also requires tuberculosis (TB) testing for all applicants two years of age and older. Please be prepared to discuss your medical history, medications you are taking, and current treatments you are undergoing. More information on general medical requirements for U.S. immigrants is available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website.
U.S. immigration law requires immigrant visa applicants to obtain certain vaccinations prior to the issuance of a visa. Current immigrant vaccination requirements are available on CDC’s website. You can also read Frequently Asked Questions about our medical examination requirements on Travel.State.Gov.
When your examination is completed, the doctor will either provide you with exam results in a sealed envelope. DO NOT OPEN THIS ENVELOPE. Instead, bring it to your visa interview sealed. Any x-rays taken will be given to you. You DO NOT need to bring the x-rays to your visa interview unless you suffer from tuberculosis.
However, you must carry the X-rays with you when you travel to the United States for the first time. Your medical report must be less than six (6) months old when you enter the United States as an immigrant.
Please use the list below to determine the items that every applicant must bring to the immigrant visa interview.
A copy of your NVC interview letter (does not apply to Diversity Visa, fiancé(e), adoptive, or asylee/refugee applicants).
Unexpired passport valid for six (6) months beyond your intended date of entry to the United States and a photocopy of the biographic page (where your name and photo are located).
Two (2) color passport-size photographs of each person applying for a visa (5 cm x 5 cm, or 2 inch x 2 inch). Please review our online photo requirements.
Confirmation page from the Form DS-260 Application for an Immigrant Visa you submitted online at ceac.state.gov/iv.
Your original birth certificate, English translation, and a photocopy.
Medical examination results in a sealed envelope (if the physician gives you these results).
Original or certified copies of birth certificates for all children of the principal applicant (even if he or she is not accompanying).
Applicants who fall into any category listed in italics below should bring these additional documents:
For family-based visa applications:
If you are married: Your original marriage certificate, English translation, and a photocopy.
If you were previously married: Your original divorce or spouse’s death certificate, English translation, and a photocopy.
If you are older than 16 years of age: The original police certificate from your country of current residence and countries of previous residence. If these three items are all true, you must bring a more recent police certificate to the interview:
1. You are older than 16 years of age;
2. You obtained a police certificate and submitted it to NVC more than one year ago; and
3. You still live in the country that issued the police certificate.
For employment-based visa applications: Letter from your U.S. employer dated less than one month ago.
If you have ever been convicted of a crime: Court and criminal records, English translation, and a photocopy.
If you have served in any country’s military: Military records, English translation, and a photocopy.
If you are adopted: Adoption papers or custody documents, English translation, and a photocopy.
If you are the petitioner’s stepchild: The original marriage certificate of the petitioner and your biological parent, English translation, and a photocopy along with divorce records for any previous marriages of either parent.
Sending documents to the U.S. Embassy in Colombo
If you need to send us any documents, place the requested documents and your passport in a sealed envelope addressed to: Consular Section, 221g Processing, U.S. Embassy Colombo, 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3. Please drop off the envelope with the guards at the embassy entry gate any time from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday or 8:00 a.m. to noon Fridays. Alternatively, you may use a courier service to deliver the documents.
Rescheduling or cancelling your interview
If you are unable to attend your appointment, please inform the consular section by using the Visa Navigator. From the Visa Navigator's main menu select Immigrant Visas. There may be a significant wait before the next available appointment, so please attempt to attend the date originally assigned. DV applicants should be aware that visas are numerically limited and must be issued by September 30 of the program year. There is no guarantee that a visa will still be available on the date of a rescheduled interview. Please carefully consult the Visa Bulletin before you request to reschedule your interview.
Security screening procedures
All visitors to the U.S. Embassy in Colombo must follow certain security procedures. Any visitor who declines to be screened by U.S. Embassy security personnel will be unable to enter the embassy. To avoid delaying your entry and that of those in line behind you, please bring only what is required for your interview. Bags are not allowed inside the U.S. Embassy and there is no storage facility for bags at the security check-in area.
Accompanying persons
Attorneys and Petitioners are not permitted to accompany clients into the waiting room or to their interview. Only the following persons may accompany a visa applicant to their interview:
Immigrant visa fees
If you have not paid all required fees to either the National Visa Center or via the IV appointment website, please be prepared to pay these fees on the day of your interview.
All fees may be paid in either U.S. dollars or the Sri Lanka Rupee equivalent. The U.S. Embassy only accepts cash. Please note that if you are found ineligible to receive an Immigrant Visa, the application fee cannot be refunded. A complete list of fees can be found on TSG website.
Do not make travel plans outside of Sri Lanka
If your IV is approved, the embassy will keep your passport while preparing your immigration packet and printing a visa for your passport. Embassy staff will call you or send you an email informing you of the time to pick up your visa. If you have to travel within Sri Lanka while your passport is still with the embassy, please make sure you have a valid picture ID other than your passport.
A consular officer can make a decision on a visa application only after reviewing the formal application and interviewing the applicant. There is no guarantee that you will receive a visa. Do not sell your house, car or property, resign from your job or make non-refundable flight or other travel arrangements until you have received your immigrant visa.
If more information is needed
Sometimes a consular officer is unable to make a decision on a visa application because the officer needs to review additional documents or the case requires further administrative processing. When additional documents are requested, the consular officer will give you a letter that asks you to submit additional documents. The letter will include instructions on how to send those documents to the embassy.
Administrative processing takes additional time after the interview. Most administrative processing is resolved within sixty (60) days. However, timing varies based on the circumstances of each case. Before inquiring about the status of administrative processing, please wait at least sixty (60) days after your interview.
What happens after visa approval
Passport, Visa, and Sealed Immigrant Packet – We will place your immigrant visa on a page in your passport. Please review your visa to make sure there are no spelling errors. We will also give you a sealed envelope containing documents that you must give to U.S. immigration authorities when you arrive in the United States for the first time. Do not open this envelope. You must carry it with you sealed. Do not put it in your checked luggage. If you receive X-rays during your medical examination, carry those with you and give them to the U.S. immigration authorities.
USCIS Immigrant Fee – All individuals who are issued Immigrant Visas overseas must pay an Immigrant Fee to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) prior to traveling to the United States. This fee is for processing your residency status and printing your Permanent Resident Card. The only people exempt from paying this fee are: children entering the United States under the Hague Process, returning residents, and people traveling on a fiancé(e) (K) visa.
When You Should Travel – You must enter the United States before the expiration date on your visa, which is usually six (6) months from the date of printing. Your visa cannot be extended and all fees are nonrefundable. The principal applicant must enter before or at the same time as other family members with visas. Unless they are eligible for benefits under the Child Status Protection Act, children who are issued a visa before turning 21 years of age must enter the United States before their 21st birthday to avoid losing their immigrant status.
Getting a Green Card – Your Form I-551 Permanent Resident Card, also known as a green card, will be automatically mailed to the address in the United States that you write in your visa application form. This is a very important document that proves you have permission to reside in the United States. If you plan to travel outside the U.S. before your green card arrives: Please consult USCIS’s and CBP’s websites for rules about what documents you need to re-enter the country. We also recommend you check with the airline to ensure you are in compliance with their rules. Once your card is issued, you should not stay outside of the United States for more than one year. If you do, you may lose your status as a Lawful Permanent Resident.
Children’s Issues – In the United States, children are required to have certain vaccinations before they can enroll in school. We recommend that you bring your child’s complete vaccination records with you to the United States. If your child is adopted, you have full custody as a result of a divorce, or you share custody with another parent, you should bring a copy of all applicable adoption or custody papers from the authoritative court in your home country. You will need these papers (translated into English) for issues such as school enrollment, medical care, and eventual citizenship.
Information for New Immigrants – Please visit the USCIS web page for helpful information on moving to the United States. You can read their publication “Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants” online.
If you are interviewing for a Diversity Visa (DV), all of the above instructions apply to you. Please schedule and attend a medical examination prior to your visa interview and gather the required documents.
Below are additional instructions that apply only to DV applicants.
Bring to your DV interview
In addition to the documents listed on the Pre-Interview Checklist in this package, DV applicants should also bring the following items to your visa interview:
Review your DV Lottery entry
Prior to your visa interview, we recommend that you review the data on your initial E-DV entry. On your initial E-DV application, you must have correctly entered your marital status. If you are legally married you must have listed your spouse, even if you are currently separated from him/her (unless your spouse is a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident).
Additionally, you must have listed ALL of your living children who are unmarried and under 21 years old. This includes your natural children, your spouse’s children, or children you have formally adopted in accordance with the laws of your country.
Failure to have listed an existing spouse or children at the time of your entry in the Diversity Visa lottery will result in the denial of your visa and visas for your family. Any fees paid to the U.S. government in support of your visa application(s) are nonrefundable. If you failed to include a child who had already been born, or a spouse to whom you were married when you entered the lottery, you should not proceed with the visa application. You can review the eligibility requirements online.
Last Updated: 7/28/2023
210 Galle Main Road
Colombo 3
