Please follow the steps below before your immigrant visa interview at the U.S. Embassy in Lilongwe, Malawi.
As soon as you receive your appointment date, you must schedule a medical exam in Lilongwe. Click the “Medical Exam Instructions” button below for a list of designated doctors’ offices in Lilongwe. Please schedule and attend a medical exam with one of these doctors before your interview.
It is important that you bring all required original documents to your interview. We’ve created a checklist that will tell you what to bring. Please print the checklist below and bring it to your interview along with the listed documents.
Read our interview guidelines to learn about any special actions that you need to take before your visa 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. Consulate General can perform this exam. It is your responsibility to schedule a medical exam with one of the doctors listed below before your visa interview appointment at the U.S. Embassy. Medical examination results from other physicians will not be accepted.
Approved Physician
Dr. Mayeso Chisanu and Dr. Joram Nyirongo
Partners-in-Hope
Opposite St. John’s Catholic Secondary School
M-1 Blantyre Road
P.O. Box 302
Lilongwe, Malawi
Telephone: 0993 321 509/0995 421 176
Fax: 01-727-156
Email for lab: lab@pihmalawi.com
Email doctors: director@pihmalawi.com
The doctor will need the following items to complete the medical exam forms:
Any medical examination fees, including x-ray and blood test fees, must be paid directly to the examining physician.
The medical examination will include a medical history review, physical examination, and chest X-ray and blood tests (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’s 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 via cdc.gov. You can also read Frequently Asked Questions about our medical examination requirements via travel.state.gov.
When your examination is completed, the doctor will provide you with exam results in a sealed envelope or send them directly to the U.S. Consulate. IF GIVEN AN ENVELOPE TO CARRY TO YOUR INTERVIEW, DO NOT OPEN THIS ENVELOPE. Instead, bring it to your visa interview. 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 (TB). However, you must carry the x-rays with you when you travel to the United States for the first time. The medical report must be less than six 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. Any documents that are not in English must be accompanied by a certified English translation:
Applicants who fall into any category listed in italics below should bring these additional documents:
For family-based visa applications:
The appropriate Form I-864 Affidavit of Support for each financial sponsor along with a photocopy of the sponsor’s IRS transcript or most recent U.S. federal income tax return, and any relevant W-2s.
If you are married: Your original marriage certificate and a photocopy.
If you were previously married: Your original divorce or spouse’s death certificate, 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 you answer affirmatively to the following three questions, you must bring a new or more recent police certificate to the interview:
1. You are older than 16 years;
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 and a photocopy.
If you have served in any country’s military: Military records and a photocopy.
If you are adopted: Adoption papers or custody documents and a photocopy.
If you are the petitioner’s stepchild: The original marriage certificate of the petitioner and your biological parent, and a photocopy along with divorce records for any previous marriages of either parent.
Sending documents to the U.S. Embassy
If the U.S. Embassy requested additional information during the interview, the consular officer will provide instructions on how to submit those to the embassy.
Rescheduling or cancelling your interview
If you are unable to attend your appointment, please email LilongweConsular@state.gov as soon as possible. There may be a significant wait before the next available appointment, so please attempt to attend the date already assigned. For some family-based and employment preference visa categories, a visa became available within the month you have been scheduled by NVC. 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 your rescheduled interview. Please carefully consult the Visa Bulletin before you decide to reschedule your interview.
Security screening procedures
All visitors to the U.S. Embassy Lilongwe 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.
Accompanying Persons
The following persons may accompany a visa applicant to their interview:
Attorneys are not permitted to accompany clients into the waiting room or to their interview.
Immigrant visa fees
If you have not paid all required fees to the National Visa Center, please be prepared to pay these fees on the day of your interview. All fees may be paid in U.S. dollars or Malawian Kwacha equivalent. We accept cash and credit card. Please note that if you are found ineligible to receive a visa, the application fee cannot be refunded. A complete list of fees can be found via travel.state.gov.
Do not make travel plans outside of Malawi
If your visa is approved, we will keep your passport at the embassy while we prepare your immigration packet and print a visa for your passport. We will contact you to inform you when your passport and visa are ready for pickup. Please allow for up to one week for processing. rIf you have to travel within Malawi while your passport is still with us, 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 he/she needs to review additional documents, or the case requires further administrative processing. When additional documents are requested, the consular officer will give you a refusal 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 60 days. However, the timing varies based on the circumstances of each case. Before inquiring about the status of administrative processing, please wait at least 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; 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. Please note that applicants whose visa applications are part of Modern Immigrant Visas (MIV) will not receive the above travel packet because all documents related to their case are electronically accessible by the immigration officials.
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 K visa.
When You Should Travel – You must enter the United States before the expiration date on your visa, which is usually six 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 of 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 will 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 custodial 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 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 available via travel.state.gov.
Last Updated: 2/9/2023
16 Jomo Kenyatta Road
Lilongwe 3, Malawi
