US Embassy London · Immigrant visa interview

Your interview: start here

Pick the one that describes you. Each takes you to the few things you need to do, in order, and links to the detail only where you need it.

First interview

Work through these in order. The first two are the ones that cause most London 221(g)s when they are left late.

1. Send a public charge statement at least five working days ahead. Upload it to CEAC, then email it to LNDIVSubmissions@state.gov, with the last 3 years of IRS tax returns for every sponsor and the last 3 months of payslips and bank statements, and proof of the petitioner's health insurance. The embassy calls it voluntary; treat it as mandatory.
   Build your statement · Why it matters
2. Make sure every financial document is already in CEAC, including an IRS transcript for every sponsor and joint sponsor. Evidence first produced at the window usually means a 221(g).
   What to lock down before interview day
3. Check your dates: statement deadline, medical (valid 6 months, and you must enter the US within those 6 months), passport, ACRO certificate.
   Interview date checker
4. Pack. Passport, sealed document packet if you had a document check, courier confirmation, every original, and a paper copy of what is in CEAC. No document check? Bring every original and one passport photo.
   Interview day checklist · No document check
5. Rehearse the questions aloud, especially the public charge ones about your own work, savings, health and the sponsor's finances. Answers must match your DS-260.
   Public charge questions · All questions
6. Know where you are going: the South Pavilion, off Ponton Road, US Embassy, 33 Nine Elms Lane, London SW11 7US. Arrive 30 to 45 minutes early.
   Print the one-page interview-day sheet · Full interview stage

Rescheduled interview

1. Reply to the email to confirm you will attend, straight away. Dates come direct from the Immigrant Visa Unit, not through AIS, sometimes for the next morning. Check spam daily.
   Reply template
2. Do not move the date in AIS. You can only reschedule to a later date, never an earlier one.
3. Check your medical. Results are valid for 6 months from the exam, and you must enter the US within those same 6 months. If the new date leaves too little time, or falls outside the window, you will need a new medical.
   Check your dates
4. The standard changed while you waited. Officers now complete a public charge worksheet in every immigrant visa case. If you have not sent a statement, send one now, at least five working days ahead if the date allows.
   Build your statement
5. No document check? Your canceled appointment may have taken the document check with it. Bring every original and one passport photo to the interview.
   What London asks for
6. Then follow the first-interview steps above.

Called back after a 221(g)

This has its own page, because what the officer can reopen depends on which kind of 221(g) you hold. Re-interview after a 221(g) →

Handed a 221(g) at the window

1. Read what is ticked, and only what is ticked. That is the complete bar to clear.
   Tick your boxes and see what each needs
2. Wait for the follow-up email with submission instructions, usually within 1 to 2 days, to the address you registered with the courier.
3. Send everything in one go, uploaded to CEAC and emailed with your case number in the subject line.
   Email template · Full process
4. Note the date on the sheet. You have one year to act (INA §203(g)).
   Count down the deadline

After the interview

• Approved: the passport is kept for printing and returned by courier. Pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee, and plan your travel: you must enter the US within 6 months of your medical. Stage 6: after the interview
• Administrative processing: it cannot be expedited and has no published timeframe. If you are asked for your history and CV, answer every item once. When administrative processing asks for your history · History worksheet

Reviewed 30 September 2026. Written for US Embassy London. Not legal advice.