Immigrant Visas: Employment-Based Immigration

Every fiscal year (October 1st – September 30th), approximately 140,000 employment-based immigrant visas are made available to qualified applicants under the provisions of U.S. immigration law, specifically the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Employment based immigrant visas are divided into five preference categories. Certain spouses and children may accompany or follow-to-join employment-based immigrants.  You can learn more about these five categories of employment-based immigrant visas on usvisas.state.gov.

To apply for an employment-based immigrant visa, follow the steps on the Immigrant Visa Process on usvisas.state.gov.  Once you have completed those steps, review the instructions given to you by the National Visa Center (NVC), along with the information presented on this website, for further guidance and instructions.

OBLIGATORY REGISTRATION WITH USTRAVELDOCS.COM FOR ALL IMMIGRANT VISA APPLICANTS

As of January 1, 2022 all Immigrant Visa (IV), Diversity Visa (DV), and Fiance (K) visa applicants must register with ustraveldocs.com and choose a visa pick-up option before coming to the Embassy.

We will not be able to accept your visa applications and supporting documents without proof of your registration (we will need your Unique Identification number, or UID).  For registration and selection of a passport and visa pick-up option, visit www.ustraveldocs.com/pl or call the information line at +48 22 307 1361 (in Europe) or (703) 988 7101 (in the United States).  Passports and visas are returned by courier; applicants may choose either Premium Delivery (for an additional fee, paid directly to the courier upon delivery to your selected location in Poland) or, at no additional charge, one of two Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE) locations (one in Warsaw and one in Krakow).

The Consular Section at U.S. Embassy Warsaw generally requires at least 3-5 business days to process a visa once it has been approved.  During this time, the applicant’s passport must remain at the Consular Section.  Please also be aware that technical and procedural concerns may require longer than the normal 3-5 days following interview to complete processing of the case.  Applicants should plan accordingly when making travel plans.  Please see which documents are required to pick up passports from an MBE location.  DO NOT visit MBE until you are notified that they have your passport ready for pick-up.