Required Documents for Visa Applications
When a beneficiary is eligible to apply for an immigrant, fiance(e) or V visa, priority date becomes current and/or the approved petition is received at the Embassy. The Embassy in Manila queues the beneficiary for a visa interview. The Embassy will send the applicant a packet with the visa interview appointment, information, the application forms and a list of the required documents he/she must bring to the interview. It is important that visa applicants come prepared for their interviews, otherwise they will be found ineligible for visa issuance and be asked to return to the Embassy for another appointment. The basic documents that an applicant must be ready to provide at the time of visa application are:
PASSPORT valid for at least six (6) months.
DS-230 Parts I and II: Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Forms. These forms are sent to applicants along with their appointment letters. Each family member applying for an immigrant visa is required to complete these forms.
BIRTH CERTIFICATE. Copies must be issued by the National Statistics Office (NSO) and printed on NSO security paper. Copies are needed for beneficiaries, derivative family members and Philippine-born petitioners. You may call the NSO Information Center at 02-737-1111 or visit their e-census webpage to inquire about how to secure a birth certificate.
NBI CLEARANCE. Applicants aged 16 years and older must have a valid Record Clearance for Travel Abroad Purposes from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). An official letter of explanation from the NBI is required for any notation of “No criminal record”, No pending criminal case” or “With derogatory record.” NBI is located along Taft Avenue in Manila. For immigration purposes, an NBI clearance is considered valid only for a year from the date it is issued.
POLICE CERTIFICATES. A police certificate is required from a country in which the applicant lived for more than one year (six months if you are applying for a K visa) after turning 16 years old. Information on how to secure police certificates from countries where these are available may be obtained by contacting U.S. Embassy Manila’s Immigrant Visa Branch, or an Embassy/Consulate of the country from which the Police certificate is required. The State Department's Visa Office offers online information on availability of country documents including police certificates through its Country Document Finder. Click on the letter that begins the country name, select the country and scroll down the documents.
MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE. If married in the Philippines, a copy of the marriage certificate issued by the National Statistics Office and printed on NSO security paper should be submitted.
PROOF OF TERMINATION OF A PRIOR MARRIAGE. As applicable, official documents that prove all prior marriages have been legally terminated must be presented. This may be an annulment decree or a copy of a death certificate issued by NSO and printed on NSO security paper, a foreign divorce decree, or foreign death certificate whichever is applicable.
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE OF IDENTITY AND/OR RELATIONSHIP. Applicants should be prepared to submit documents that further establish their identity and/or their relationship with the petitioner or the principal applicant. Personal photographs with family members together, taken over a period of time may help to establish the existence of a relationship. Personal correspondence, home telephone records, bank records, proof of joint property ownership and/or joint financial obligations, original baptismal records, medical record and adoption decrees are often useful.
EVIDENCE OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Form I-864 Affidavit of Support. The I-864 Affidavit of Support is required for visa applicants in all family-sponsored categories (IR and F) and certain E visa categories. The Embassy requires the petitioner’s as well as the co-sponsor’s (if any) three most recent federal income tax returns and W-2 with the I-864. NOTE: The I-864 is valid for one year. If the I-864 that the petitioner submits to NVC in the U.S. is still valid, applicants need not submit another copy to the Embassy. The Embassy, however, will ask for a copy of the petitioner’s and any co-sponsor's tax return for the tax year ending in December if the visa application is processed after June 1. Faxed copies of tax returns are acceptable.
Form I-134 Affidavit of Support. The I-134 Affidavit of Support is required for returning residents (SB-1), fiancé(e)s or spouses of U.S. citizens (K1, K3), children of K1 and K3 applicants, spouses and children of LPRs, applicants with special immigrant status, and follow-to-join derivative family members of employment-based (E) applicants. A copy of the sponsor's most recent Federal ITR should accompany the I-134. If the application is processed after June 1, the sponsor's ITR for the tax year ending in December of the previous year is required. Fax copies of the ITR are acceptable.
To find out about “Public Charge” as a ground of inadmissibility, see the USCIS’s FAQs on Public Charge
10. VISA PHOTOGRAPHS. Six (6) colored photographs printed according to specifications, provided in the visa application packet.
Employment-based applicants require the following additional documents:
Official Job Offer with the salary stated from the potential U.S. employer
Visa Screen Certificate (for nurses and physical therapists)
Old and current professional identification cards
Any document not in English must be accompanied by an English translation. A competent translator must certify the translations.
Consular officers may require additional documentation to adjudicate your application.
Consular officers may ask to see originals of documents. The applicant may submit a photocopy of a document along with the visa application but should bring the original document for the officer’s inspection.
When you go to St. Luke's Extension Clinic for the medical examination, please bring all required visa application documents. For your convenience, St. Luke's will assist in collecting and assembling the documents you need for the visa interview. Applicants who do not bring their documents for assembly at St. Luke's may experience processing delays on the day of their visa interviews.
