Important changes to consular service payment methods
U.S. Embassy Warsaw will accept cash payments for consular services only in Polish zloty. Cash payments in U.S. dollars will no longer be accepted. Immigrant visa applicants can pay fees at the Embassy cashier using Polish zloty in cash or a credit card.
Immigrant And Diversity Visas Issuance Updated Guidance
The Department of State has paused all visa issuances to diversity immigrant visa applicants as well as immigrant visas for certain nationalities. Click the corresponding buttons below for more information.
Immigrant visas to the United States are processed for citizens and residents of Poland, Belarus, and Russia at the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw.
To apply for an immigrant visa, a foreign citizen seeking to immigrate generally must be sponsored by a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident immediate relative(s), or prospective U.S. employer, and have an approved petition before applying for an immigrant visa. The sponsor begins the process by filing a petition on the foreign citizen’s behalf with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). You may wish to review our Directory of Visa Categories on usvisas.state.gov to learn about the different types of immigrant visas to the United States, including our Diversity Visa Program. Then, follow the steps on the Immigrant Visa Process, or on the Diversity Visa Process, on usvisas.state.gov to begin applying for an immigrant visa.
Once USCIS has approved your petition and you have completed pre-processing with the National Visa Center (NVC), or if you have been selected in the Diversity Visa Lottery and completed processing with the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC), review the instructions given to you by the NVC or the KCC, along with the information presented on this website, for further guidance and instructions.
Please use our navigator for more information
Immigrant Visas Classification
Family-Based ImmigrationFamily immigration in the U.S. allows a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) to sponsor a qualifying family member for a Green Card, or lawful permanent residency.
The fiancé(e) K-1 nonimmigrant visa is for the foreign-citizen fiancé(e) of a U.S. citizen. The K-1 visa permits the foreign-citizen fiancé(e) to travel to the United States and marry his or her U.S. citizen sponsor within 90 days of arrival.
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.
The Diversity Visa Program is a U.S. Department of State program that provides up to 55,000 immigrant visas (Green Cards) annually to individuals from countries with low immigration rates to the United States. To participate, applicants must meet specific education or work experience requirements and be from an eligible country, then enter the program online during the designated registration period.
Family immigration in the U.S. allows a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) to sponsor a qualifying family member for a Green Card, or lawful permanent residency.
The fiancé(e) K-1 nonimmigrant visa is for the foreign-citizen fiancé(e) of a U.S. citizen. The K-1 visa permits the foreign-citizen fiancé(e) to travel to the United States and marry his or her U.S. citizen sponsor within 90 days of arrival.
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.
The Diversity Visa Program is a U.S. Department of State program that provides up to 55,000 immigrant visas (Green Cards) annually to individuals from countries with low immigration rates to the United States. To participate, applicants must meet specific education or work experience requirements and be from an eligible country, then enter the program online during the designated registration period.
Information for Lawful Permanent Residents (Green Card Holders)
Conditional Resident StatusApplicants who qualify for a visa based on a marriage which was entered into less than two years prior to the date on which he/she is admitted into the United States as an immigrant will be granted conditional resident status for a two year period. Conditional resident status is also granted in fiancé(e) visa cases. Ninety days before the two year anniversary of being granted conditional resident status, both the petitioner and conditional resident will be required to file a petition, form I-751, with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to have the conditional resident status removed. Important: Conditional residents of the United States who fail to file an application to have conditional resident status removed will be required to apply for a new immigrant visa.
A permanent resident (called lawful permanent resident or LPR) or conditional resident (CR) who has remained outside the United States for longer than one year, or beyond the validity period of a Re-entry Permit, will require a new immigrant visa to enter the United States and resume permanent residence. A provision exists under U.S. visa law for the issuance of a returning resident special immigrant visa to an LPR who remained outside the United States due to circumstances beyond his/her control.
If you lost your green card while outside the United States, the Embassy can issue a boarding foil for a return trip to the U.S. Boarding foils may only be issued to Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) who are returning to the United States after an absence of less than one year.
Applicants who qualify for a visa based on a marriage which was entered into less than two years prior to the date on which he/she is admitted into the United States as an immigrant will be granted conditional resident status for a two year period. Conditional resident status is also granted in fiancé(e) visa cases. Ninety days before the two year anniversary of being granted conditional resident status, both the petitioner and conditional resident will be required to file a petition, form I-751, with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to have the conditional resident status removed. Important: Conditional residents of the United States who fail to file an application to have conditional resident status removed will be required to apply for a new immigrant visa.
A permanent resident (called lawful permanent resident or LPR) or conditional resident (CR) who has remained outside the United States for longer than one year, or beyond the validity period of a Re-entry Permit, will require a new immigrant visa to enter the United States and resume permanent residence. A provision exists under U.S. visa law for the issuance of a returning resident special immigrant visa to an LPR who remained outside the United States due to circumstances beyond his/her control.
If you lost your green card while outside the United States, the Embassy can issue a boarding foil for a return trip to the U.S. Boarding foils may only be issued to Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) who are returning to the United States after an absence of less than one year.
Information for Immigrant Visa applicants from Russia
U.S. Embassy Warsaw is the processing post for Russian immigrant visa applications. (U.S. Embassy Moscow no longer offers immigrant visa services due to the government of Russia’s April 23, 2021 notification prohibiting U.S. Embassy Moscow from employing foreign nationals in any capacity.)
- If you are a Russian immigrant visa applicant and have not yet received an appointment notice for an interview from the National Visa Center (NVC), when you are eligible NVC will send you an appointment notice for an interview at U.S. Embassy Warsaw (not U.S. Embassy Moscow).
- Please contact NVC through the Ask NVC online contact form if you wish to inquire about your case status.
- Please put your name and case number in the subject line to help aid swift processing (example: SMIRNOVA, Mariya, MOS0001234567). To further ensure processing as quickly as possible, please send only one inquiry. We ask for your patience as NVC works through each inquiry.
- If you have not yet received an NVC appointment notice, please do not contact U.S. Embassy Warsaw as we do not yet have your case.
- If you have already received an appointment notice for somewhere else and would like your case transferred to a new consular district after the National Visa Center has scheduled the appointment, please contact the National Visa Center to request a transfer to a new location. Use the National Visa Center’s Public Inquiry Form.
-
- If you are a Diversity Visa (DV) selectee who was assigned to Embassy Moscow for processing, your case will be automatically reassigned to Embassy Warsaw.
- There is no need for you to take any action unless you have a justified reason to request a different assignment. Your case will be scheduled by the Kentucky Consular Center according to legally mandated precedence.
- Please do not contact U.S. Embassy Warsaw regarding transfer of DV cases to Warsaw or to request DV appointments.
- If you wish to transfer your case to a new consular district after the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) has scheduled the appointment, please contact KCC directly to request a transfer to a new location. KCC’s email contact is kccdv@state.gov.
- If you are a Diversity Visa (DV) selectee who was assigned to Embassy Moscow for processing, your case will be automatically reassigned to Embassy Warsaw.
- On February 16, 2023, the Department of State designated U.S. Embassy Tashkent and U.S. Consulate General Almaty as processing posts for Russian IR-5 (parent of a U.S. citizen) immigrant visa (IV) applicants, although Embassy Warsaw can process these cases as well. IR-5 immigrant visa appointments will be scheduled through the National Visa Center. U.S. Embassy Warsaw remains the processing post for Russian applicants applying for all other IV categories.