Immigrant Visas

General Information

Welcome to our immigrant visa information pages!

Tip: "All new immigrant visa applicants are expected to visit VFS for document processing 10 – 15 days prior to their scheduled interviews at the Consulate.

Those applicants who have submitted documents directly to the National Visa Center (NVC) will only be required to give delivery instructions and pay the courier fee at the VFS office.  They will also be required asked to submit documents for derivative applicants that have been previously submitted to NVC.

Applicants who received an appointment letter directly from the U.S. Consulate General Chennai should download and comply with the Packet 4 instructions located on our ‘Appointments’ page before visiting VFS and submit all required documents and pay the  courier fee directly at VFS.

Previously refused applicants do not need to reappear at the Consulate unless specifically instructed to do so.  Instead, previously refused applicants should bring any paperwork required to issue their immigrant visas directly to the nearest VFS office."

Immigrant visas are for persons who plan to live permanently in the United States of America.  Immigrant visas (IV) are a responsibility of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs.  Most IVs require an underlying petition approved by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) before any IV processing starts.  For additional information on the IV petition approval process, follow this link to the USCIS office at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi.  If you are seeking information on a visa other than an immigrant visa, such as a visa for a short-term stay in the U.S. to vacation, conduct business, study or the like, please follow this link for nonimmigrant visa information.  

The Immigrant Visa Unit processes visas from 8:00 a. m. until 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except alternate Wednesdays and scheduled holidays.  New IV applicants are seen by appointment only.

Persons applying for transportation letters (due to a lost or stolen "green card") and former Lawful Permanent Residents applying for returning resident status are encouraged to use the contact information below to make appointments prior to visiting the Consulate.  Fees are charged for both transportation letter (I-90) and returning resident (DS-117) applications.  PLEASE NOTE:  Our Consulate processes transportation letters for applicants whose “green cards” were lost or stolen within Chennai’s consular district.  To apply, an applicant must provide a local police report confirming the loss or theft of the “green card,” as well as evidence of his or her most recent departure from the U.S.  The Consulate verifies the status of all transportation letter applicants with the regional DHS office at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi prior to issuing travel documents.  As a result, transportation letter applications sometimes take several weeks to process.  Under certain circumstances, applicants may apply for transportation letters directly with the regional DHS office in New Delhi.  For additional information, please contact DHS in New Delhi or e-mail the Consulate at the IV address shown below.

We accept IV inquiries by email at:  chennaiIV@state.gov.

By telephone to:

Visa Information Unit
Telephone: 91 (44) 2857-4242

Or mail to:

U.S. Consulate General, IV Unit
220 Anna Salai
Chennai, India 600 006

Please choose one of the links on the left to learn more about IVs!

The U.S. Consulate General in Chennai is closed on both U.S. and Indian holidays.

This is an official U.S. Government source of information on the WWW.  Inclusion of non-U.S. Government links or information does not imply endorsement of contents.