Congratulations on giving your medical exam! Now what? You ask.
Often times Afghan SIV applicants wonder what steps they need to take after their medical exams. Following is a general guideline for applicants to follow:
- First take a deep breath and count to 20. Relax and congratulate yourself for getting to this stage. Feeling better already? Good job 🙂
- Do not compare your case processing with others that gave medical exam together with you. Everyone will be issued visa on different time periods.
- If you have not already applied for refugee benefits / IOM flight, then now is the time to apply. See this post for instructions to apply.
- The US embassy generally takes 4 to 6 weeks to receive your medical exam results. Thus, it is very important to wait patiently.
- After the US embassy reviews your medical exam results, then your visa issuance process starts.
- If there are no last minute issues with the case or medical exam results, then applicants will be notified to pick up their passports once visas are issued.
How to pick up passports? What does ID card mean?
Always follow the email instruction to pickup your passports. When picking up passports, bring your Tazkira and email notification copy with yourself. In Afghanistan, Tazkira can be used as Identification (ID) card.
Who can pick up the passport? Can my brother, cousin, father, mother, sister, aunt, uncle or friend pickup instead?
The principal applicant needs to bring his or her tazkira and email notification to pick up the passport.
But …
If you want someone else to pick up your passport on your behalf, then you need to contact US Embassy Kabul using the Online Inquiry Form and must wait for your request to be approved before sending someone else to pick up your passport(s).
For instructions to designate someone else to pickup your passport, click here.
I am waiting for more than 1 month after medical exam, but have not been issued visa. What is going on?
Sometimes the cases take longer to be issued due to medical exam result complications, last minute negative investigation reports received or heavy case load at embassy causing delays. The only suggestion is to “Open and check your DS-260 application status to make sure it shows ‘complete’ for everyone”. The US Embassy will notify you once your visas have been issued.
Follow the instructions here to open and check your DS-260 application status.
Final Advice: Please have patience and wait for your visa to be issued. Please wait for IOM to arrange your flight. The flight priority is given based on visa expiration dates or cases of late term pregnancy.
DO NOT COMPARE YOUR CASE WITH OTHER APPLICANTS!