Immigrant Visa Services

As of April 1, 2009 the Remedika Hospital in Skopje, Macedonia and EuroMed Klinika in Pristina, Kosovo are the new panel physicians for the U.S. Embassy. All immigrant visa applicants should schedule their appointments for the required medical exam with one of the panel physicians. After April 1, 2009, examinations may no longer be completed at the IOM clinics in Skopje and Pristina.  

The consular section of the U. S. Embassy in Skopje provides immigrant visa services for eligible residents of Kosovo seeking visas for permanent residence in the United States.  It also serves U.S. citizens who are adopting children from these regions.

Immigrant visas are for persons who plan to live, work or study and remain permanently in the United States.  In most immigrant visa cases, an underlying petition must be approved by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or the Embassy in Skopje. Please click here for complete information on immigrating to the United States found on the website of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The U.S. Embassy in Skopje may only accept certain I-130 Petitions for Alien Relatives filed at the embassy on behalf of spouses and children.  Per recent guidance from the State Department, only U.S. citizens who are continual residents in Kosovo may file an immigrant visa petition in Skopje.  Temporary visitors, students, and persons who cannot prove their continual residence in the country for a period of at least six months must file the I-130 petition in the United States. Please see IV Appointments for more details. Please note that ONLY persons applying for a visa will be admitted to the embassy. Visa applicants with children who are not applying for a visa should make appropriate arrangements for child care. Minors who apply for a visa may be accompanied by one adult.

Immigrant Visa Appointments – IV Appointments

In general, the sponsors of family-based and employment-based immigrant visa applicants must file a petition with the Department of Homeland Security.  Such petitions are filed directly in the United States with the competent USCIS service center.  After the petition is approved, the petitioner and applicant will be contacted with further information and an appointment date.

American citizens who are continual residents in Kosovo may file immigrant visa petitions for their spouses or children directly with the Embassy in Skopje.  To make an appointment, petitioners may email the Consular Section at consularskopje@state.gov with (1) the name of the American citizen petitioner, (2) the name of the foreign national beneficiary, and (3) the date that the petitioner began residing in Kosovo.  American citizens filing a petition for a husband or wife should also include the date of the marriage.  The Embassy is only authorized to accept petitions from American citizens who have been continuously residing in Kosovo for at least six months prior to the filing date. The petitioner must submit proof of their residence to the embassy before it may be accepted. Per recent guidance from the State Department, temporary visitors, students and persons who are not continual residents of the consular districts may not file petitions with the embassy. Meeting the six month requirement for presence within the consular district may not be sufficient in itself to file a petition at the embassy.

Important Notice

Effective January 14, 2008 all immigrant visa applicants whose case is temporarily suspended under section 221(g) of the INA pending additional information must schedule subsequent appointments through the Visa Information Service (VIS).  Appointment requests submitted by email will no longer be accepted.

To reach the VISA INFORMATION SERVICE, applicants must call one of the following numbers:       

From Kosovo:  (038) 247 973
From the United States:  1-800-672-8730

To access the VIS, callers from Kosovo must first purchase a personal identification number (PIN) for $12 (payable in local currency) from Raiffeisen Bank.  PINs are activated for use the day after they are purchased.  They cannot be used on the day of the purchase.  Callers from the United States may charge the $15 access fee to a credit card when calling the number above.