Where Will the Interview for a Green Card Be Held?

No matter how you became eligible for a green card (U.S. lawful permanent residence) -- such as through marriage to a U.S. citizen, asylum, or a U.S. employer -- you will in all likelihood have to attend a green card interview. This is usually the last step in the process, where an immigration official meets you personally, reviews your application, and makes a decision on whether to approve or deny it.

Exactly where the interview will be held depends on which procedure you are using to apply for a green card: consular processing or adjustment of status.

Green Card Interview for Consular Processing Cases

If the intending immigrant is currently overseas -- or even within the U.S., but ineligible to use the procedure known as "adjustment of status" -- the green card application will be completed using a procedure called "consular processing." This involves the immigrant submitting his or her portion of the paperwork to, and attending an interview at, a U.S. consulate, usually in the immigrant's home country.

Every country with which the U.S. has diplomatic relations has at least one U.S. embassy or consulate there, usually in the capital city and one or more other major cities. Not all of these necessarily handle visa processing, however. You will be informed as to which embassy or consulate will be handling your case after the initial visa petition filed on your behalf has been approved by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). To find out the location of U.S. consulates in your country, go to www.usembassy.gov/.

For more information on consular processing, including what to expect at your interview and practical and safety concerns when visiting a U.S. consulate, see the various articles on the "Consular Processing" page of this website.

Green Card Interview for Adjustment of Status Cases

If the intending interview is both in the United States and eligible to adjust status -- that is, turn in all paperwork to USCIS -- then the green card interview will be held at a USCIS field office. Such offices are found in the major cities of most U.S. states. They are not the same offices as you have been turning your paperwork into so far. Your file will be transferred from there to a field office when USCIS is ready to interview you, and you will be informed of the interview date and location.

To do some advance research on the location of USCIS field offices, see the "USCIS Service and Office Locator" page of the USCIS website.

USCIS offices are federal buildings. Be prepared to pass through a metal detector and surrender anything that might be considered a weapon or otherwise dangerous.

For more information on adjustment of status, including FAQs regarding what to expect at the interview and more, see the articles on the "Adjustment of Status" page of this website.