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Immigrant Visas

General Information

Welcome to our immigrant visa (IV) information pages! 


Immigrant visas (sometimes known as "green cards") are for persons who plan to live, work or study and remain permanently in the U.S.  Immigrant visas (IV) are a responsibility of the U.S. Department of State, Consular Affairs (CA) Bureau. Most IVs require an underlying petition approved by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security(DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) before any IV processing starts.


IV applicants are seen by appointment only, Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 12:00. IV is closed to the public Wednesday afternoons and on both U.S. and Korean holidays.


Please choose a topic on the menu to the left to learn more about IVs!

Beware of Voice Phishing and Diversity Visa Lottery Internet    Scams

The U.S. Embassy visa section does not contact applicants through an Automated Response System.  If you receive a ARS phone call identifying the caller as the U.S. Embassy visa section, please do not respond to the recording system.  We contact applicants directly, without a recording system, only when there is a specific issue on your visa application. 

Please also beware of any e-mails regarding the Diversity Visa Lottery. There are many Internet scams worldwide relating to the Diversity Visa Lottery Program, many asking for substantial fees for registration and processing and personal information. Some scams claim the recipient has, in fact won the Diversity Lottery. Registration through the official U.S. government website at www.dvlottery.state.gov is free, although registration is only open from October to December every year.  However, citizens born in Korea are not eligible for the Diversity Visa Lottery, there is nothing whatever to be gained by registering  for the program through any private service.  So, if you are a citizen born in Korea and  you receive such an e-mail, it is almost certainly a scam. 

If you have any concern about the phone calls or e-mails you received concerning U.S. visas, please contact the visa section for assistance. You can find our contact information at http://seoul.usembassy.gov/important_notices2.html.


  If you are seeking information instead on visas for a short-term stay in the U.S. to vacation, conduct business, study or the like, please follow this link for nonimmigrant visa (NIV) information.  
 


The U.S. Embassy is closed on both U.S. and Korean holidays.

Updated June 1, 2009