Congratulations on your immigrant visa approval! Understanding the Visa Packet and its handling is crucial for your smooth entry into the United States. This guide aims to provide comprehensive information on the topic.

The Visa Packet is a sealed manila envelope containing important documents of your process. Once you deliver it in the US, your green card and Social Security card will be produced.

Important Note: The Visa Packet must remain sealed and should only be opened by U.S. immigration officials upon your arrival in the United States.

You will usually not receive your Visa Packet and passport on the day of your interview. They will arrive later via a local delivery service like DHL, or in some countries, you may need to pick them up in person. Your passport will come attached to the visa packet.

A cover letter will accompany the Visa Packet, containing specific instructions and possibly other information relevant to your visa type or country. Carefully read this cover letter and make sure to pay the green card processing fee before traveling to the U.S.

The packet is sealed and labeled with your name and biographical data. Inside will be your immigrant visa petition, copies of identity documents such as birth certificate, medical reports, supporting affidavits, and other important documents of your process. (You should have the originals of all your identity documents.)

Again, do not open your Visa Packet; you must deliver it upon arrival to the US.
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Verify the visa stamped in your passport for accuracy and note its expiration date.

Keep the Visa Packet in your carry-on bag; it should not be in checked luggage. Your passport, with the visa and stamp, will serve as your temporary green card until you receive the actual green card.

When you arrive at the U.S. airport, you will go through immigration in the same line designated for tourists. Inform the immigration officer: “I am a new permanent resident. I need to deliver this envelope to Immigration so my green card can be produced." You will then be directed to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), where you should repeat this information to the CBP immigration officer.

Make sure you travel and arrive in the US before your visa's expiration date.

Present your visa and sealed visa packet to U.S. immigration officials. The officer may return some documents but will forward the packet to USCIS, initiating the process for your social security card and green card production—provided the green card fee has already been paid.

If you forget to present your Visa Packet at CBP, you may need to return to the airport or go to a USCIS office, which could get very complicated.

Provide a real and current address to CBP if they ask where to send your green card. This will be the address where the government sends your documents. This should not be a hotel or your sponsor’s address. This should be the same address you used for your Green Card fee. It could be:

Have a printed copy of your Employment Verification Letter if the officer asks where you will be working.
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If you selected “yes” on your DS-260 form when asked if you want a Social Security number and card, it will be automatically generated and mailed to you. If you selected “no,” you will need to visit a Social Security Administration office after arriving in the U.S.

In some rare instances, all your documents may be transmitted electronically. In that case, your passport will have a notation “IV Docs in CCD” next to the visa stamp.

The abbreviation CCD refers to the Consular Consolidated Database. This is a centralized system utilized by a range of U.S. officials, including those in the Consular and Customs and Border Protection services. It’s also accessed by other U.S. government departments like the DHS and FBI for verification of passports and visas. This database is essentially a repository for various types of data, including biographical and security-related information, pertinent to U.S. visa applications.

If your visa is annotated with “IV Docs in CCD,” it means that all your supporting documents are stored electronically in the CCD. In such cases, you will only receive your passport from the consulate, not the physical Visa Packet.

When presenting yourself to CBP/Immigration, the standard procedure remains the same. Inform the officer that you are a new permanent resident and that your documents are in CCD, facilitating the process for green card and social security card production