Nonimmigrant Visa Unit

Emergency Travel

A limited number of visa applicants may qualify for emergency visa interview appointments.  There is no special visa for medical treatment or other humanitarian concerns.  Such applicants must still overcome the presumption in INA section 214(b) that they are intending immigrants and therefore ineligible to receive a visa.  Interviewing officers, however, will give applicants needing medical treatment or traveling for humanitarian reasons every consideration possible under the law.

Emergency Travel Requirements

To obtain an emergency appointment you must satisfy one or more of the criteria:

• You to need to obtain urgent medical care in the U.S.;

• You need to accompany an immediate family member (mother, father, brother, sister, or child) who requires urgent medical care;

• An immediate family member in the U.S. has a serious medical condition and requires your presence urgently;

• You need to attend the funeral of an immediate family member; or

• You need to attend an urgent and late breaking business matter, where the need to travel to the U.S. could not have been foreseen.

What You Need to Consider

If you believe you qualify for an emergency appointment, please read the following points carefully, before you apply for an emergency appointment:

• You must have documentary evidence to prove that you satisfy one or more of the criteria for an emergency appointment;

• If the consular officer finds you misrepresented your reason for travel to the U.S., a record of the misrepresentation goes in your case file and may adversely influence the outcome of your current and future visa applications; and

• Once you obtain an emergency appointment, you are treated as a normal visa applicant; you must qualify for a U.S. visa in every respect.

Additional Documentation Required for Medical Appointments

1. Official letter from a Dominican doctor, giving a professional diagnosis of the illness and evidence regarding whether it can or cannot be treated in the Dominican Republic;

2. Official letter from U.S. hospital and doctor, accepting the patient for treatment and providing the estimated cost of the treatment and hospitalization and the length of time the patient will need to be in the U.S;

3. Financial documentation and other evidence regarding ability to pay for the treatment; and

4. Proof of social, economic and professional ties in the Dominican Republic that will compel the applicant to return to his or her home country following completion of the medical treatment.

Expedited Appointments for Emergency Travel

To schedule an emergency appointment, follow the steps located in the Make an Appointment section.  It is your responsibility to clearly specify to the appointment center that you are requesting an emergency appointment.  Be prepared to explain how you meet the emergency appointment criteria.

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