Visa Medical Process/ BEIRUT, LEBANON

Our office recently handled an immediate relative (spousal) immigrant visa case processed through the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. USCIS approved the Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, and forwarded the case to the National Visa Center (NVC). The beneficiary then submitted Form DS-260, and NVC transferred the file to the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, which scheduled the immigrant visa interview. When the beneficiary contacted the designated panel physicians (civil surgeons) in Lebanon to complete the required medical examination before the interview, all four advised her that the procedure had changed. According to them, although this change is not yet reflected on the U.S. Embassy’s website, beneficiaries must now first attend the initial visa interview at the Embassy without a prior medical exam, then complete the medical examination with a panel physician afterward. The panel physician will send the medical results directly to the Embassy, and the Embassy will contact the applicant/beneficiary once the results have been received and reviewed to provide further instructions or a decision. We share this example to emphasize that procedures at specific U.S. Embassies and Consulates may change without immediate online updates, and applicants should always follow the most current guidance provided directly by the Embassy and its designated panel physicians.