Immigrating to the United States

U.S. Embassy Moscow’s Immigrant Visa Unit issues visas to Russian nationals and residents seeking permanent residence in the United States, based on a family relationship with a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (LPR) or through employment or investment.  

Comprehensive information about immigrant visas is provided on the State Department’s travel website, including information about how to file a petition for your foreign relatives from the United States. For American Citizens who reside in Russia and plan to file their petition in Moscow, please visit the website of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Moscow Field Office. 

Your Immigrant Visa Interview

If you have received a visa invitation from the National Visa Center (NVC) or the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC), or other information that your immigrant visa case is ready to be processed, please visit our visa interview instructions page. 

Fiancé(e) visa applicants may schedule an interview only upon receiving a notification from the U.S. Embassy, Moscow. If you do not get the notification within 60 days from your petition approval date, contact us at consulmo@state.gov.

Adopting in Russia

If you are planning to adopt a child from Russia, please visit the State Department’s adoption website.

If you are in the process of adopting a child from Russia, and are trying to find information on the immigrant visa interview for your child, please visit our adoption visa interview instructions.

The Diversity Visa Lottery

For further information on how to apply for a Diversity Visa, please visit the State Department’s Diversity Visa website. 

Please Note: There have been instances of fraudulent websites posing as official U.S. Government sites. Some companies posing as the U.S. Government have sought money in order to "complete" lottery entry forms. There is no charge to download and complete the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form. To learn more see the Department of State warning.

Returning Resident Visas

Please visit State Department's travel website and How to Apply for Returning Resident Visa (SB-1) to learn about the process.

Other Questions?

For all other questions, please see our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page.