Immigrant Visa Unit

Other Services

Please see below for more information on the other services the Immigrant Visa Unit offers.

Lost/Stolen Green Card

If you are in Colombia and have lost your permanent resident card (often called a “green card”)/your green card was stolen, you must call our Visa Information Center to make an appointment with a consular officer to apply for a transportation, or boarding, letter. The nonrefundable application fee is US$165.00 or the equivalent in Colombian pesos.

Returning Resident Immigrant Visa

Unless you have a scheduled appointment or an open appointment, you must use the Colombian mail system, the United States Postal Service or a private delivery service to send documents to the Immigrant Visa Unit.

I think I am a legal permanent resident, but I have been out of the United States for one year or longer. I want to return to live in the United States. What do I do?

It is possible that you may qualify for returning resident status.  Returning resident status is for an alien who meets the following requirements:

• was a lawfully admitted permanent resident of the United States at the time of departure;
• at the time of departure, had the intention of returning to the United States;
• while residing abroad, did not abandon the intention of returning to the United States; and
• is returning from a temporary residence abroad; or if the stay was protracted, this was caused by reasons beyond his or her control.

To apply for returning resident status, you must call our Visa Information Center to make an appointment with the Immigrant Visa Unit and explain your situation to a consular officer.

Please see 9 FAM 42.22 for more information concerning returning resident policy.

Note that if you have been out of the United States for less than one year and have lost your permanent resident card (often called a “green card”)/your green card was stolen, you must instead apply for a transportation (boarding) letter.

“Baby Letter”

A U.S. legal permanent resident (LPR) who travels to Colombia to have her baby may take the baby to the United States with a transportation (boarding) letter, provided it is within one year of the birth of the child and the mother is returning to the United States for the first time since the birth. To obtain the transportation letter for the baby, the mother must program an appointment through the Visa Information Center. On the day of the appointment, the LPR mother must bring the baby to the Embassy along with the following:

• her passport
• the baby's passport
• the baby's birth certificate
• the hospital certificate (if applicable)
• copies of any hospital bills (if applicable)
• a medical certificate from the obstetrician stating that he/she was the doctor present at the child's birth (if applicable)
• a report from DAS (Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad) indicating the mother’s entries to and exits from Colombia
• the nonrefundable application fee of US$165.00 or the equivalent in Colombian pesos