Chief of Mission (COM) Approval Letter

What this is

The Chief of Mission approval or equivalent certification letter used in SIV workflows where COM review is part of the eligibility chain.

Case-specific: Whether this document matters depends on category, facts, or relationship to the case.

Who usually needs it

SIV applicants need it only in the classifications that actually require COM review, so it is a narrow route marker rather than a general immigrant-visa record.

When it usually appears

Usually before petition approval is complete and later when the case must show that the SIV-specific gatekeeping step was satisfied.

What changes by process, path, or post

The letter only matters for the subset of SIV routes built around COM review, and the surrounding evidence still depends on the exact SIV program.

Common format or evidence traps

• Using COM-language assumptions for a different special immigrant route that does not use that review structure.
• Treating the COM letter as the whole SIV file instead of one gate in a larger classification-specific record set.

Related pages

• Pathway explorerUse pathway families if you still need the legal route.
• Petition stage guideUnderstand what petitions decide and what they do not.
• Consular processing guideSee the immigrant-visa route abroad.

Related glossary terms

Special immigrant

Examples from current exact-support flows

Coverage posture: Current public exact-support flows include multiple direct examples for this document, but exact requirements still depend on the route, process stage, and official instructions.

• Usually needed

  Provide the Chief of Mission approval letter from the relevant U.S. embassy or consulate confirming that the Iraqi applicant's employment by or on behalf of the U.S. government or qualifying contractor for the required period meets the SIV program criteria, including faithful and valuable service and the threat element. The DOS Iraqi SIV guidelines and COM approval process are the authoritative source for what a complete COM packet requires. (Sources: uscis_iraqi_usgov_gc, dos_iraqi_siv, dos_iraqi_siv_guidelines, uscis_i360_instructions, uscis_policy_h8_iraqi_nationals)

  Shown when: scope.green_card_path: special-immigrant · scope.processing_context: adjustment-of-status · special_immigrant.subcategory: iraqi-siv

• Usually needed

  Provide the Chief of Mission or DOD recommendation or verification letter from the appropriate U.S. military officer or chief-of-mission designee confirming at least 12 months of qualifying translator or interpreter service for U.S. armed forces or under chief-of-mission authority, and evidencing faithful and valuable service. This letter is the primary eligibility anchor for the translator/interpreter SIV category. (Sources: uscis_translator_interpreter_gc, dos_translator_interpreter_siv, uscis_i360_instructions, uscis_policy_h10_translator_interpreters, dos_translator_faq)

  Shown when: scope.green_card_path: special-immigrant · scope.processing_context: adjustment-of-status · special_immigrant.subcategory: translator-siv