If you want to visit the United States of America despite being a non-American, you need a US visa. The type of visa depends on the purpose of your visit, and the process changes slightly with the purpose. The US visa is granted under US immigration laws.
If you are the one who wants to go to USA but don’t know how to get visa then this is the ultimate guide for you. It will help you if you read it to the end to know the legitimate procedure and documents you need to apply for the visa.
This visa is only required by those who are not part of the United States Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Therefore, all Indian citizens need this visa. This visa is available for immigrants as well as for non-immigrants. And this, the Visa is mainly issued for six months.
There are different types of visas you can get. The most important categories include immigrant, non-immigrant, tourist, business, student, work, journalist and exchange visitor visas.
Make sure to contact Kinngsway. They are the best study abroad consultants at jammu. They will facilitate the task of visa application. Now let’s see how you can get these visas.
1. Visa eligibility
Visa eligibility is one of the crucial parameters to start getting a US visa. After that, Visa is granted for your visit. Basically, these visas are classified into two categories of immigrant and non-immigrant visas.
There is a particular set of criteria that you need to apply for a US visa. These criteria include:
- Contact details of the applicant’s residence must be provided
- Applicants must be able to provide proof of financial stability for their stay in the United States
- The applicant must have the legitimate confirmation letter in case of business visa and the letter of appointment in case of university visa
- The passport must be valid for 6 months from the date of visa application
- Must have proof of strong ties to native land to negate risk of illegal immigrants
- For a family, a separate visa would be required for each individual
2. For the US nonimmigrant visa application
If you want to apply for a U.S. nonimmigrant visa, here are a series of steps. You can follow these steps to apply for a visa online.
- Make sure of the type of visa you are applying for
- Complete Form DS-160 or Electronic Nonimmigrant Visa Application Form available on the official website of the United States Consular Electronic Application Center and submit it
- Pay the visa application fee online through NEFT
- Print the confirmation page for Form DS-160
- Make an appointment for the Visa Application Center (VAC) and the U.S. Embassy or Consulate by logging into your profile. Enter your passport number, the barcode mentioned on your DS-160 form and the fee receipt number
- Fill in all your profile details and select a pick-up location where you will receive your passport
- For your photo and biometric data, visit the Visa Application Center
- On the day of the interview, go to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate with all required documents
- Once you have passed the interview, you will get the US visa
- Then, in the end, all you need to do is collect your passport at the collection point
3. For US Immigrant Visa Application
Suppose you are interested in applying for a US Nonimmigrant or Category “K” immigrant visa. In this case, you have to follow different steps.
Here are these steps you need to take to get your US immigrant visa:
- First, file the petition with USCIS or the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. You can complete this petition yourself, or any parent or employer in the USCIS office in America can file it.
- If you are filing the petition on your own, then you can complete Form I-360 and send it to Chicago at the USCIS PO Box.
- Then USCIS will provide you with the date after approving your petition.
- Once you are done, you can apply for the immigrant visa
- Obtain the police certificate from the regional passport office in your city
- Undergo the medical examination by a doctor approved by the Embassy
- For the immigrant visa, complete the DS-260 online form. On the other hand, if you are applying for a Class “K” visa, you must complete the DS-160 form instead of the DS-260 form.
- Get the printout of your form confirmation page
- Book the time slot for the interview by logging into your profile
- Complete your profile then select the place to collect the passport
- Visit the Visa Application Center for biometric data collection
- Take all necessary documents with you when you visit the U.S. Embassy or Consulate for an interview
- Complete the interview and you will get the US visa
- Then you just need to collect your passport from the pick-up point at the end
4. Visa fees
The fee must be paid by anyone aspiring to obtain a US visa. It doesn’t matter whether they get a visa or not, but they have to pay the fee. Fees paid are non-refundable and non-transferable.
The amount of the visa fee depends on the type of visa you want. The fee must be paid in the local currency from which the visa is applied. US visa fees can be paid by cash, sight draft, or credit card. You can also use NEFT’s means to make an online payment.
Debit cards and checks are not allowed to pay visa fees. However, you will receive a payment receipt once you have successfully paid the fees. This receipt is valid for one year. And you can schedule your interview during this time.
Suppose you are past the validity of the receipt and failed to schedule your interview on time. Then you have to pay the visa fee again to show up for the interview. For business or exchange visitors, the fee is $ 160. But it can vary depending on the type of visa you want to get.
Final words
Obtaining a visa for the United States is not as tedious a task as it seems. You must have completed the process to know how to get a visa. You must have all the necessary and legitimate documents to start the process.
But if you have any doubts or if you are not sure about something, give us a call and contact us. We will provide you with the best optimal solutions to bring you closer to the US visa.
Interesting Related Article: “How Has Covid-19 Affected the U.S. Visa Waiver Program?” “