America (USA)

USA Visa Immigration Rules and Things to Consider

What are the immigration rules for USA Visa and things you should consider for applying for US Visa?

There may be an assortment of reasons why you may feel the need to head out to the United States. The primary thing you would need to visit the USA is a Visa. A Visa is an authority grant that assists you with entering an outside nation and staying there for all time or for a particular time frame.

Because of the reasons and terms of your visit, the United States of America offers various classes and subclasses of Visas. The United States of America follows a severe cycle of Visa issuance. Most of the Visa applications to the USA are non-worker Visa applications that permit Indians to visit the USA and stay there for a foreordained timeframe. With regards to applying for an Immigrant Visa that permits unfamiliar residents to settle forever in the USA, the nation issues a set number of Visas.

Types of Visas Offered by the USA

There are various kinds of US Visas offered to Indian residents. They are primarily classified as Immigrant Visa and Non-Immigrant Visa

Immigrant Visa: It is given to Indian inhabitants who wish to stay forever in the USA. The nation gives a set number of worker Visas to unfamiliar residents. (Can be connected to the distinction between contrast among migrant and non-worker Visas)

Non-Immigrant Visa: It is given to unfamiliar residents who wish to visit the USA for an explicit timeframe. Various kinds of Non-worker Visas are given depending on the reason and span of your movement in the US. Recorded beneath are the various sorts of non-foreigner Visas offered by the United States

Business Visa
Work Visa
Student Visa
The travel industry Visa
Clinical treatment Visa
Training Visa

The United States of America offers almost 20 subclasses of non-outsider Visas to outsiders visiting the nation for transient stays. They incorporate – Religious specialist Visa, Domestic representative Visa, Exchange guest Visa, Student Visa, Ship group or Transit Visa, Work Visa (counting H1B, H2A, H2B, LI, H4, and so on), and Media and columnist Visa.

Documents Required for US Visa Application/Interview

You need to keep the accompanying records convenient when you apply for a US Visa:

Visa is legitimate for a half year past the proposed date of passage into the United States.
Colored photos.
Marriage Certificate, if pertinent.
Proof of monetary properties.
Separation/passing endorsement of life partner, if relevant.
If there should arise an occurrence of family-based cases or ward Visa, all unique reports building up the connection between the solicitor and the candidate should be submitted.
If there should be an occurrence of a work visa, a letter from the forthcoming boss affirming the fundamental components of the bid for employment should be submitted.
Police Clearance Certificate.
Endorsement of birth.
Court records, if pertinent.
Military records, assuming any.

Qualification Criteria for US Visa

An unfamiliar resident necessity to meet the accompanying qualification conditions to get a Visa to the USA:

The candidate should have a visa that is legitimate for a time of no less than a half year.
You ought not to have any previous history of wrongdoings or ought to not have any criminal argument progressing bodies of evidence against them.
Wards/mates going with the candidate ought to apply for discrete Visas.
The candidate ought to have sufficient money to help himself and his wards.
The candidate ought to have sound wellbeing and requirements to go through a careful clinical trial by a supported doctor.
The candidate ought to have solid ties with his/her present nation of home.
You ought to have a substantial justification for venturing out to the United States.
You ought not to have any transferable sickness like tuberculosis.

Before Applying for A US Visa, You Have to Follow the Following Steps:

A candidate needs to go through the accompanying strides to acquire a Visa to the USA:

Select the sort of Visa you are applying for
Check your qualification.
Fill the online application structure by putting all necessary data
Show up for the Visa meet with all necessary reports at a select consulate.

Applying for a US Visa.

There are two different ways of applying for a Visa online application and a disconnected application. At the point when you utilize the online technique for application, you can present every one of your records and the filled application structure electronically. In any case, when you apply physically or utilize the disconnected technique for a Visa application, you need to gather/download the Visa application form, fill it and send it to any of the US Embassy offices situated in India.

Procedure for applying for an immigrant Visa:

A US Visa candidate needs to go through the accompanying system while applying for a foreign Visa
You need to have a police leeway endorsement given by the Regional Passport Office. It stays legitimate for one year.
You ought to have sound wellbeing and complete the clinical assessment test directed by endorsed clinical specialists.
Then, at that point, continue to finish the DS-260 Form with your Invoice ID number and Beneficiary ID number.
Pay the Visa charges.
Whenever you are finished with the DS-260 structure, you can book your arrangement for a Visa meet.

Procedure for Applying for Non-Immigrant Visa

The US Visa application strategy for non-outsider Visa is recorded beneath:

First of all, select your Visa type. Given the reason for your movement, you need to pick your Visa class.
Then, complete the Visa application structure DS-160 cautiously. Ensure every one of your subtleties is entered effectively. Since, when you present the structure, you can’t roll out any improvement.
Pay the charges material on your Visa type. You can do payments through NEFT, Mobile Payment, and Cash.
Presently, you can plan your Visa to meet with the US Embassy. You need to plan two meetings, one for the Visa Application Centre and the other one for a meeting at the US Embassy.

Archives to Be Carried for US Visa Interview

If you are applying for an Immigrant Visa, you need to convey the accompanying archives to your Visa meet:

For Immigrant Visa application:

DS-260 affirmation page stepped at the Visa Application Center.
Current and every old identification.
Police Clearance Certificate is given by the Regional Passport Office.
Clinical assessment report.
Supporting Documents according to your Visa type.

For non-outsider Visa application:

Duplicate your arrangement affirmation letter.
DS-160 affirmation page stepped at the Visa Application Centre.
Current and every old identification.
Supporting archives needed for your Visa type.

How to Schedule an Appointment for a US Visa?

You can plan your US Visa arrangement on the web. What you need to do is to sign in to your profile with the very qualifications that you used to pay your Visa charge. Then, you would see the dashboard where you need to tap on the Schedule Appointment” catch and timetable your arrangement.

You need to plan two arrangements, one at the Visa Application Centre and the other at the Embassy. Normally, most Visa application meetings to the USA from India are planned by the National Visa Centre or Kentucky Consular Centre. Before you go for your Visa talk, plan a Category 1 meeting with the Visa Application Centre to get your finger impression and photo caught.

Significantly, you show up at the meeting scene 15 minutes before time. You can likewise drop or reschedule your arrangement according to your requirements.

How to Pay US Visa Fees?

You can pay your Visa expenses online by utilizing NEFT, Mobile Payment, and Cash. It is non-refundable. People having conciliatory international IDs are excluded from paying Visa expenses, independent of the reason for movement and Visa type. Additionally, the authority identification holders are likewise not charged for true Visas. In any case, they need to show up for a Visa meet at the US Embassy on any functioning day between 11 am to 12 pm.

The non-outsider Visa expenses can be paid in real money at select parts of AXIS or Citibank.

Data required for booking US Visa Interview

A Visa candidate needs to keep the accompanying data helpful while planning a Visa talk with meeting with the US Embassy:

Visa application charge receipt number.
Visa number.
The standardized identification number from the DS-160 affirmation page. It is a 10-digit number.

What if I need to take an emergency Visa interview appointment?

You can get a crisis arrangement for your US Visa arrangement. Crisis arrangements are conceded when a Visa candidate has clinical and compassionate crises. It incorporates acquiring clinical consideration, going to memorial service, making some dire work excursions, and bringing induction into unfamiliar colleges.

To benefit from crisis Visa talk with arrangements, the candidates need to give substantial supporting archives. The candidate can take a crisis arrangement by filling the DS-160 Form and buying a legitimate charge receipt before showing up for the meeting.

If you neglect to demonstrate your justification looking for a crisis arrangement or it appears to the movement authority that you have distorted the purposes behind the movement, it might unfavorably influence your Visa application and you may be denied Visa.

The accompanying conditions don’t meet all requirements for crisis Visa talk with arrangements to the USA:

Going to a wedding service.
Aiding pregnant family members.
Partaking in yearly business/instructive gatherings.
Partaking in joy trips.

US Visa Refusal

Your US Visa May be dismissed under the accompanying conditions:

Fragmented Visa application.
Supporting records missing.
You neglect to satisfy the qualification conditions needed for the Visa class.
You have criminal records.
Absence of sufficient money to help your excursion to the United States.
Your expectation of returning isn’t clear.
Your identification needs more clear pages.
If your nation of home doesn’t have a decent connection with your objective country.
On the off chance that you have not utilized a Visa given to you already.
On the off chance that you don’t have a real justification for visiting the country.
If you neglect to submit sufficient verification against your qualification.

Complete Guide to Form DS-160

The Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application, also known as Form DS-160, is used by individuals who want to apply for a temporary visa to travel to the U.S. and fiancé(e) visas (K visas). It is not the appropriate form if you seek a visa to move to the United States permanently. For that, you would need to apply for a green card. Form DS-160 will ask you several questions about your history, family, and many other personal questions to determine your eligibility. In conjunction with the personal interview, these answers will dictate whether or not you are approved for the visa.

Apply for a Nonimmigrant Visa with Form DS-160

Applying for Form DS-160 is done electronically through the U.S. Department of States Consular Electronic Application Center. To fill out the entire fill will take around 90 minutes, and you can have other people assist you, such as a qualified immigration expert. You must, however, electronically sign and submit your application under U.S. law unless you qualify for an exemption. If you do not speak English, you can change the language of the form in the upper right-hand corner of the page where it says “Select Tooltip Language.” There are several different language options available, including French, German, Italian, Chinese, Hebrew, etc.

ds 160 language options

If you’ve already started an application, then you can retrieve an existing one by putting in your application ID and answering a security question. The link is on the right-hand side of the page where the arrow is pointing below.

retrieve application ds-160

Documents Needed for the Application Process

There are many documents you will need to fill out Form DS-160. They include:

Passport
Travel Itinerary
National ID number (if issued by home country)
Social Security Number/U.S. Taxpayer ID (if applicable)
Employment history documents
Travel history documents
Information about travel companions
Digital version of a recent photograph of yourself (must meet U.S. government requirements). You can find acceptable photo examples here.

Coming to the U.S. to study? If so, you need a copy of your SEVIS ID (found on your I-20 or DS-2019) in addition to the address of the school or university you will be attending. If you are a temporary worker, have a copy of your I-129 on hand.

Sections of the DS-160 Application

Section 1: Personal History and Information

The first part of the application will ask you about personal information including your date of birth, legal name, marital status, nationality, passport/national ID number, and your U.S. Social Security number or taxpayer ID if you have one.

Section 2: Travel Itinerary

What are your travel plans? What is the purpose of your trip to the United States? This section asks you specific travel itinerary plans including your arrival and departure dates, the address you will stay in the United States, etc.

Section 3: Who You Are Traveling With

Bringing a travel companion with you to the United States? This section asks for details about who you are traveling with, whether it is a relative, friend, group, etc.

Section 4: Prior Travel to the United States

Traveled in the past to the U.S.? If so, you will need to detail why you came in the past and the dates. This section will also inquire whether you have ever been denied a U.S. visa or if you have ever filed an immigrant petition with USCIS. Always be honest and accurate with your answers.

Section 5: Contact Information

You will need to submit your current address and contact information like email address and phone number in this section. They also ask for social media account handles from the past five years for sites like Facebook or Twitter. (Do not provide your password or login credentials to these accounts) USCIS may review your activity on these social media accounts.

Section 6: Passport Details

This section is pretty simple – submit the passport numbers they ask for.

Section 7: Contact in the United States

For this section, you must identify someone in the United States who can vouch for your identity. So if you are visiting a friend or relative in the U.S., you can include them. If you do not know anyone, you can put the name of an organization or business you are visiting.

Section 8: Family Members

You will be asked for information about your parents, spouse, nationality, home address, and any relatives who live in the United States.

Section 9: Employment History, Education & Training

This section will ask you about your educational history, employment history, and occupation up to five years in the past. It may also request details about past travel history.

Section 10: Security Questions

This section has 25 questions (yes or no format) regarding national security.

Section 11: Photo Requirement

You are almost done with the application if you have made it this far! This section asks you to upload a digital version of a recent photograph of yourself (must meet U.S. government requirements). Have the image file ready on your computer so you can upload it. Remember that you still need to take a printed passport-style photo with you to the visa interview.

Section 12: Sign and Submit Your Application

You made it to the final section! Carefully review all the previous section answers for accuracy and agree to the terms/conditions, then click submit! You must print the final confirmation page, and you need to bring it with you to the visa interview!

Tips When Filling Out Form DS-160

You must complete the form online. There is not a paper version of it. You can work on it in multiple sittings. You have 30 days to complete it in its entirety.
Write down your application ID located on the top right-hand corner of the page in case you accidentally close the browser. You can retrieve it using the ID.

ds 160 application id

There is an option to create a family application if you need to fill out more than one DS-160 for family members. After you complete one application in its entirety, follow along to the ‘Thank You’ page, and there will be an option to select ‘create a family application.’ Many of the details are automatically filled in, saving you time in the process by selecting this option.
Save the application frequently. If you are inactive within 20 minutes on the page, then the system will time out, and any information you have not saved will be lost.
Remember to electronically sign your application (unless you qualify as exempt). If you do not electronically sign it, then it might not be accepted.
After submitting DS-160, print and keep a record of the barcode page.
Here is a sample DS-160, Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application
Always fill out the information honestly. If you are not sure about the answer to a question, it is best to have a qualified immigration professional assist you.

Steps after Completing Form DS-160

Once you have completed the DS-160 for yourself and any family members accompanying you, print the confirmation page and bring it along with you to the interview at the U.S. embassy/consulate along with any documents required by your visa. You can always log into the system again using your Application ID if you did not print it out immediately after completion. Wondering the status of your application? You can check it here by entering your Application ID.

DS-160 Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about Form DS-160. If you have additional questions, it is best to consult a qualified immigration professional.

Who needs to fill out Form DS-160?

The DS-160 is intended for anyone who plans to visit the U.S. on a temporary visa, anyone coming to the country on a K-1 visa to get married, and Mexican citizens applying for a TN visa.

Can I bring my spouse without filling out another DS-160?

All individuals planning to travel to the United States need to fill out their own DS-160. There is a way to save time in the application process for multiple family members by creating a family application (instructions found under the tips section).

How much does the DS-160 cost?

It costs nothing to file the DS-160. You will, however, need to pay the visa fees, which for many non-petition-based nonimmigrant visas are $160. The following categories are considered non-petition based nonimmigrant visas:

Non-petition-based nonimmigrant visa

Petition-based visa categories have a fee of $190, and those include temporary workers, intracompany transferees, persons with extraordinary ability, athletes, artists, entertainers, international cultural exchange visas, and religious workers. You can see a complete list of visa fees here.

What do I do after filling out Form DS-160?

After you have submitted the form electronically, you should contact the U.S. embassy or consulate in your country to confirm if you need to schedule an interview with a consular officer. You can find contact information for a U.S. embassy in your country at this link.

How can I electronically sign the DS-160 form?

At the end of filling out the form, there will be a button that says “Sign Application.” You must sign it to for it to be valid and your signature certifies that you understand and have read all the questions and are submitting accurate answers to the best of your ability. The day of your interview at a U.S. embassy or consulate you will also have your fingerprints scanned and must read the following statement:

“By submitting my fingerprint, I am certifying under penalty of perjury that I have read and understood the questions in my visa application and that all statements that appear in my visa application have been made by me and are true and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.
Furthermore, I certify under penalty of perjury that I will tell the truth during my interview and that all statements made by me during my interview will be complete to the best of my ability.”

Can someone else complete the DS-160 on my behalf?

If you are not competent enough to complete the form yourself, you can be assisted by a third party but they must be acknowledge by name on the “Sign and Submit” section of the form. If the application is under the age of 16, a parent or guardian (or whoever has legal custody) can complete the questions and check the “Sign Application” button on their behalf.

Can I save the application to my computer and finish at a later time?

It you want to complete the DS-160 in multiple sittings you can save the application to your hard drive or a disk and this will give you the opportunity to access it for 30 days. It’s recommended not to save the application on a shared computer since the answers can be tampered with. Below are the instructions for saving it to your computer:

Click the “Save Application to File” button
On the File Download window, click “Save”
Choose where on your computer you want to save the application to and then click “Save” on the “Save As” window.
The system will download your application to the specified location.
Once the download is complete, you can click “Close” to return to the live application on the website.

Am I able to reuse a DS-160 if I apply for U.S. visas multiple times?

It is possible to use answers from a previous DS-160 form you previously submitted on a new form. The best way to do this would be to save the old one on your hard drive first using the instructions above. Then, when you apply for the new visa you can select “Option B-Upload a Previously Saved Application” on the Getting Started page. Another way you can do so if your prior application was submitted after November 1, 2010, is to select Option C- Retrieve Application” and you can enter your previous application ID, then “Create a New Application”. Your previous answers will populate in the form.

Do I need to fill out DS-160 if I am applying for a Treaty Trader/Treaty Investor, E Visa?

If you are an applicant for the E-3, Treaty Investor Visa then you need to fill out form DS-160. If you are applying for an E-1 or E-2, then you also must complete the DS-160 and you or your employer also need to fill out the DS-156E form.