What follows is general information about how to apply for a non-immigrant visa at a consulate.   Each consulate will have different details, but what I have here is fairly representative of what you will need.  At the end I have a list of documents that you will need.  Again, this will vary depending on they type of visa, but it is a fairly representative list.

The first thing that you need to do is to go to this website to fill out an on-line visa application — form DS-160:  https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/.    After you have completed and submitted the on-line visa applications, you should print out the confirmation page which you will bring to the Consulate.

After completing and submitting the on-line visa application, you must then go to an on-line visa interview processing webpage, run by one of several organizations (which are contracted by the US Department of State to provide visa application support services).   The link to this website will be found at your consulate’s non-immigrant visa webpage.  There, you will register and login and they will guide you through the process of paying your non-immigrant visa fee, scheduling your interview, making arrangements for delivery of your passport and visa after the interview and, probably, arranging to go get your fingerprints taken at the ASC (Application  Support Center) (not every embassy/consulate requires that fingerprints be taken beforehand).

If you can’t figure out how the on-line web portal works — it can be very confusing, you can usually also find a phone number which you can use to talk to the organization that runs the webpage.  They will usually be willing to do everything over the phone instead of on-line.

The visa fee can often be paid on-line.   They may offer you the option of paying at a bank or at the Consulate.   Or, sometimes, they will require you to pay at a bank or at the Consulate.

This is a list of the most important things that you should take with you to the Embassy/Consulate.   Review the information that you have from the Embassy/Consulate and any information on the scheduling notice.

1. Your valid passport. Usually it needs to be valid for six months after your expected entry to the US.
2. A 2 x 2 passport style photograph (you will also need to have uploaded this photo into your I-160 application). You probably do not need this, but a number of Embassy/Consulate websites say that you do need it.
3. The Confirmation letter from your DS-160 visa application form.
4. Your appointment Confirmation Notice.
5. A receipt for the payment of your visa fees.
6. Proof that you have made arrangements for the delivery of your visa (not required everywhere).
7. You will need documents showing that you qualify for the visa type that you are requesting.
8. Evidence of ties to your home country. This is becoming increasingly important.    They are starting to ask for this type of evidence more and more often.   Remember that any documents that are not in the language of the home country of the Embassy/Consulate will need to be translated into English.  Types of possible evidence:
   1. Household registers listing your name (Japan, China, Korea, and others)
   2. Evidence of bank accounts or other assets in your home country.
   3. Evidence that you own property or have a lease on an apartment in your home country.
   4. If your home address is the address of family or friends, a letter from them stating that this is your permanent residence and that you will be returning to live there when you leave the United States. This letter should have the address of the person signing it, be dated, printed out and signed, and then scanned and e-mailed to you.
   5. A letter from your parents or other relative in your home country listing your close relatives in your home country and their relationship to you. This letter should have the address of the person signing it, be dated, printed out and signed, and then scanned and e-mailed to you.
9. If you are a family member/dependent of the main applicant you will need your original marriage/birth certificates to show your relationship.
10. You will need proof that you will be able to support yourself and pay your way while you are here in the US. If you are coming on an employment visa, proof of your wages should suffice.

After the interview, if they approve you, they will take your passport and put the visa in it.  They will then return it to you by whatever manner you chose in the on-line web portal.

Sometimes, they hold your visa for Administrative Processing.  That means that they don’t like something and they want to look at it.  Usually Administrative Processing doesn’t take too long, but it can easily take several weeks or longer.  Often they request additional documents.  Many times after Administrative Processing they approve the request, but they also often deny the visa.

When you get the visa, it will have a validity period and a number of entries.   The validity period says how long the visa is valid for.   That means, you can enter the US until the last day of the validity period of the visa.  When you enter the US, the Customs officer will decide how long you can stay — which may be the same time as the validity of the visa or less than the validity of the visa, or it may be longer than the validity of the visa.

The number of entries will indicate how many times you can use the visa to enter the US — 1 time or 2 times or more or “M”, which means “multiple” times, or in other words, as often as you like — as long as Customs will also agree to let you in.

I hope this is interesting and helpful.   Remember that this is not legal advice.  It is just a summary of certain aspects of immigration law which may or may not apply to your situation.   I encourage you to consulate an attorney if you think any of this may apply to your situation.

Gunnar Armstrong