What is a U.S. Visa and Its Eligibility Requirements

What is a U.S. Visa and Its Eligibility Requirements?

A resident of a foreign country who seeks to enter the United States generally must first obtain a U.S. visa, which is situated in the traveller's passport, a travel document issued by the traveler's country of citizenship.

Individual international travellers may be eligible to travel to the United States without a visa if they meet visa-free travel requirements. The Visa segment of this website is about U.S. visas for foreign residents to travel to the United States.

U.S. Visa Categories

There are two categories of U.S. visas: immigrant and nonimmigrant. Immigrant visas are assigned to foreign nationals who intend to live permanently in the United States. Nonimmigrant visas are for foreign citizens wishing to temporarily enter the United States for tourism, medical procedure, business, temporary work, study, or other similar reasons.



 

Immigrant Visa

An immigrant visa is allotted to a foreign national who intends to live and work permanently in the United States. In most cases, a relative or employer sponsors the individual by applying with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Individual applicants such as workers with extraordinary ability, investors, and certain special immigrants can petition on their behalf. The application is later delivered to the appropriate U.S. Consulate or Embassy overseas for continued processing and issuance of the immigrant visa to the intending immigrant if qualified.

An intending immigrant must present an immigrant visa at a U.S. port-of-entry before the immigrant visa expiration. An intending immigrant becomes a lawful permanent resident once the immigrant visa and completing paperwork is reviewed and endorsed by a CBP officer. For precise information regarding immigrant visa classifications and requirements, refer to the USCIS website or the Department of State website.

Nonimmigrant Visa

Nonimmigrant visas are issued to foreign nationals seeking to temporarily enter the United States for tourism, business, medical treatment, and certain quick work types. The kind of nonimmigrant visa needed is defined by immigration law and related to the purpose of the travel. Generally, an individual applies directly to the U.S. consulate or embassy outside for a tourist (B-2) or business nonimmigrant (B-1) visa.

However, foreign nationals seeking to enter the United States to study or work may require specific authorisation and documentation before applying for a nonimmigrant visa. For an alphabetical listing, all of the nonimmigrant visa classifications and particular requirements refer to the USCIS website. or the U.S. Department of State website.

U.S. Visa Requirements

Here are the required documents for a U.S. visa:

• An online nonimmigrant DS-160 application form. You can file the form DS-160.
• Your valid passport. It must be legitimate for at least six months beyond your intended stay in the United States. However, some countries are exempt from this requirement, only needing a passport that is valid during their period of stay in the United States. Your passport must have at least one blank page to be able to affix a visa.
• The 2x2 inches US Visa Photo, One photograph. The U.S. visa photo demand is one of the main requirements for every Visa you apply for. Upload the photo while you use it online through the DS-160 form. If the upload fails, you can submit the picture on the appointment day. However, we advise you that, even if you upload the photo online, still bring it with you if you need it during the interview.
• Receipt proving payment of $160 for a nonimmigrant U.S. visa application. Differently from the European visa policy, where you pay the fee on the appointment day, you need to pay the price for a U.S. visa to be able to schedule an interview. Keep in mind that the U.S. visa fee is non-refundable if you decide to cancel your appointment or reject your visa application.
• Social media details. A list of the social media that you use, and the name
• Of your account in each, phone number, email, and social media history of the five previous years.

Every document not written in either English or the country's official language in which the interview will take place must be translated. A competent translator must certify translations.

FAQs

How long is a U.S. visa valid for?

Once your B1/B2 Tourist Visa is issued, it will be valid for ten years.

Who is eligible for a U.S. visa?

The candidate must have a passport that is valid for at least six months. You should not have any history of crimes or should not have any criminal case ongoing cases against them. Dependents/ spouses traveling with the applicant should apply for separate visas.

What does Visa do?

Visa presents much of the necessary infrastructure to support financial institutions in issuing and processing debit and credit cards. Financial organizations like Capital One and your local bank issue credit and debit cards because it makes them money.

How much does an American visa cost?

The application fee for the most popular nonimmigrant visa types is US$160. This includes tourist, business, student, and exchange visas. Most petition-based visas, such as business and religious visas, are US$190. K visas cost US$265, and the fee price for E visas is US$205.

Conclusion: If you need more information, please visit the US Embassy Website