Whether you’re planning to visit the U.S. for tourism, business or permanent expatriation, the U.S. government expects you to have the right visa. Given the multitude of possible cases, it’s easy to feel lost and unsure of how to apply for a USA visa. We need to differentiate between non-immigrant visas, for temporary stays, and immigrant visas, for people wishing to expatriate to the USA.
USA visa application non-immigrant: which visa is right for me?
First of all, you need to determine the purpose of your stay in the USA.
If your trip to the USA is for tourism, to visit family, for business or for medical treatment, you must apply for a USA visa application B1 or B2 visa.
If you wish to travel to the USA for study or as part of a cultural exchange program, the US visa application that applies to you is the F, M or J.
In the case of simple transit via the United States to another country, your visa will be the C.
Fixed-term work visas are more numerous, as they are specific to the category of worker. We won’t dwell on their full descriptions, as it’s up to the U.S. consular officer to determine the appropriate visa in each case. But here are a few examples. These include the D (crew member), I (journalist), E1/E2 (investor), P (artist), O (person of extraordinary ability) and H (seasonal worker) visas.
How to apply US non-immigrant visa non-immigrant visa?
Once you know which categories apply to you, you need to apply for a USA visa with the American authorities.
For U.S. B1 and B2 visa applications, you must first complete the DS-160 online form on the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) website and print out the confirmation page containing a bar code.
Then contact your local American embassy to make an appointment.
Once you’re at the American embassy or consulate, you’ll be interviewed by a consular officer, to whom you’ll provide the required documents (valid passport, passport photos, DS-160 confirmation page, etc.). If your application is accepted, all you have to do is pay the fees (which vary from embassy to embassy), and your passport containing your visa will be returned to you within a few days. USA B1 and B2 visas authorize you to stay in the USA for a maximum of 6 months.
The procedure is the same for transit visas.
If you are a national of a country that is part of the Visa Waiver Program, you are exempt from making a USA visa application. A simplified procedure has been set up for these countries, in the form of an electronic travel authorization, known as an ESTA application. The entire procedure is carried out online, with no need to visit the US embassy. To benefit from this program, your country must be a member of the Visa Waiver Program, your trip to the U.S. must be for tourism or business for 90 days or less, and you must hold a valid biometric or electronic passport (ESTA authorization is also required for transit).
To apply for a U.S. work or student visa, you must first be sponsored by an employer or study program. Your sponsor must fill out an application called a petition and forward it to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), which will review and approve it, if the project is deemed valid and coherent.
Once approved, the same procedure applies as for tourist visas.
- Complete the online form DS-160;
- make an appointment at the American consulate ;
- be interviewed by a government official, who will determine which visa you will be issued.
The length of validity of your visa/work permit will depend on your employment contract or the duration of your program of study at the chosen American university.
Studying or working temporarily in the United States requires a USA visa application.
How do I apply for an immigrant visa?
If you wish to immigrate to the U.S. and become a permanent resident, the U.S. visa application process is slightly different.
As with study and temporary work visas, the first step is to find a sponsor.
In the case of permanent expatriation, your sponsor must be a U.S. citizen parent or a parent with permanent resident status (different degrees of kinship apply). Your relative must complete the “I-130 Petition for Alien Relative” form, submit it to USCIS and provide proof that he/she has the financial means to support you.
Once your application has been approved, you’ll need to go to the embassy for an interview. At the end of the procedure, an immigrant visa will be affixed to your passport, allowing you to enter the USA.
In the weeks following your arrival in the United States of America, you will receive your Greencard, allowing you to work in the USA and live there permanently.
An employer can also sponsor you for an immigrant visa. Some people with exceptional faculties, in the fields of science, research or art, are able to do without a sponsor and apply for an immigrant visa if they intend to come to the USA to continue working in their fields of expertise.