United States Visa Application Process

For the many Americans who choose to visit other countries, U.S. visas are not required for travel. For the people traveling to the United States, however, a visa application may be necessary. Visas allow the government to track who comes in and goes out of the country, as well as documenting all of the foreign visitors entering the country. The government welcomes millions of foreign visitors and immigrants every year. These visitors enhance the culture, education, and economy of the United States.

Visas allow citizens of foreign countries to temporarily visit the United States. Visas are documents that are placed inside the passport of the travel, and are issued by the traveler’s country of citizenship. While visas are required for most travelers, certain international travelers may enter the United States without a visa. Travelers that travel without visas include citizens of Canada, Mexico, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, and Bermuda.

Possessing a visa to the United States allows a traveler to enter the United States through a port of entry, airport, or border and ask the Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection inspector to gain entrance to the country. Travelers are distinguished between two types: temporary visitors and immigrants. Temporary visitors are travelers visiting the United States with visas that allow only temporary stays in the country, for reasons such as work, family, or vacation. Immigrants, on the other hand, enter the country with intention to live and work in the country permanently. The visa application process for each type of traveler depends on the type of traveler and the type of visit.

For temporary visitors to the United States, the visa application process goes as follows:

1. The traveler should review their visa status to determine whether they need a visa, a renewal, and which type of visa they may need.

2. The traveler should then review the visa wait times and interview appointment types for each embassy and consular section worldwide. This information is available on the travel.state.gov website. The traveler should then visit the section where the visa application is available, and schedule an interview appointment while paying fees.

3. Most visa applications will then require an interview at the local embassy or consulate. An ink-less fingerprint scan may be expected, as well as additional administrative processing.

For immigrants seeking entry into the United States permanently, a visa application petition must be filled out. The I-130 petition at the USCIS Service Center relating to their place of U.S. residence should be filled out. For petitions filed abroad, the form I-130 is limited. Alternatively, travelers from abroad fill visa application petitions with the USCIS or at the local U.S. Embassy or Consulate. If approved by the USCIS, the petition is then sent to the National Visa Center for processing. The National Visa Center provides instructions to petitioners and manages the forms, fees, and other documents.

Fiancee Visa

For American citizens whose fiancee is not a citizen of the United States, working around immigration laws to bring their fiancee to the country can be complicated. Living with a fiancee, while prohibited by certain cultures and religions, can be very beneficial to the success of a marriage. Bringing your foreign fiancee to the United States requires him or her to obtain a fiancee visa. Fiancee visas are visas given to fiancees of a U.S. citizen to allow a fiancee to travel to the United States and marry you and live in the U.S.

Fiancee visas are only granted to individuals that fit the definition of a fiancee. A fiancee is defined as a person who is engaged or contracted to be married. The marriage must be legal in the United States, depending on the laws of the state the marriage is to be conducted. While most of the time, the two individuals to be married must have known each other for two years, exceptions may be made. For example, some cultures traditionally have arranged marriages. In these cases, the fiancee may not have even met the other individual, even up until the date of their marriage.

Fiancee visas require the filing of the Petition for Alien Fiancee, or the Form I-129F. The forms is filed with the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office. Once the petition is approved by the USCIS, it is sent to the National Visa Center for review and processing. Once it is processed, it is sent to the embassy or consulate where the fiancee is located, after which the fiancee can apply for a K-1 non immigrant fiancee visa. This process is often complicated by immigration law, as the fiancee is also considered an immigrant. As such, the fiancee must meet some of the requirements of an immigrant obtaining a visa.

The process of obtaining a fiancee visa is conducted as the consular section at the embassy of consulate where your fiancee lives. There, he or she will learn what is required to apply for a fiancee visa, as well as directions for medical examination and fingerprint scanning. Additionally, an interview may be required. The follow things are required before fiancee visas are approved:

* A valid passport for travel to the United States with a validity date at least 6 months beyond the intended period of stay
* Birth Certificate
* Divorce or death certificate of any previous spouses
* Police Certificate
* Medical Examination
* Form I-134, and evidence of financial capabilities
* Form DS-156, a non immigrant visa application (two copies)
* Form DS-156k, a non immigrant fiancee visa application
* Two photos for the visa
* Payment of Fees

Once all of these necessary documents are given, the fiancee visa can be issued. The K-1 visa only allows a fiancee to enter the United States once. Additionally, to work, the fiancee will be required to file Form I-765 Application for Employment Authorization with the USCIS office. However, fiancee visas provide a way for foreign citizens to enter the United States. Despite the many logistics and forms required, fiancee visas prove to be very useful in certain situations.