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A U.S. visa allows a foreign citizen to travel to a United States port of entry and request admission into the U.S. from a Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) immigration officer.  Since September 11, visa applications have been subject to a greater degree of scrutiny than in the past.  The timeframes for visa processing today are difficult to predict with accuracy for any individual applicant and could vary significantly by country and visa applicant.  Advance planning on the part of travelers is essential to receive a visa in time for proposed travel dates to the United States.

For the 27 countries in the Visa Waiver Program, citizens meeting the visa waiver criteria will not need a visa, but they must have a machine-readable passport.  For more information on these requirements, please refer to http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/tempvisitors_novisa_waiver.html.  Canadian citizens do not need a visa, but should visit http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1260.html for more information.

The type of visa the foreign citizen must have is defined by immigration law, and relates to the purpose of travel.  The U.S. Embassy Consular Section will decide, based on immigration law, about a particular applicant's eligibility for a given visa type from the information and documentation presented to the consular officer.  However, we can provide this information.  As a general rule, except for Canadian citizens and those who can travel on the visa waiver program, anyone who wants to attend a business, educational, professional, or amateur sports event, conference or meeting who is not a government official, will generally need a visitor visa (B1/B2). Government officials traveling for official purposes, representing their national government will need an A or G visa.

Advance planning by foreign travelers is critical - We recommend all foreign travelers consider the following when making their plans to travel to the United States:

As soon as travel to the U.S. is considered, foreign travelers should identify whether a visa is needed.  If the traveler already has a U.S. visa appropriate for this travel, check the expiration date on the visa to make sure it will not expire before the planned travel date.

As a general planning guideline, if a visa is needed, a foreign traveler should apply for his or her visa as soon as possible, but generally no later than 60 calendar days before the travel date.  If the conference is scientific in nature, or the applicant has a scientific background, the visa application should be made generally no later than 90 days in advance of the travel.  Visa applicants will need to schedule an interview appointment as a first step in the visa process.   PLEASE NOTE:  Additional planning time beyond the guidelines above is needed for visa applicants applying at some embassies, due to the time required to schedule an interview appointment.  Additionally, the interview wait times do not include time for required clearances or administrative processing, which if needed, occurs after the visa interview, and in some cases time required may extend beyond the general timeframe guidelines. 

How to Apply for a Visa & More Website Information - The Department of State recommends our website at http://travel.state.gov as the primary source for current visa information.  See visitor visa information at http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1265.html.  To contact any Embassy Consular Section worldwide for additional procedures, including how to schedule an interview appointment, pay fees, review local instructions and much more, visit  http://usembassy.state.gov.  Applicants should apply to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in his or her country of residence.   If you need additional visa information, visit our website at http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_2664.html to review internet information for the Business Visa Center, which provides visa information to U.S. businesses and organizations related to business (B-1) visitor visas.

Scheduling Interview Appointments - Specific visa wait time for interview appointment information for each embassy or consulate, is now available on our website at http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/tempvisitors_wait.php.  Since wait times vary by embassy and time of year, we strongly encourage travelers to review this information, updated weekly.  Applicants should check the U.S. Embassy or Consulate website procedures for making an interview appointment.  Embassy websites worldwide can be located at http://usembassy.state.gov.

Requesting Expedited Interview Appointments - If the date provided for interview is not early enough for the travelers intended travel, the applicant should follow the U.S. Embassy or Consulate website procedures for the "how to" request an expedited (or emergency) appointment. Consular Sections recommend that all requests note the date that the applicant need to travel and contact information (local telephone number) for the applicant.  Please note that the decision to expedite an interview appointment is discretionary and depends on several factors, including the urgency of the travel and what U.S. national interests are involved.  Consular sections will review the requests and grant expedited interview appointments within the constraints of their workload. Any expedite request should clearly explain why it is important (i.e., what is at stake) to expedite the case.

The Visa Process - Important Information - Under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), an applicant must overcome the presumption that he or she is an intending immigrant.  An applicant must demonstrate, to the consular officer's satisfaction, that he or she has strong social and economic ties to his or her country of residence, plans to remain for a specific, limited period, has a residence outside the U.S., as well as other binding ties which will ensure his or her return abroad at the end of the visit.  An applicant may provide a summary of employment history, experience and expertise associated with the purpose of travel, particularly in cases where the applicant is recently employed or may have few years of work experience.  It is important that the applicant has access to sufficient funds to cover the entire trip.  Applicants for nonimmigrant visas must show that they qualify individually on their own merit under provisions of U.S. immigration law, and not based on the assurances of others. 

Please note that Embassy Consular Sections overseas have sole responsibility for issuance of visas, and they generally are the first point of contact for visa processing status.  Visa Services at the Department of State is not able to expedite interview appointments or the processing of visa applications.