How To Get USA Tourist Visa -What You need To Know

Have you ever wanted to get your hands on the USA Tourist Visa? If yes, then you’re in the right place. In today’s article, we’re going to discuss everything you need to know about the US tourist visa, How to get a USA tourist visa, and many more.

Make sure you stick to the article to the end as I’ll be revealing everything you need to know.

Having a visa is one of the number one criteria that is needed for anyone wishing to travel to any foreign country. In some countries, a visa might not be needed and in others, it is mandatory.

In a general sense, any foreigner who wishes to enter the united state as a tourist must obtain a visa. This visa can be either a Non-immigrant visa for a temporary stay or an immigrant visa for permanent residency.

In the case of nonimmigrant visas, this category is strictly meant for individuals who wish to enter the US and state temporarily. most people who use such visas are coming to the United State for business or Tourism. The case of business, it is regarded as Visa Category B-1 and for tourism, it is Visa Category B-2.

But in some cases, you can find individuals having the categories B-1 and category B-2.

Also Read: Why You Need A Travel Itinerary

Also Read: The new Canadian Immigration Policy (Learn More)

Table of Contents

What Can You Do With the Category B-1 & B-2 Visa?

There are a series of things you can do with these visas as a visitor visiting the United State. You can do the following for category B-1 Visa

Consult with business associates
Attend a scientific, educational, professional, or business convention or conference
Settle an estate
Negotiate a contract

While for Category B-2 Visa, you can do the following;

Tourism
Vacation (holiday)
Visit with friends or relatives
Medical treatment
Participation in social events hosted by fraternal, social, or service organizations
Participation by amateurs in musicals, sports, or similar events or contests, if not being paid for participating
Enrollment in a short recreational course of study, not for credit toward a degree (for example, a two-day cooking class while on vacation)

With all of these being said, a lot of foreigners try to get their hands on a USA Visa for other purposes which are strictly prohibited.

Prohibited Travel Purpose When Having USA Visitors Visa

Several things are prohibited when you’re having visitors while in the United States.

As a Visitor, you’re not allowed to obtain a category B1 or category B-2 visa just to give birth in the United state in other to earn citizenship for the child by birth.

How To Apply For A USA Tourist Visa

The step for applying for a visa varies depending on the embassy where you’re applying from. It is very important to consult the Embassy or Consulate for more information.

If you’re looking for more in-depth details on this, you can consult the instructions on the U.S. Embassy or Consulate website.

Steps For Applying For a USA Visa Online

If you’re looking forward to getting your visa, you can follow the steps below. This can be done through the online platform as I have said before.

Fill out the Form DS-160. Just in case you don’t know what this form is, you can learn more about Form DS-160 and how you can fill it out online. This form is for non-immigrant Visa Applications.

Step #1

Complete the online visa application

Step #2

print the application form confirmation page to bring to your interview.

Step #3

Upload your photo while completing the online Form DS-160.

After you must have done all I mentioned above, you can then make sure that you fulfill the following criterion in other to get your visa.

Schedule an Interview

In every US consulate, an interview is mandatory for visa application. The consular officer may require an interview with you when applying for either category B-1 or Category B-2.

Below is the age at which an interview is required or not.

For individuals below 13, an interview is not required
14-79, an interview is mandatory but there is a certain exception in the case of renewal.
For individuals above 80, there is no need for an interview.

You’re required to schedule an interview with a consular when you are within the age bracket of 14-79. This interview will take place at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in the country where you live.

If for any reason and you decided to schedule an interview at another U.S. Embassy or Consulate, it is very important to know that it will be very difficult to qualify for a visa outside of the country where you live. Wait times for interview appointments vary by location, season, and visa category, so you should apply for your visa early. Review the interview wait time for the location where you will apply.

Waiting Time For Appointment

When applying for a United State Visa, you need to be patient, or else you might get frustrated and give up.

Prepare For Interview

You’ll need to pay a non-refundable fee of $160.

You are required to pay it before your interview. If your visa is approved, you may also need to pay a visa issuance fee, if applicable to your nationality.

Documents Required

You’ll need the following documents before embarking on an interview. These documents are;

Passport

You’re required to have a valid passport that must be at least six months beyond your period of stay in the United States. As for a family who wishes to visit the United State, each and every family member must submit a separate application, including any family members listed in your passport.

Non-Immigrant Form DS-160 confirmation page
Receipt For Application Fees
Photo

You will upload your photo while completing the online Form DS-160. If the photo upload fails, you must bring one printed photo in the required format

Conclusion/Final Verdict

I hope this article has explained what you need to know about tourist visas in the United State. If you find this article helpful, don’t forget to share. This will encourage us to write more educative and informative articles like this in the future.

For any questions or inquiries, you can drop them in the comment section. We’ll try to respond to them as soon as we can.