To visit the U.S., a foreign national must obtain a visa. B-2 visa is a tourist visa to U.S. and it is a non-immigrant visa. People traveling to the U.S. temporarily for pleasure, tourism, or medical treatment can get these visas.
Following are the steps involved in the process of getting a B-2 visa.
Determine the visa type
Based on the purpose of travel, foreign nationals must apply for the right type of visa. To visit the U.S. for pleasure, they need to apply for a B-2 tourist visa.
File the visa application
The next step is to complete the DS–160, Online Non-immigrant Visa Application form. They will need to read the guidelines and complete the form accurately as they may not be able to make changes to the completed application once they submit it. Along with the visa application, they must submit digital photographs.
Pay the visa application fee
The required visa application fee must be paid online and this fee is non-refundable. This fee also cannot be transferred to another person. Once the fee is paid, a receipt will be generated. This receipt will be valid for one year from the date of making the payment.
Schedule an interview
They must then create a profile at the U.S. visa application webpage. They must complete all the fields and enter the type of visa they are applying for and personal information about themselves. Followed by that, they need to schedule their interviews at the overseas embassies or consulates. They will need to remember that interviews will not be scheduled by the embassies or consulates and that they must schedule interviews before their receipts could expire.
In case they fail to schedule interviews within a year, their receipts will expire and then they will need to pay the fee again and start the process again.
Arrival at the U.S. embassy or consulate on the scheduled date
It is mandatory to arrive at the U.S. embassy or consulate at least 15 or 30 minutes before the scheduled appointment. They must bring the appointment slip that they obtained after scheduling their interviews to the interview. They must also bring a copy of their appointment letter, DS-160 confirmation page, one photograph, current and all old passports.
Entering the embassy or consulate premises
Visa applicants will go through a scanning device at the embassy or consulate and their bags will also be scanned. Electronic gadgets will not be permitted inside. They will then be given tickets at the ticketing booth and then they must wait at the holding area until their numbers are called. When their numbers are called, they can line up for fingerprint scanning.
Interview
Once they submit their fingerprints, they will be interviewed by a consular officer. The interviewing officer will ask them few questions like, Why are you going to the U.S.?, Is this your first visit to U.S.?, How long will you stay in the U.S.?, etc.
If the applications are approved, the interviewer will notify the applicants immediately that their applications have been approved. The passports with visas will be delivered to the address provided by the applicants or they will be allowed to collect it in person.
If their applications are denied or put on hold, the applicants will be allowed to collect their passports immediately after the interview.
