Form DS-160 (Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application) is an online application which allows applicants to provide the USCIS with information in order to temporarily travel to the United States using a nonimmigrant visa. The information submitted electronically through Form DS-160 is sent to a US consulate or embassy officers, the USCIS, as well as to the Department of State. The information contained in Form DS-160 is used to process applicants. The application is also used to determine whether an applicant is eligible for a non-immigrant visa to the United States. Form DS-160 is often combined with a personal interview at a consulate as well as additional forms in order to help United States authorities make a correct decision about issuing a nonimmigrant visa.
Most persons applying for nonimmigrant visas need to fill out Form DS-160. The exceptions for this are applicants applying for K, N, S, T, and U visa categories. While the forms for most other visa categories have been replaced by Form DS160, these specific visa categories still require different and separate immigration forms.
Form DS160 (Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application) is simple to fill out because it is online. Since there are online prompts and since the form is interactive, many applicants find this immigration form easier to complete when compared with other, paper-based USCIS immigration forms. However, since Form DS-160 is online, there are certain additional steps which must be taken when filing the application. For example, applicants filing this form will need to upload digital photographs of themselves with the form, and these photographs must meet the requirements stated in the Form DS-160 instructions.
As well, after an applicant has filed Form DS-160, he or she will need to print out the DS160 barcode page and keep this in a secure location. As well, each applicant will need to visit a US consulate or US Embassy web site in their location in order to find out what additional instructions or requirements may be required by their own country. As well, after filing Form DS160 (Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application), applicants will need to schedule an interview at a US consulate or US Embassy in order to speak with consular officials. They will also need to pay a Visa application processing fee for the visa for which they are applying. Additional documentation may need to be filed as well in order to apply for a specific visa.
