Getting a Visa for the USA
There is a bewildering array of visas, and the appropriate regulations can and do change at any time without notice (though any major changes will usually be accompanied by considerable media publicity). For up-to-date information it is essential that you visit the US Embassy web site (www.usembassy.org.uk/cons web/visa/moreinfo.htm), where you can also find the application form DS-156 to download. You may also email for further information if you remember to include your return email address. Please note that any attachments to any email will be automatically deleted. Officials will attempt to respond to any reasonable enquiries within 48 hours of receipt, but are not always able to keep within this time frame at busy times of the year, which are not always when you might expect them to be, given the lag between visa applications and people actually going to the USA. Any enquiry concerning the status of any nonimmigrant visa application must have been submitted at least two months before officials will provide a response.
Don't phone if you can avoid it, as you will most likely be put on hold, and may be merely directed to the news update section of the Embassy web site. If you must, call 09055-444-546 (accessible only from within the UK ) Monday-Friday 08.00-20.00 and Saturday, 10.00-16.00 for `Operator Assisted Visa Information Service' (not available on UK public holidays). Written information is also available. Write to The Consular Information Unit, United States Embassy, 24 Grosvenor Square, London W1 IAE. A stamped, self-addressed envelope must accompany any request for any information.
But what is a Visa?
A visa, issued a US Embassy or Consulate outside the USA, entitles the holder to apply for admission on arrival in the USA. It is usually attached to the holder's passport in much the same way as the holder's details were originally added by the UK Passport Office - a laminated page setting out the necessary details in visible and machine-readable forms.
Who needs a Visa?
Anyone who is not eligible to enter the United States visa-free under the Visa Waiver Program, or is not exempt from the visa requirement, needs a visa.
What types of Visas are Available?
- Non-immigrant visas: A non-immigrant visa is required by anyone seeking temporary admission into the United States who is not eligible to travel visa-free under the Visa Waiver Program, or is not exempt from the visa requirement. Non immigrant visas cover visits for tourism, business, work or study. Non-immigrant visas are essentially for those intending to return home at some time, rather than to stay and settle down.
- Immigrant visas are for those wishing to settle permanently in the United States. Upon entry into the United States, an immigrant visa holder is processed for what is commonly called a 'Green Card' but which officially is called a `Permanent Resident Card' (PRC). The holder of a PRC may reside and may work in the United States. Though this is a necessary stage for becoming a US citizen there is no legal requirement that the holder of a PRC must apply to become a naturalised US citizen; he or she still retains his or her overseas citizenship and passport until such time as naturalization takes place. PRC holders seeking to become naturalised US citizens may file an application after five years (three years if married to a US citizen). Many such `resident aliens' never actually take out citizenship and so never qualify for a US passport, though children born in the USA be Americans and will receive a US passport as a matter of course.
In practice, however, there are many intermediate statuses, some of what can be changed once awarded, and some of which cannot. So it's essential you know what status you want to achieve, and what the limits and potentials are of the status with which you enter the USA.
