USA - FAQ's

Non-Immigration VISA - Requirements

Visitors visas are nonimmigrant visas for persons desiring to enter the United States temporarily for business (B-1), or for pleasure/medical treatment (B-2).

Requirements for a Visitor Visa

Applicants must demonstrate that they have a residence in India which they do not intend to abandon, that they wish to enter the United States for a specifically limited period, and that their purpose in doing so is to engage in legitimate business or pleasure activities. Persons who want to remain in the United States indefinitely or plan to seek employment cannot be classified as visitors.

Applicants must supply the following documentation:

• completed application form.

• passport valid for at least six months beyond the applicant's intended period of stay.

• one colored photograph 1-1/2 inches square (37 x 37 mm) showing full face, without head covering, against a light background. The applicant's signature must appear on the reverse side of the photograph. Photographs are required for all applicants, including children.

• evidence substantiating the purpose of the trip, intent to depart the U.S. after a temporary visit, and arrangements made to cover the costs of stay in the United States and return to India. For business travelers, such evidence may consist of a letter from the business firm indicating the purpose and length of the trip as well as the firm's intent to defray the costs connected therewith, or an explanation of other sources of funds. For tourists and others traveling to the United States for pleasure, such evidence may consist of a statement by the applicants outlining their plans in the United States and explaining the reasons they will return to India (family ties, employment, or similar binding obligations.) Other evidence may include letters of invitation from relatives or friends in the United States whom the applicant plans to visit, confirmation of participation in group tours, etc. For persons traveling to the U.S. for medical treatment, evidence could be a statement from a doctor or institution accepting the patient for the proposed medical treatment, an estimate of the cost of the treatment, and documentation of how these costs will be met.

• Applicants who do not have sufficient funds of their own to support themselves during their proposed stay in the United States must present credible evidence to show that they will be supported there by some interested person; such evidence should reflect the ties between applicant and sponsor which form the basis for the latter's assurances of extending support.

A person whose passport contains a previously issued visitor visa may be able to use special expedited procedures, including the drop box in obtaining a new visitor visa.