Those who plan to visit the country of highways and burgers -, - should without fail not just to get a visa, but also to pass a special interview, after which a document allowing you to stay in America is issued. This is one of the stages that cannot be bypassed, and it is not easy to overcome it.. How does an appointment for an interview take place? What documents are needed for this and how to correctly answer all the questions asked by the officer?
Some general information
Any person who does not have US citizenship must obtain a visa before visiting this country. This can be either a migrant visa, which will allow you to live in the United States for a long time, or a non-immigrant permit, which is suitable for those planning to spend their holidays in this state, study or work.
On a note! An interview is required in person. You can pass it in Belarus, Latvia, Georgia and a number of other countries. You will not have to visit the Embassy only if the visa is issued again.
You must visit the consulate or embassy for an interview. Moreover, the appointment is usually made via the Internet, although it will be more convenient for some to contact the contact center directly. But before you call or apply for an interview, it is important to study the basic information that relates to this procedure. Then, perhaps, everything will go more smoothly, and the applicant is waiting successful completion interviews and obtaining a long-awaited visa.
Everyone needs to pass an interview - this is enshrined at the legislative level. However, the following categories of persons are exempt from it:
- those who are seconded on behalf of institutions;
- diplomats;
- official representatives.
What paperwork will you need to prepare?
Even before the time of recording for an interview, you need to find out what documents may be useful to the applicant, and be sure to prepare them. For a rough list, please see the table below. In general, here is a list of all the main papers, but it is possible that some others may be required.
Table. Documents required for an interview for a nonimmigrant visa.
| Document | Information |
|---|---|
| This is one of the main documents. The passport must be valid and have at least one blank page. Moreover, the document must be valid for at least 6 months from the date of return from the United States. That is, the timing must be adequate. |
| This invitation is issued only after an appointment for an interview. First you need to register on the website of the American Embassy, fill out the appropriate application and wait for an invitation. It must be printed in full (3 pages). |
| After completing this document, confirmation will be issued. Paper also needs to be printed. It indicates the alphanumeric personal code of the applicant. |
| The photo can be uploaded directly on the embassy website, but it is still better to take one physical copy with you to the interview - failures computer technology no one has canceled yet. |
| The consular fee must be paid. You must have a receipt on hand. |
It is also advisable to take with you other documents that may be required, but are not mandatory. These are property certificates, papers on the presence of children, if any, as well as a certificate from work - the latter will confirm financial independence the applicant. It is also important to take documents that will confirm that a room has been booked in the selected hotel in the United States, and a return plane ticket will also come in handy, which will confirm the intention to return to your homeland.
If a person applies for a visa for the purpose of migration, then a special case will be opened, and the list of required papers will differ from the above. The procedures are different in both cases.
On a note! Since now the staff of the diplomatic mission has been reduced, the acceptance of applications for interviews from citizens of the CIS countries and Belarus has been suspended. Registration to the Embassy in Moscow has also been suspended, but sometimes free “windows” in Russia still appear, for example, in Vladivostok. In St. Petersburg, the American Embassy is now closed. You can also have an interview in Yekaterinburg. In the latter case, you will have to wait a very long time.
Interestingly, having signed up for an interview in one country, you cannot transfer it to another. It is also impossible, having paid the consular fee in one state, to present a receipt for its payment in another.
A few words about the photo for the profile
Which you need to attach to the questionnaire, must meet certain criteria. The first one that comes across, even documentary, is not worth attaching. The card requirements are as follows:
- it must be fresh, that is, not older than 6 months at the time of submission of documents;
- photo dimensions - 5x5 cm, resolution 600x600 - 1200x1200 pixels;
- the photo must be in color, taken on a white background - no extraneous shadows, the applicant must be clearly visible;
- you need to look directly into the frame, you can not wear glasses and any accessories. The exception is a hearing aid if the person wears it daily;
- clothing should be neat and casual;
- The applicant's face should occupy most of the photo - no less than 50-70%.
Usually, photographs are taken in specialized salons, and the employees of these already know what criteria a card should be made by. But once again, it is recommended to check what happened for compliance with the parameters.
Attention! An incorrectly taken photo can lead to refusal of a visa and an invitation to an interview.
When do dates appear?
You need to sign up for an interview by collecting all the basic documents and preparing a photo. In order to get to the meeting, you need to create your personal account on the embassy website, while you will have to enter passport data - this is a normal procedure, and you should not worry about information leakage. AT personal account Then you can track the status of the application.
The date of the interview may be postponed for certain reasons. Luckily, the receipt is valid for a year and the money won't burn out. There are few dates, but they still appear on the site. Often their number depends on the purpose of the trip and seasonality. The purpose of the visit can also affect the speed of the interview.
Sometimes it is possible to make an appointment for an interview urgently. But they will go to the meeting only if there is a justified need for an early entry into the United States. You can only use this opportunity once.
Visa process
So the process is quite simple. To begin with, all documents are collected, but only after a decision has been made regarding the type of visa. Remember that the package of papers in the case of an immigrant / non-immigrant visa will be different.
Next, you will need to undergo fingerprinting and the interview itself - the procedure takes place at the consulate or embassy. In general, the interview is a questionnaire on English language. The applicant will be asked certain questions that need to be answered. Sometimes it can take place in Russian.
By the way, you can choose a country for an interview. For example, it is enough to go to the CGI Federal website and choose the option where you can go for an interview, if for some reason it is inconvenient to pass it in Russia.
After that, a consular fee is paid, which is approximately 160 dollars. And you need to pay for it only for the country in which the conversation will take place.
How is the registration for the interview?
So, all the preliminary steps are completed - it remains only to sign up for an interview. To do this, follow a simple instruction.
Step 1. First you need to go to the Department of State website (https://cgifederal.secure.force.com/) and create a personal account there, creating a username and password if you get a visa for the first time. If you already had a visa before, then you need to log in. It is important to remember that a passport can be registered in the system only once. Login data can be restored in a pinch via technical support Embassies.
Step 2 Next, you need to enter all your personal data (passport data, e-mail) and select certain categories from the proposed items. This is the country of circulation (in our case, Russia). You will also have to come up with a password, and then pass the captcha check.
Step 3 The next step is to select the “New Application” tab, and then you can sign up for an interview.
Step 4 After that, you need to choose the city in which you would like to have an interview.
Step 5 The next step is to select the type of visa (these are B1 and B2, where B1 is business and B2 is tourist. Both of them are non-immigrant).
Step 6 You also need to specify the permission subcategory. If the applicant is going to the US as a tourist, then he needs to choose a B2 visa.
Step 7 Now you need to enter all the data exactly as written in the document. You can't go wrong! These will be the number, date of issue, expiration date, place of birth, gender. Also at this stage, the number of the DS-160 questionnaire is indicated.
Attention! You will not be able to edit the passport data after saving it yourself! It is important not to make mistakes. Edits can only be demolished by Embassy staff.
Contacts are also indicated on the page - from phone numbers to e-mail. Although the email is usually copied from the one that was specified during registration on the portal. But in general, it can be changed to another. The main thing is to have access to it, since all important notifications will be sent to this address.
Step 8 Next, a paragraph is filled in regarding relatives if they are traveling with the applicant. All relatives can sign up for one interview at once. But it’s not possible to enter friends on your date like that. You can schedule joint interviews for your spouse, children, parents, and other family members. Visa categories must match.
Step 9 By the way, you can not take a child under 14 for interviews - the parent will submit all the papers for him. Also, people over the age of 80 do not pass the interview. These people will go directly to the page "method of obtaining a document", bypassing the rest of the items.
Step 10 It is worth remembering that they cannot apply to representative offices in Russia.
Step 11 Now you can choose how to get a passport. This can be courier delivery (Pony Express), as well as personal collection at the delivery service offices.
Step 12 The following is the number of the receipt indicating that the consular fee has been paid. The receipt can be either paper or electronic. The number will be linked to the profile, and it will not be possible to re-register it to another one.
Step 13 From the proposed options, you need to choose the day of the interview and the time. Dates that are free to visit are blue.
Step 14 It remains to print directly the confirmation of the record itself. And all that remains is to wait for the chosen time.
By the way, the date of the interview can be postponed. You can do this three times in total. For the fourth time, the payment receipt will be blocked, and the consular fee will have to be paid again.
Passing an interview
Anyone who applies for a visa is always considered as a possible migrant. That is why the interview is given Special attention. So during this procedure, the applicant will have to prove his intention to return home by all means.
To begin with, the applicant will be asked about the purpose of the visit. Often it depends on this in what direction the conversation will flow further. Do not answer that the trip is just tourist. It is better to think over the route in advance and tell what you plan to visit. Moreover, the plan must be realistic in time.
They will also ask about work. It is better to describe in a few sentences about your responsibilities, and not be limited to voicing the position. The longer the answer, the better - less risk that your visa will be refused.
They may ask about companions, about family. You need to answer fully, without hiding anything. Sometimes they ask to show some additional documents, but, as a rule, this is a rarity.
When the interview is completed, the applicant will be told when the visa will be ready. You can check the status in your CGI Federal account.
Important! All answers at the interview should not differ from the answers in the previously completed questionnaire.
Video - How to book an interview?
Of course, in such interviews, everyone is nervous. But do not panic - if you stay more or less confident and answer all questions without a hitch, and also do not think about refusal in advance, then the chances of getting a visa after successfully passing the interview will increase significantly.
Anyone wishing to visit the United States of America must. This procedure takes place in several stages, the most important of which is an interview at the US Embassy. If you are, then in some cases you can do without visiting the embassy in 2020. Citizens of Russia today can sign up for an interview only in neighboring countries: Georgia, Belarus, Latvia and others.
An example of a paid receipt of the consular fee
The next step is necessary. On the website of the embassy you can find this form and familiarize yourself with the rules for filling it out. Please note that the correct filling of the questionnaire is extremely important. Once the questionnaire has been sent, it will not be possible to make any amendments.
If you have any questions during the filling process, contact an interpreter or a qualified attorney. The consulate's call center does not deal with questions about filling out questionnaires. Save the application number: you may also need it at the interview.
The next step will be an appointment for an interview at the US Embassy. This procedure can be carried out through the call center or on the website of the embassy.
An entry can be made by indicating the applicant's passport data, the number of the receipt confirming the payment of the consular fee, as well as the ten-digit cipher code of the applicant's questionnaire DS-160.
In the process of making an appointment for a personal conversation at the embassy, it is possible to decide on the choice of a visa, indicate your personal data, indicate your family members and indicate the place where documents will need to be delivered in case of obtaining a visa. Registration for an interview takes no more than five minutes.
After receiving information with the date and time of the future interview, prepare Required documents.
Preparing for an interview
The most common interview question is what questions will the inspector ask? The interview is the final and most important step in obtaining a US visa, and most people want to come prepared for this interview. You do not need to write all possible questions, come up with answers to them and memorize them. Unfortunately, this always creates a not too pleasant impression and an unnecessarily nervous environment, which harms the result.
The inspector checks the adequacy of the foreign citizen and his readiness to comply with the rules and regulations, in particular with regard to immigration policy.
Questions should be answered truthfully, confidently and easily. Do not be verbose and try to be overly persuasive. As experienced travelers say, a visa is most readily given to those who demonstrate slight indifference and, by all external signs, can do without a visa.
It is necessary to think over the travel program as best as possible - the story about it should be short, concise, integral and as consistent as possible. If the interlocutor is confused, the officer may refuse to obtain a visa.
Interview Questions
What do consular officers ask?
About the trip
Questions about the upcoming trip can be very difficult for an unprepared person. Do not speak at random, it is best to make a trip plan in advance in order to navigate the dialogue with the inspector. It is necessary to confidently operate not only with travel dates, but also with the names of places that you want to visit. The officer may be interested in some small nuances, no need to be scared, rather confidently describe his thoughts and ideas on this matter.
About work
The inspector may be interested labor activity a foreign citizen who came for an interview. This is no more difficult than a regular dialogue about work, with the only difference that you need to remember - whatever you want to say about your work, wages and the activities of the company, it is worth adhering to the idea that a visa is given to those who are going to return to their homeland. Salary, company activities, work experience - all this may be of interest to a consular officer.
Increasingly, the U.S. Embassy is focusing on family, close relationship issues during interviews. family ties. If a person goes on a trip, leaving his family at home, it is better to say so. There may also be a question about relatives in America and their status.
About money
Or about the sponsor of the trip, if another person pays for it. Confirmation financial stability should be anyway. If the trip will be paid for by yourself, then a bank statement will suffice, if the sponsor will pay for it, then in addition to bank documents, a letter of intent from the sponsor will also be required.
About the host
If from relatives or any organization, you need to be ready to provide documents confirming this and be able to explain the importance of this trip.
About language skills
This is a very sensitive issue. Of course, the traveler does not have to have a deep knowledge of the English language, but this question may arise when traveling independently.
About honesty
It is important to remember that the questions must be answered truthfully and consistently - this will help not to get confused yourself and not to confuse the consular officer. It is also important to remember that all answers in a personal dialogue with the inspector must match the answers on the DS-160 form. Otherwise, unnecessary questions may arise.
Should I wait for an appointment with the US Embassy?
This week, an information seminar was held by the Consular Service of the US Embassy, organized for travel agencies, during which we managed to talk with the head of the non-immigrant visa department and ask those questions that concern everyone.
Since September 1, the issuance of US visas has been reduced. Three regional consulates in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok have completely stopped their work on issuing visas and are only processing applications for re-obtaining visas without passing interviews. Thousands of applicants have had their appointments canceled at the Embassies by submitting an appropriate application for the need to assign a new appointment.
- The number of applications that the Embassy can process has been reduced. Correspondingly, the number of available seats for the record. The State Department immediately warned that Russians, on average, would have to wait for an interview for the B1 / B2 visa category - business / tourism for almost three months - 85 days.
- A record was introduced for filing documents for extending a visa to the United States (previously, documents could be submitted on any working day).
- The period during which it is possible to apply for a second visa has been reduced - from 47 months to 11.
So, let's summarize the results of the meeting
How is an appointment made at the US Embassy now?
On the this moment, when assigning an appointment to the US Embassy, the priorities are as follows:
1. Diplomatic visas
2. Student and work visas
3. Urgent visas (at the same time, urgency should be understood not as the inability to plan, but trips associated with the need for urgent medical care, for a funeral or other unforeseen circumstances.).
4. Business and tourist visas
When should we expect the recording to open in standard mode?
The US Embassy in Moscow conducts about 250 interviews daily. Only a small part of these interviews, taking into account the gradation above, relate to tourist visas. Standard Entry is now opening with very limited slots and only for those applicants whose interviews were canceled prior to September 1st. Embassy staff expect to process the applications of these citizens until about September 2018. Until this time, the entry for those applicants who apply for a visa for the first time will not be available (We do not take into account employees of companies that are registered in the US Chamber of Commerce and have separate opportunity records).
How to apply for a second visa to the United States without an interview?
If your visa is about to expire, hurry up to apply for a second visa without a Drop-Box interview. Registration for filing is conducted not only (and not so much) in Moscow, but also in St. Petersburg, Vladivostok and Yekaterinburg. You do not need to send documents to the regional Embassies on your own. You can submit the documents on the day according to the appointment at the Pony Express office and they will arrange delivery to the desired Embassy.
If you are called for an interview, then it will be possible to pass an interview only at the Moscow Embassy - several slots in your personal account will be opened for you to make an appointment.