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Most of the people from all over the world come to the U.S. as a visitor/tourist.
This type of nonimmigrant visa is issued for a temporary period as the name itself suggests it is for the purpose of visiting only. In other words the visitor has to return back to his home country after the visit is over.
People who wish to visit U.S. for a Business, pleasure or for a medical treatment can apply for this type of visa.
This visa is granted ranging from 6 months to 10 years. But this does not mean that person is entitled to live in the U.S. for that long. Visitor can stay at the most for a period of six months although visa is issued for more than six month.
Visitor’s stay is decided by the Supervising officer at the port of entry, he decides the time frame within which a visitor can stay in the U.S. If the visitor fails to return back to the home country after expiry of the time limit, his stay becomes illegal and he becomes “Out Of Stay” which is dangerous and may create a bar in future on the visitor if he wish to come back to the U.S.
Visitor can extend his/her visa and also after coming into the U.S. he/she can change visa status. Meaning if a visitor enters the U.S. and decides to look for collages and university for further education then he can change his status from visitor to a student, similarly if a student is in search of collage or university and not found yet , then he can extend his visa.
Getting visitor visa needs strong and proper documentation. Interviewer takes into consideration the following things while issuing the visa. The Applicant needs to demonstrate that he:
- Has no intention of abandoning their residence abroad; and
- Is visiting the US temporarily for business, pleasure or medical Treatment.
- Is coming to the U.S. for a specific period of time.
- Will not be engaging in work and will engage solely in legitimate activities relating to pleasure.
- Will maintain a foreign residence that he or she has no intention of abandoning during the period of his or her stay in the U.S.
For a tourist to show non-immigrant intent and demonstrate compliance with the above tests, the key issues are financial arrangements for the trip, specificity of trip plans, ties to the alien's home country and ties to the U.S.
More specifically, consular officers are instructed to consider the following factors:
- Whether the arrangements for defraying expenses during the visit and return passage are adequate to prevent the need for obtaining employment in the U.S. in order to support the stay in the U.S. and provide the funds to return home;
- If relatives or friends are sponsoring, whether the ties between the individual and the supporter are compelling enough to make the offer credible;
- Whether the individual has specific and realistic plans for the visit (not just vague and uncertain intentions) for the entire period of the contemplated visit;
- Whether the period of time planned for the visit is consistent with the purpose of the trip and the individual has established with reasonable certainty that departure from the U.S. will take place when the visit is over;
- Whether the applicant's proposed length of stay is consistent with the timeframe limitation offered by the hosting relative or friend in the invitation letter, if any.
Note: An applicant’s’s stated intention to remain in the U.S. for the maximum period allowable by US authorities will be looked upon negatively.
- Whether the applicant can show reasonably good and permanent employment, meaningful business or financial connections, close family ties, or social or cultural associations which indicate a strong reason to return abroad.
Generally speaking, an applicant’s chances for getting a visa will be improved if the planned trip is short, the itinerary is clearly listed, the applicant can easily prove he or she has the money to pay for the trip and the applicant has a job at home and can show that the time away has been approved by the employer. Retirees will have a better chance if they can show strong family and economic ties to the home country and finances to support the trip. Of course, in all cases the home country makes a big difference. The lower the visa overstay rate for nationals of a particular country, the better the chances overall that the application will be approved.
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