Obtaining a US Non-immigrant Visa

Once the INS has approved a visa petition, it is necessary to have the visa stamped into the candidate's passport.

The visa is stamped into the candidate's passport at a local US Embassy or Consulate; this process generally takes from 1 to 10 days.

Candidates already in the US may, if they are on a non-immigrant visa (such as a B1/B2 visit visa), be able to apply to the INS for adjustment (if changing to immigrant) or change (if changing to other non-immigrant) of status while remaining in the US. This option is not open to candidates who are present in the US under the visa-waiver scheme. Also, if the candidate did not advise of the possibility of a change of status to the relevant US Embassy or Consulate beforehand, the Immigration and Naturalization Service may be reluctant to permit an application for adjustment of status.

Where a visa is being stamped into a passport at a US Embassy, the following documents should be provided:

OF-156 Form	This is the standard non-immigrant visa form for entry to the US. In most cases, it must be completed before a visa can be issued.

I-797	Notice of Approval of petition by INS, if relevant.

Letter from Employer	Necessary for the B1 in lieu of H-1, ‘blanket’ L1 and E visas for employees, useful in other cases.

The Applicant's Passport	The passport should be valid for at least six months (not necessary for British Citizens and certain other nationals), and should have two pages free for endorsements.

Passport Photograph	This is the usual passport sized photograph commonly available.

US Work Visas for :

US Companies

Non-US Companies

Individuals

Application Forms for :

Individual (General)

Individual (H1B Visa)

Employer (General)

Employer (H1B Visa)

Employer (L1 Visa)

Employer (E Visas)

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