There are questions sometimes about why do I need to make a US Visa appointment with the US embassy to do an interview or is it necessary in the visa application process, and this question and more would be dealt with in the course of this article.
A US Visa is a document that allows any foreign person entrance into the United States. And anyone who seeks entrance must first obtain a US Visa which is placed on the traveller’s passport, but before then must book a US visa appointment with a consulate.
A passport is a document used for travelling that is issued by the travellers country8g of citizenship.
It is important to know that US citizens don’t have to apply for a U.S Visa to travel within or into the U.S, but when making plans to travel abroad you will need need to get a visa issued by the embassy of the country they want to visit.
What Types of Visas Are There?
There are various types of Visa that one can obtain and it is determined by the US immigration law, and also show the purpose of your travel.
There are two main categories of US Visa:
Nonimmigrant visas
The is a type of visa that is used by tourist, business people, a student who wants to stay for a particular duration of time in the United States to fulfil a specific purpose.
Immigrant visas
This is a type of visa that is for people who wants to reside in the United States permanently
Who Needs to Attend a US Visa Appointment?
There is an instance where the applicant doesn’t need to go for a US visa appointment because the applicant can get an appointment waiver. And for you to be able to get the waiver you should fulfil one of the following conditions:
- Apply for an A-1, A-2, C-2, C-3, G-1, G-2, G-3, or G-4 visa.
- Be under 14 years old or over 79 years old.
- You are applying for a renewal of a BCC, B-1/B-2, C-1/D, F, J, M, or O visa within the same classification.
In a case where you are eligible to waive the biometric collection or the visa interview, or both of them. in such cases, you might have to still schedule a US visa appointment for the one which you cannot waive.
For US immigrant visas it is highly unlikely that you will be able to get a US visa appointment waiver, so you must discuss it with the NVC and obtain permission or confirm your appointment date and time.
How do I get an appointment waiver?
To apply for an appointment waiver, you can use the option of using the online platform or call the VAC where you applied. The VAC will then check if you are eligible for a US Visa interview waiver and they will also tell you if you need still need to schedule an appointment or not
How to Schedule a US Visa Interview Appointment?
For you to be able to schedule a US Visa interview you must first fill in the DS-160 form first. When you are done applying for the US Visa by submitting the application form and other important documents, the US embassy Visa application centre VAC will then have to process it.
Although this might take a few days or weeks depending on the type of visa that you have. once the application is processed then a US visa appointment is made.
The interview must be scheduled at least a day in between the fingerprint appointment.
What supporting documents should I bring to the appointment?
There are documents that must be available to you to ensure that the necessary information is been met when making the appointment.
These documents are:
- Your valid passport and your passport number.
- Your visa application fee payment receipt number.
- Your DS-160 confirmation page.
- Your e-mail address.
Completion of a Medical Examination for the US Visa Appointment
The US citizenship and immigration services expect everyone who wishes to apply for an appointment to undergo a medical appointment with an authorized physician in the country where they will interview.
An authorized physician is also known as a doctor who is approved by the US embassy in your country. once you have complete your medical check with another doctor that is not approved by the US embassy then it becomes invalid
What if I Am Late for my Interview?
If by chance you come late for an interview with just a couple of minutes and there is no queue then your interview will be dismissed. And you may have to file for another appointment and wait for the interview and try to come early
Can I Cancel my Appointment?
It is rare to see someone that will want to cancel his appointment after going through various stages of applying for the visa and getting the required documents and then want to cancel. But situations can lead to cancellation that might not want you to get a visa anymore.
To cancel you may have to call the VAC and tell them that you want to cancel and that you are not interested in getting that Visa anymore. For a US immigrant visa, you are to call the NVC and tell them that you are not interested anymore.
This is not actually advisable because a lot of time and effort has been spent in acquiring the visa and therefore it’s can’t go to waste just like that.
How to Reschedule a US Visa Appointment?
When you have set your US Visa appointment or the NVC has done that for you, it is recommended that you attend to it at the appropriate time and day. But if you cannot attend the US Visa Appointment, you can always reschedule.
US Visa Biometrics Appointment
The biometric appointment is arranged so that the applicant can give their biometric information, this includes the US Visa photography and fingerprint.
The US requires the applicant to give their biometric information in order for them to increase the security of their borders and know who enters the country and leave too
There are countries that applicants may not need to undergo the biometric appointment, but then it is important to check in with the US embassy and know if you are to go through this process in the Visa application process.
Conclusion
The US Visa Appointment is to ensure that the United States knows about the set of people that wants to enter into their country and for those persons that cannot be met up with appointments there are opportunities for you to reschedule.
