You might be worried about how to go about your US Visa renewal after its expiration because you don’t know what to do, relax and go through this article for you to know everything about your US Visa renewal and how to go about it.
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,
A passport is a document used for travelling that is issued by the travellers country of citizenship.
It is important to know that US citizens don’t have to apply for a US 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 which also governs US Visa renewals, 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 tourists, business people, and students 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.
If you had a US visa that expired, you can apply for a US visa renewal. You will receive the same type of US visa again, provided you still fulfil the conditions.
Am I Eligible to Renew My US Visa?
You should only apply for US visa renewal if:
- You haven’t been denied a recent Visa that was sent to the US embassy. When your visa is expired you can apply for another one and it was rejected,you can apply for another renewal.
- You would be renewewing a US visa with multiple entries, which also has a validity of more than 1 year.
- You still fulfil the requirements for the visa you are trying to renew.
- You cannot apply for a renewal if you are in the US,it’s has to be from your own country that you are able to apply for a new one
- if your Visa expires between less than 48 months ,there are cases where Visa that has expired for more than 48 months can also be eligible
Required Documents for US Visa Renewal
You are still expected to submit the documents that were used in the previous visa application.
these documents are:
- Your passport. Your passport should be valid for at least the next sixth months from the time you want to leave the United States
- Two passport-size pictures:You should not use the same ones that was used before in the previous application
- The printout of Form DS-160 confirmation page.
- Proof you have paid the US visa fee (the receipt).
- Any other documents based on the US visa you want to renew.
Applying for US Visa Renewal
The same process to which was used in applying for a visa is the same for renewal. You have to:
- Fill in the Non-immigrant visa Application Form DS-160:DS-160 online Nonimmigrant Visa is a application you must fill when you want to apply for a Nonimmigrant Visa in US. This for is done online ,on the website of the US consulate, of which you will have to apply from
- Pay your US visa application fee: When you are done with other procedures then you can now pay the US applicant feed.
The Machine Readable Visa Fee for visa applicants depends on the type of visa one applies for. The schedule is tiered as follows:
- MRV Fee – $160
- Petition Based Applicants (H, L, O, P, Q, R) – $190
- E-1, E-2 & E-3 visa applicants – $205
It’s best to know that once you have made the payment, you can’t get any refund back even though you cancel your visa or if your Visa application is rejected
Submit the required documents for US visa renewal
There are three ways for you to submit your documents and for the US Visa Renewal interview appointment:
- You could submit the documents and interview at the US Embassy both on different days.
- You could also submit the documents at the US Embassy on the exact day of your interview.
- Lastly, You could submit the documents at a Visa Application Center (VAC), and then enter for your visa interview at the US Embassy.
This simply means that you will have two different appointments, one will be for documentation and the other will be for the interview. Your country’s embassy will give you this information and there are times where you request a New visa and you are not been interviewed
Enter the visa renewal interview: Applicants who are between the age of 14 and 79 years old are to go through the US Visa interview. To take part in this compulsory interview, you are to schedule an appointment with the US consulate or embassy from which you are applying.
While making the appointment, it is best to schedule the interview early enough as they might have a high workload which might result in long-range waiting which can last for days to weeks.
Then, you would receive your confirmation letter for the interview that you are expected to come with on the day of the interview.
How Long Does the US Visa Renewal Process Take?
The time for processing varies depending on the type of visa that you have and it can take as long as days to a few months.
One thing that also affects the processing time is when you apply that is the time of the year and whether or not you enter an interview
There are times where the visa officer will inform you concerning the outcome of your application as soon as your interview ends, but there are times where you will have to go home after the interview and wait to be notified
Conclusion
US visa renewal is very possible and the process is the same as the one you did when you applied for a new one, now you can always reapply and inform other people.
