Non-Immigrant Visas

General Information

A non-immigrant visa is issued by a U.S. Embassy or Consulate and entitles the holder to travel to the United States and apply for admission for a temporary visit. A visa does not guarantee entry. An immigration inspector at the port of entry determines the visa holder's eligibility for admission into the United States.

No assurance regarding the issuance of non-immigrant visas can be given in advance, final travel plans or the purchase of non-refundable air tickets should not be made until you are approved and have the visa in hand.

Requirements

Except for Visa Waiver Program countries, all visitors to the United States require a visa, including citizens of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Those wishing to travel to the United States for business, tourism, studies, medical treatment, or to visit family or friends, must submit an application for a non-immigrant visa.

Non-immigrant visas are also required for official government employees or recognized international organization employees (such as the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund) who are traveling to the Unites States for meetings or to work at foreign missions or recognized international organizations.

Those wishing to travel to the United States for business, tourism, studies, medical treatment, or to visit family or friends, must submit an application for a non-immigrant visa.Non-immigrant visas are also required for official government employees or recognized international organization employees (such as the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund) who are traveling to the Unites States for meetings or to work at foreign missions or recognized international organizations.

Visa U.S. immigration and naturalization laws presume that each visa applicant is an intending immigrant. It is up to the applicant to overcome this presumption by presenting evidence of strong ties to his country of residence that would compel him/her to return at the end of the visit to the United States. Compelling financial, family, and social ties are generally required to overcome this burden.  

Expedited Appointments

To request an expedited visa appointment for business travel, applicants should follow the normal appointment request process.  Applicants must be prepared to present specific information and clearly document the urgent nature of business travel.  This information will be requested before an interview can be scheduled.

To request an expedited visa appointment due to family bereavement, two immediate family members (wife, husband or children) may have an expedited visa appointment.  Before an expedited interview can be scheduled, family members will need to present (1) death certificate in the case of a death, (2) a letter from both the treating physician and the hospital in the case of terminal illness or (3) police report and letters from physicians and hospital in the case of traumatic injury.

Congo-Brazzaville Appointments

Residents of the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) can call 242-526-0673 for information on procedures for scheduling a visa interview. Visa interviews for residents of Congo-Brazzaville are conducted at U.S. Embassy, Kinshasa, on Mondays only.

Helpful links for more information:

• Visas for temporary visitors- http://travel.state.gov/visa/tempvisitors_wait.php
• USCIS Temporary Workers for petition based employment visas- http://uscis.gov/graphics/services/tempbenefits/tempworker.htm
• USCIS forms- http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/index.htm