Many people dream of spending a vacation in the United States, but not everyone wants to spend a lot of time and effort to obtain a visa, because you can often hear about refusals to issue them. Also, not everyone knows how to apply for a visa on their own, what documents are needed, where to submit them and how much it costs. Also, many are intimidated by an interview. How to get the coveted visa? How not to be among those who were refused for some unknown reason? What if the consul refused? All answers are in our life hack.
First of all, it is worth taking into account the fact that it is not particularly difficult to get to America now. The time has passed when people dreamed of being in this country in any way. Currently, the "American Dream" pushes few people to try to settle there illegally. Prior to that, immigrants and ordinary tourists often experienced difficulties in obtaining a visa. A tourist visa to America is now issued by 94% of those wishing to get it. A visa can be issued for a period of two or even three years.
How to get to the USA on your own - read our article.
If you want to see Disneyland with your own eyes, wander along the avenue of Hollywood stars, visit Los Angeles, look at the life of the West in general - it is not at all necessary to resort to the help of travel agents. They want to cash in from scratch. Traveling without a guide is much more interesting. There will be no need to go “herd” to the sights, to endure the presence of unpleasant personalities in the tourist group. There are many advantages to independent travel: saving money and time, feeling of freedom, the ability to plan the day at your own discretion.
It may be scary to be alone in a distant country, but in fact there is nothing to be afraid of. Tickets, accommodation can be found and booked on your own. It will not be more difficult to apply for a visa yourself than using the services of a travel agency. In addition, it is worth noting that no travel agency will give a 100% guarantee of obtaining a visa. When providing the services of other agencies, the tourist still needs to fill out a questionnaire and appear for an interview. As you can see, there are almost no privileges, if you figure it out, then the best option is to do everything yourself.
Visa rules
It takes time to get the coveted visa to enter the United States. Citizens of the Russian Federation, unlike citizens of some other countries, need a visa. First of all, you should familiarize yourself with the information on obtaining a visa. To do this, you need to find official information about the types of visas. You need to find out about the cost and the conditions on which they are provided. Since 2013, all foreign nationals who apply for a visa outside the United States are subject to a $ 165 fee. The bill must be paid well in advance of arriving in America. There is a list of citizens who do not need to pay this fee. Before paying, be sure to familiarize yourself with this list. The www.USCIS.gov/immigrantfee website is a great help for questions related to the new immigration fee.
Visa documents
To apply for a visa, you will need:
Submit your photo electronically. Those who apply for a non-immigrant visa (for the first time). It must be inserted into the form on the website of the Embassy. The system recognizes the image. If the photo does not fit according to certain parameters, you will need to change it. If the questionnaire is filled out on paper, then you need to take the photo with you. Here are the basic requirements: a white background, the size of the photo should be no more and no less than 600 * 600 pixels. The face is strictly in the center of the image. The percentage of the face to the entire photo is 50-69%. Better if the ears are visible. Don't hide their hairstyle if the hair is not particularly lush.
Register at Utraveldocs.com. The site must provide an email address and password. Do not be too clever with the password, choose one that you will definitely not forget. This will make your personal account available for you. Everything is very fast and simple! After entering the office, on the left you need to find Provide Feedback. On feedback, you need to make a request for a UID message. It is needed to pay the fee. As a rule, information is sent in 3 hours in the form of a letter that will come to the post office. If it is not possible to view the mail, the UID will be dictated by phone. The user needs to dial the number 8 800 100 2554.
The next step is to pay the visa fee. It can be done in several ways. The best option is to pay by credit card, if available. It is necessary to fill in all the required fields on the page of the Russian Standard Bank. The system will offer to send a receipt by mail. It will be necessary to get this receipt by mail. You will not be able to schedule an interview without a transaction number. The receipt can be printed on paper. You never know what can happen! But in the strictest order it is required to record the transaction number. It consists of 14 digits. Another payment method is at the bank office. You can also deposit money by mail. The cost of a transit and tourist visa is 8 320 rubles at the time of publication of the article.
Filling out the questionnaire is the next step. For most, it seems to be the most irresistible. Although, if you understand everything, there is nothing super complicated. You need to go to the website of the American consulate, where you can choose the most suitable region for an interview. In the Central Federal District, this is Moscow, in the North-West Federal District - St. Petersburg, in the Ural Federal District - Yekaterinburg, and in the Far East - Vladivostok. The site has tips in Russian. After choosing a region, you can start filling out the questionnaire itself. The placeholder should remember that the process won't take forever. The open questionnaire is strictly regulated: no more than 75 minutes is allotted to fill in all items.
So you should prepare all the documents in advance in order to quickly enter all the information about yourself. It is necessary to put 2 passports next to it: Russian and foreign, diploma, certificate, work book (or a copy thereof), military ID. Information may be required about which cities in America the citizen is going to and which countries he has visited during the previous 5 years. After all the pages are complete, it is important to check again. If something is wrong, you must immediately correct the mistakes. The data can then be confirmed. The confirmation page must be saved and printed. The printout will come in handy at the Consulate. That's all, the most difficult thing is done. But the most important thing is still ahead - an interview.
Interview
You can sign up for an interview after paying the visa fee and filling out the application form, having in your hands a paper version of the confirmation. Registration is carried out through the Personal Account of the above mentioned site Utraveldocs.com. We need to find a link to the Schedule Appointment. You will need to enter the transaction number. In addition, there are five more questions to be answered. They relate to the previous visa, stay in the country, observance of rights and laws. Answers must be left in the YES / NO form.
The system will offer to choose a convenient date and time when the tourist will be able to personally appear at the Consulate. Confirmation of the interview must also be sent to the press. At the Consulate, when provided, all the required information will be instantly read. In order not to suddenly confuse something, follow the link "Appointment history" to see the date of the interview. Children under the age of 14 are exempt from interviews. Great bonus!
Interview. Don't worry about it for no reason. The main job is done. It is necessary to calmly answer questions, ponder what has been said. If everything is in order with the documents and with the intentions of the tourist, there is no reason for the consul to refuse a visa.
Yes, and one more important point. You should not book tickets in advance and plan your trip in detail. Yes, a visa must be issued, but still, not a fact. You never know what nuances may arise during the interview.In order not to create unnecessary problems for yourself, it is better to first make a visa, and only then only take on everything else. If a visa is denied (such an alignment of events is not entirely excluded), there will be difficulties with the return of money for the flight and for housing. Everything must be done in advance. If possible, naturally. As a last resort, you can reapply and return for an interview. But if the trip is "burning", then you have to rely on luck.
It is also important to know that the US Consulate is primarily concerned about your interest in returning to Russia and the purpose of your trip, itinerary. There are enough emigrants in the United States, so this issue needs to be worked out more clearly. At the interview, you must be convincing, you must not provide false information, prepare the travel itinerary in advance and share your plans openly. If it is possible to provide a certificate from the place of work, confirm the presence of real estate in Russia, family (children), bank account, we recommend that you do this.
The address of the US Embassy in Moscow is Novinsky Boulevard, in a building next to the F. Chaliapin House.
America is not an unattainable dream. It is real and it is quite possible to go there too. Do not spoil your mood with reviews about the interview at the Embassy. People can have difficulties because of which something went wrong. Consuls are obliged to ask questions on duty, to study in detail the information provided to them. You should try to keep your composure and not hang your nose if you are a little unlucky. Only those who do nothing are unlucky.
