Non-Immigrant Visas
Frequently Asked Questions
Applying For a Visa
While you have the right to apply for a non-immigrant
visa at any U.S. Consulate, you should apply at the U.S.
Embassy or Consulate with jurisdiction over your place
of permanent residence. It may be more difficult
to qualify for a visa when applying outside your own
country of permanent residence. If you choose to
apply in Malaysia, it is on the understanding that you
may be refused because it is harder for our consular
officers to determine whether you have sufficiently
demonstrated strong ties to your home country.
Remember, the application fee is non-refundable whether
or not the visa is issued.
Note: Because the United States has no diplomatic
relations with Iran, the majority of Iranian nationals
go to Dubai or Ankara to apply for non-immigrant visas.
No. Your passport needs to be valid for the duration
of your trip, including your return home. DHS may limit
your initial period of stay in the United States to the
duration of your passport’s validity. For
non-Malaysians, your passport must be valid for at least
6 months after your visa is issued, unless your country
has an agreement with the United States.
to see if you are exempt from the 6 months' validity
rule.
If your visa has not expired, been cancelled or
damaged, simply carry your old and new passports
together when you to to the United States. If you
prefer to have a visa placed in your new passport, you
will need to apply for a new U.S. visa. Remember,
there are no guarantees that a visa will be issued.
A visa cannot be transferred, renewed or extended
regardless of its type. You will need to apply for
a new one.
Yes, provided it has a future expiry date and is not
an indefinite validity visa (see FAQ on Indefinite
visas). The main change since 9/11 is that upon
entry into the United States, you will be fingerprinted
as part of the US-VISIT program.
No. All Indefinite and Burroughs-type (without a
photo) visas became void after March 31, 2004 and cannot
be used for entry into the United States. If you
possess either one of these U.S. visas, you must apply
for a new one.
Yes. Each applicant must complete an Electronic
Visa Application Form DS-156, called an EVAF; this
ensures the most efficient processing of your visa
application. The Embassy will not accept applications
that have been handwritten or typed.
For security reasons, your EVAF is not electronically
sent to the Embassy--you must print and bring it to us.
No.
Only applicants who are age 13 and under OR 80 and
over; or are applying for diplomatic/official visas can
use the drop-box.
Note: Applicants for student/exchange visas
(F, M or J) who are under age 13 must come to the
Embassy to be interviewed.
The majority of applicants receive their visas the
next business day after the interview. Some applications
can take longer to process—about 2 to 3 weeks on
average. Additional factors such as the need for special
clearances, additional documents or incomplete
applications may affect the processing time of other
individual cases. Applicants will be told at the time of
their interview whether the visa can be issued and
couriered the next business day or whether additional
processing time will be needed. Sometimes factors beyond
our control may delay our release of visaed passports.
Remember, it is always best to apply early!
Every applicant’s situation differs, so we cannot
tell you which supporting documents best demonstrate
your ties. Though supporting documents may assist
you in your interview, consular officers rely
primarily on the interview to determine your
eligibility for a visa. In other words, supporting
documents are voluntary and of secondary importance.
Caution: Use only valid documents. Fraud or
misrepresentation can result in a permanent visa ineligibility.
If confidentiality is of concern, the applicant should bring the
documents to the Embassy in a sealed envelope. The Embassy will
not make this information available to anyone and will respect
the confidentiality of the information.
List of documents most frequently presented:
- Current proof of salary and/or income
(original pay slips or most recent original J,
EA, B or other tax forms)
- Letter from employer detailing your
position, salary, how long you have been
employed with the company; the period of
authorized vacation; and the purpose of your
U.S. trip;
- Real estate lease or deeds;
- Bank savings account books or other evidence
of liquid assets that indicate the balance in
your accounts and account activity;
- Business registration and recent profit tax
statement (business owners);
- Birth certificate and, if applicable,
parents’ valid visas (for children’s
applications);
- Students: a letter from your school or
university indicating that you are registered,
have paid any applicable tuition, the length of
your program and expected graduation date;
- Where appropriate, a tour, business or
conference itinerary and/or other information
about your planned trip (this can be tentative);
- For crew: letter from company headquarters
and/or seamen's book; and
- Marriage certificate (for spouse’s
application).
Please do not fax, e-mail or mail supporting
documents to the Embassy as we do not have the
resources to track them. Instead, send the
documents directly to the applicant for presentation to
the consular officer during the interview.
We recommend that you apply as far in advance as
possible or at least 2-3 months before your travel date.
While most applications can be processed within 24
hours, occasionally a case will require additional
processing time of several weeks.
Visa applicants must demonstrate that they have
sufficiently strong family, social, or economic ties to
their place of residence to ensure that their projected
stay in the United States will be temporary. It is
impossible to specify the exact documents visa
applicants should bring since each applicant's
circumstances vary greatly. Visa applicants should bring
to the interview whatever documents they think will help
their visa applications. Under U.S. law, it is the
applicants’ responsibility to show that they have strong
enough ties to their place of residence to qualify for a
non-immigrant visa. Third party guarantees do not
represent sufficient evidence of strong ties to receive
a visa.
The interviewing officer will inform you of the
outcome of your visa application at the conclusion of
your interview.
No, except in the case of a genuine humanitarian
emergency. Applicants are urged to apply as far in
advance of their travel date as possible.
The applicant is the only person allowed into the
Embassy for a visa interview. Relatives, friends,
co-workers, employers, lawyers, etc. will not be allowed
into the building.
Parents or legal guardians are advised to accompany
any minor child (age 14-18) to the interview if the
child is applying for a tourist visa. Children 13 and
under do not need to appear in person. However, if the
child is not present, only the parent or legal guardian
of a minor child can apply for a tourist visa on behalf
of that child. Parents or legal guardians must provide
proof of relationship or legal guardianship status such
as an original birth certificate or other court
documents. Please note that applicants for student visas
(F, M and J) who are 13 and under must be interviewed.
When applicants apply for a visa, they are routinely
checked against available records of people who are
ineligible for visas or whose applications require
additional review by several U.S. Government agencies
before a visa can be issued. If your name or a close
variation of it indicates further investigation of your
application is needed, further steps such as
fingerprinting will be required.
Please note: Even if you have no criminal
record in the United States, the only way to proceed
with your visa application is to have your fingerprints
taken. You may withdraw your visa application at any
time if you do not wish to have your fingerprints taken.
For full-fingerprinting, you will be scheduled an
appointment and be charged USD 85 (or RM equivalent)
payable in cash or by credit card at that time.
Fingerprinting results usually take 3-4 weeks to
arrive, but the time can vary considerably. Please allow
ample time for processing before your travel date.
Even if you bring court records relating to your past
violations of U.S. law, you must still follow this
fingerprinting procedure. We must determine whether the
incident that you have reported reflects your entire
criminal or legal record in the United States.
Additionally, please note that some types of violations
may result in a visa ineligibility. It is only after the
consular officer receives the results from the
fingerprinting that he or she can determine whether you
are legally qualified to receive a visa.
When applicants apply for a visa, they are routinely
checked against available records of people who are
ineligible for visas or whose applications require
additional review by several United States government
agencies before a visa can be issued. If your name or a
close variation of it indicates further investigation of
the application is needed, your visa application will
require additional processing time. However, we do work
diligently to minimize any impact on your travel plans.
Visa applications for persons to study or work in
certain sensitive scientific and technical fields are
also subject to an interagency clearance in Washington,
D.C. Since 1998, this Visas Mantis clearance process has
been used to screen against the illegal transfer of
technology. Once the clearance process is completed and
a visa is issued, the individual may apply for admission
at a U.S. port-of-entry.
The Department of State and DHS have made steady
progress in improving the clearance process for
technology-related visa cases throughout the past year.
We have added staff, invested in systems, and improved
interagency cooperation, which has resulted in
significant declines in processing times. Most cases are
processed in two to four weeks, although clearance time
varies from case to case. The Department of State also
recently extended the validity of these clearances,
reducing the number of times a visa applicant is subject
to this process.
We will contact you at the telephone number or e-mail
address you listed on your application as soon as we
receive notification that we can finish processing your
visa. Please understand that this waiting period is
necessary as we strive to make every effort to ensure
the safety and security of the United States for all,
including foreign visitors.
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Non-Immigrant
Visas
NIV
FAQS