There may a variety of reasons why you may feel the necessity to travel to the United States. The first thing you would require to visit USA is a Visa. A Visa is an official permit that helps you enter a foreign country and stay there permanently or for a specific period of time. Based on the purposes and duration of your stay, the United States of America offers different classes and subclasses of Visas. The United States of America follows a strict process of Visa issuance. The majority of the Visa applications to the USA are non-immigrant Visa applications which allow Indians to visit the USA and stay there for a predetermined period of time. When it comes to apply for an Immigrant Visa that allows foreign citizens settle permanently in the USA, the country issues limited number of Visas.
There are different types of US Visa offered to Indian citizens. They are mainly categorized as Immigrant Visa and Non-Immigrant Visa
Immigrant Visa: It is issued to Indian citizens who wish to stay permanently in the USA. The country issues a limited number of immigrant Visas to foreign citizens. (Can be linked to difference between difference between immigrant and non-immigrant Visas)
Non-Immigrant Visa: Issued to foreign or Indian citizens with permanent residence outside the United States, who wish to visit the USA for specific period of time. Listed below are the different types of non-immigrant Visas offered by the United States depending upon the purpose and duration of travel.
The United States of America offers nearly 20 subclasses of non-immigrant Visas to foreigners visiting the country for short term stays. They include :
1. Religious worker Visa
2. Domestic employee Visa
3. Exchange visitor Visa
4. Student Visa
5. Ship crew or Transit Visa
6. Work Visa (including H1B, H2A, H2B, LI, H4 etc.)
7. Media and journalist Visa.
The following documents are commonly required for Indian citizens to apply for a US Visa:
An Indian citizen needs to meet the following eligibility conditions to get a Visa to USA:
The following are the general steps to obtain a Visa to the USA:
1. Select the type of Visa you are applying for
2. Check your eligibility.
3. Online mode:
4. Fill in the online application form
5. Submit the required documents online
6. Offline mode:
7. Download the application form
8. Fill the form and submit it to the US Embassy office located in India
9. Pay the application fee and schedule the visa interview
10. Appear for the Visa interview with all required documents at the selected embassy