Global Education Office

A U.S. visa is a small document that is sealed (stamped) into your passport by a U.S. consulate abroad.   Some people refer to visas as visa stamps but both terms are accurate.

Here is what a U.S. visa looks like:

Your visa shows…

• • Your photo
  • Your name and date of birth
  • Your visa Type/Class (F-1, F-2, J-1, J-2, etc.)
  • Entries (meaning how many times you can use the visa before it expires)
  • Issue Date (the date the consulate placed the visa in your passport)
  • Expiration Date (the last date the visa can be used)
  • Other information

Your visa does only one thing:

It allows you to travel to the U.S. before the expiration date on the visa and to ask CBP to let you into the U.S. in the status connected to the visa type.

Example: An F-1 visa allows you to ask CBP to enter the U.S. in F-1 status.

After CBP admits you to the U.S., the visa stamp (and its expiration date) is not important while you are in the U.S.   

The visa (and its expiration date) only becomes important again if you travel outside the U.S.  You will need an unexpired visa in order to return to the U.S.

You could think of your visa like a key to a locked house. Since the house is locked you need the key (visa) to get in.

Once you are in the house, the key (visa) is no longer important.  

After you are in the U.S. the visa can expire—and nothing bad happens!

But if you leave the house, you will need a key (visa) to get back in. You will need an unexpired visa (key) to get back into the house.

A citizen of Canada does not need a visa from a U.S. consulate abroad in order to enter the U.S. in a nonimmigrant status.

Example: A citizen of Canada does not need to obtain an F-1 visa from a U.S. consulate before traveling to the U.S. and asking CBP to admit them in F-1 status.

A citizen of Canada does require other documents, sometimes including U.S. government documents, in order to ask CBP to admit them in certain statuses.

Visas are available only from U.S. consulates outside the U.S.    It is not possible to obtain a visa from inside the U.S.

No. Visas are available only from U.S. consulates outside the U.S. It is not possible to obtain a visa from inside the U.S.

An embassy is a country’s main diplomatic office in another country. An embassy is almost always located in the country’s capital city.

Example: The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India is the main U.S. diplomatic office in India. (New Delhi is the capital of India.)

A consulate is a department of the embassy that engages in a variety of business-related activities, including, in many cases, visa applications.

Each embassy has a consulate department, but each embassy may also establish consulates in other locations—sort of like branch offices of the embassy.

Example: The U.S. Consulate in Chennai, India is a “branch” of the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi.  

Since visa applications are processed by the consulate department, the term consulate (vs. embassy) is used throughout our visa application guidance.

The U.S. government expects you to apply for a visa at a consulate in your home country (country of citizenship or residence).

Example: If your home country is India, the U.S. government expects you to apply for a visa at a U.S. consulate in India.     

It is sometimes possible to apply for a visa in a country other than your own.  For information about this option, please see TCN Applications below.

If the U.S. does not have an embassy or consulate in your home country, you need to apply for your visa via the TCN process described below.

There are two components to your visa application process:

During the online process, you will:

1. Submit an online Form DS-160 Application for a Nonimmigrant Visa
2. Pay the SEVIS fee (F-1 and J-1 visa applications only)
3. Select the U.S. consulate to use for your visa application
4. Pay consulate processing fees (fee amounts vary by visa type)
5. Find out whether you need to go to the consulate in person for a brief interview
6. Find out if you can be exempt from the interview requirement
7. Find out when and where to present your passport for stamping

Yes. Even if you are exempt from the in-person interview, you still need to present your passport to the consulate for stamping.

Submitting your passport to the consulate must be done by you and from inside the country where the consulate is located.

Some U.S. consulates can exempt you from the interview requirement.  Interview waivers are limited and not automatic.

Information about a waiver from the in-person interview requirement is available from the U.S. Department of State.

There are actually two timelines to consider:

U.S. consulates post their upcoming appointment availability online at the Visa Appointment Wait Time website.

Information at the Visa Appointment Wait Times website is often an estimate and may not accurately reflect reality.

The only way to know for sure about upcoming appointment availability is to apply for your visa.

During the visa application process, you will be asked to select your appointment time from a list of actual appointments available.

If the available appointments are not convenient, you can ask the consulate to schedule you for an earlier time by doing the following:

1. During the online visa application process, you will be asked to select your appointment time from a list of actual appointments available.
2. Select the earliest available time for an appointment and complete the online application process.
3. You can then ask the consulate to re-schedule your existing appointment for an earlier time.

Consulates either reject or ignore schools’ requests to change applicants’ appointment times.

If the consulate even responds to the school, they tell the school to tell the applicant to change the appointment time via their online system.

Getting a consulate appointment is like booking a flight.  

At first, all of the flights (appointments) may be booked the day you want to travel or you are not satisfied with the available seats on flights (the appointments are not at good times for you).

But then, due to other travelers changing their plans (changing their appointments), additional flights and better seats (appointment times) are suddenly available.

If you are unhappy with your selected appointment time, you need to keep checking with the consulate about a better time (checking their online system to see if new appointments are available).

Here are GEO’s tips for visa application success.    We cannot guarantee that your visa application will be approved—but these are some of the things that you can do to improve your chances of approval.

• Start the online component of the application process as soon as possible so that you can select an appointment time that is most convenient for you.
• Follow the U.S. consulate’s online instructions for applying for a visa. Do not add to the process by seeking input from sources outside the U.S. consulate, such as friends, family, blogs, or chatrooms.   
• Provide the consulate only with the documents and materials they specifically request from you. Do not add to the required documents or materials in an attempt to appear helpful.   Doing so can create processing delays and denials. 
• Be honest and direct in all information provided and in answering their questions.
• Consulate interviews tend to be quick (5-10 minutes). The interview will be conducted in English unless you ask for it to be conducted in another language.    Be advised that the F-1 and J-1 regulations require that you be able to speak English.   If you apply for an F-1 or J-1 visa and ask for the interview to be conducted in another language, that request could be held against you.   The only exception to this guidance is for students whose I-20s and DS-2019s are for English language training. 
• Be considerate of the consulate officer’s time and need to interview many other applicants that day. Answer only the questions you are asked.   Keep your answers short and to-the-point.    
• Expect to be asked questions about Immigrant Intent and to respond to those questions clearly and confidently. View information about Immigrant Intent.

There are 3 possible outcomes to a visa stamp application:

Administrative Processing (AP) means that the consulate has processed your application up to a point but they need more information from or about you to complete the process. AP can take just a few days—or it can take 4+ weeks.  

The most common reasons for AP are:

• History of U.S. visa violations or U.S. police or criminal record.
• History of other country visa violations or police or criminal record.
• Your home country government does not respond to the U.S. consulate’s request for information about you or they don’t respond quickly.
• You study or work in a field that the U.S. government considers to be sensitive (STEM fields plus some medical research fields).
• Immigrant intent. For more information about immigrant intent, please see below.

The only way to know for sure if you will (or will not) be subject to AP is to apply to the consulate for a visa

If you are subject to AP, the consulate will inform you about it in writing and they will usually state the reason for AP and what additional information they need from or about you.

There is no way to expedite AP. If you are subject to AP, you will need to wait until the consulate completes AP.   

If you are subject to AP, the only way to stop AP before the consulate can complete AP is to withdraw your visa application.

View official DOS information about Administrative Processing.

Immigrant intent is probably the most common reason why your application for a nonimmigrant visa can be subject to AP or denied. View information about Immigrant Intent.

Consulates either reject or ignore schools’ requests to expedite applicants’ Administrative Processing or to reconsider Immigrant Intent.

Administrative Processing: Unless the consulate asks the school in writing for information regarding your application, they will ignore any communication from us asking to expedite AP.   In most cases, AP is legally required.  This means that a consulate cannot skip over or expedite your AP.

Immigrant Intent: Only you can clarify your nonimmigrant intention to the consulate.   Unless the consulate asks the school in writing for information regarding your application, they will ignore any communication from us about this issue.  

The U.S. government expects you to apply for a visa at a consulate in your home country (country of citizenship or residence).

Example: If your home country is India, the U.S. government expects you to apply for a visa at a U.S. consulate in India.    

It is sometimes possible to apply for a visa in a country other than your own. A visa application of this kind is called a “third country national” or TCN application.

Example: If your home country is India, but you apply for your visa at a U.S. consulate in a country other than India, you are making a TCN application.

TCN may sound appealing but the process is complicated and may not be a good idea for you.

Do not decide to apply for your visa as a TCN without considering the challenges to the process:

• TCN applications are not guaranteed approval.
• TCN applications are more likely to result in consulate delays and denials.
• There is no list of “TCN-friendly” consulates. You need to check with possible consulates to find out if they welcome TCN applications. View an official list of U.S. consulates around the world.
• Can you easily travel to the country where the U.S. consulate is located? Do you need a visa from that country to travel to the U.S. consulate there?  What is that process?  How much does it cost or how long does it take?
• Can you afford to remain in that country for as long as it takes the U.S. consulate to process and approve your visa application? What if the process takes two weeks or longer?
• Immigrant intent: When you apply for your visa via the TCN process, the U.S. consulate will probably review your application even more closely for immigrant intent than normal.
• Can you afford to travel directly from that country to your home country? If the U.S. consulate in that country denies your visa application, you will not be permitted to return directly to the U.S.   You will need to travel from that country to your home country, apply for your visa stamp at a U.S. consulate in your home country, and then return to the U.S.

Under specific conditions, you may be eligible to enter the U.S. using an expired visa via the 30-day Automatic Visa Revalidation (AVR) option.

Even if you are eligible for AVR, GEO does not recommend it.  

There are too many variables with AVR and if you are denied AVR admission to the U.S. you will need to obtain a new visa before returning to the U.S.

AVR Restrictions Applicable to All Visa Holders

You are not eligible for AVR if any of the following statements are true for you.

• You are a citizen or national of a country deemed by the U.S. government to be a state sponsor of terrorism. View a list of those countries.
• While in the U.S., you violated any of the F-1, F-2, J-1, J-2, H-1B, H-4, O-1, or O-3 regulations, including unauthorized employment.
• You entered the U.S. under the terms of the ESTA program.
• You ever had a visa officially cancelled by the U.S. government.
• If you applied for a visa at a U.S. consulate abroad and that application is still in process at the time you seek readmission to the U.S. under AVR.
• During your trip outside the U.S., you any country not listed below for your visa type.
  
  

AVR for F-1, F-2, J-1, and J-2 Visa Holders Only

• If the answer to every question below is Yes, you may be eligible to return to the U.S using an expired visa.
• If the answer to any question below is No, you are not eligible for AVR admission to the U.S.

1. I have an expired F-1, F-2, J-1, or J-2 visa in my passport.
2. During this absence, I will be outside the U.S. for no more than 30 days.
3. During this absence, I will travel only to the following countries: Anguilla, Antigua, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Barbuda, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands (BVI), Canada, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Marie-Galante, Martinique, Mexico, Miquelon, Montserrat, Saba, Saint-Barthelemy, Saint Christopher, Saint Eustatius, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Maarten, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre, Saint Vincent, Grenadines, Trinidad, Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Other British, French and Netherlands territory or possessions bordering on the Caribbean Sea.  NOTE: If you travel to Cuba, you are not eligible for 30-day automatic visa revalidation.
4. I will be returning to the U.S. in the same status that I departed from the U.S.  Example: I was in F-1 status when I departed the U.S. and I will be returning to the U.S. in F-1 status. 

Note that all of the AVR countries are either in North America (Canada and Mexico) or in the Atlantic Ocean (Bermuda and Bahamas) or Caribbean Sea (all other AVR countries) adjacent to the U.S.  None of the AVR countries are in any other part of the world, including Central and South America.   If you travel to any other country during your absence from the U.S., you are not eligible for AVR.

AVR H-1B, H-4, O-1, and O-3 Visa Holders Only

• If the answer to every question below is Yes, you may be eligible to return to the U.S. using an expired visa.
• If the answer to any question below is No, you are not eligible for AVR admission to the U.S.

1. I have an expired H-1B, H-4, O-1, or O-3 visa in my passport.
2. During this absence, I will be outside the U.S. for no more than 30 days.
3. During this absence, I will travel only to Canada or Mexico.  I will not be traveling to any other country during this absence.
4. I will be returning to the U.S. in the same status that I departed from the U.S.  Example: I was in H-1B when I departed the U.S. and I will be returning to the U.S. in H-1B status.