REQUIREMENTS FOR A U.S.

VISITOR VISA APPLICATION

PINOY EDITION

By: Dyle Cortez

REMEMBER…"Every alien shall be presumed to be an immigrant until he establishes to the satisfaction of the officer, at the time of

the application for a visa . . . that he is

entitled to nonimmigrant status . . .”

- Section 214(b) of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)

How do you prove that you do not intend to stay

permanently in the United States?

Source: http://manila.usembassy.gov and http://travel.state.gov

THAT’S WHERE THE “BINDING TIES” COMES IN Binding Ties shows compelling reasons

to return to the Philippines  It must be strong enough for the

interviewing officer to conclude that one’s ties to the Philippines will bring him/her back at the end of a temporary stay in the United States.

Source: http://manila.usembassy.gov and http://travel.state.gov

Source: http://manila.usembassy.gov and http://travel.state.gov

What do you mean by "ties to the Philippines?" 

Source: http://manila.usembassy.gov and http://travel.state.gov

"Ties" are the aspects of one’s life that bind him/her to his/her place of residence, including family relationships, employment and possessions. In the case of younger applicants, who may not have had an opportunity to establish such ties, interviewing officers may look at educational status, grades, the situation of parents, and an applicant's long-range plans and prospects in the Philippines. As each person's situation is different,

there is no set answer as to what constitutes

adequate ties.

SAMPLE DOCUMENTS Bank statements for the last three (3)

months and both current and former bank account passbooks

Employment certification including salary, tenure and position

Form W-2Income tax return with Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) or bank stampAudited financial statement with BIR or bank stamp

Pay slips for the last three (3) months Credit card statements for the prior three

monthsSource: http://manila.usembassy.gov and http://travel.state.gov

Vehicle registration with official receipt Land titles (no certified copies please) Pictures of family, home or

businessWedding photos Marriage certificate printed on the 

Philippine National Statistics Office security paper, if applicable

Birth certificate printed on the Philippine National Statistics Officesecurity paper

For students, certificate of school registration

Certification of membership to legitimate organization(s)

Source: http://manila.usembassy.gov and http://travel.state.gov

REMEMBER THAT…

Due to the large volume of applications processed each day,

consular officers may not always look at supporting documents, unless there are points in the application forms or in the interview that need clarification.

Source: http://manila.usembassy.gov and http://travel.state.gov

IN ADDITIONSupporting documents may or may

not be requested from the applicant

and are only required at the discretion of the consular officer

In certain cases, additional documents may be requested.

Source: http://manila.usembassy.gov and http://travel.state.gov

Source: http://manila.usembassy.gov and http://travel.state.gov

All documents must be originals. Photocopies will

not be accepted, unless specified. The applicant

must submit these documents to the interviewing consular officer during the interview. The Nonimmigrant Visa Unit does

not accept documents before the interview. Any documents received will not be returned and

will be destroyed. Please note, however, that presentation of the documents will not

guarantee visa issuance. Applicants must still qualify

under INA Section 214(b).

So you have your binding ties

What else do you need?

Source: http://manila.usembassy.gov and http://travel.state.gov

1. DS-160 APPLICATION FORM All applicants must fill out a DS160

electronically Available in

https://ceac.state.gov/gennive Needs to be sign and submitted Confirmation page must be printed with

barcode number

2. PASSPORT Must be valid at least six month from

the date of departure from the U.S. Must be in good condition

3. PROOF OF PAYMENTNonimmigrant visa applicants are

required to present

 a U.S. visa application payment slip to pay the machine-readable visa (MRV) application fee. Before going to the bank, applicants must print the applicable 

U.S. visa application payment slip and take it to the bank to pay the fee. 

There is an expiration date on the payment

slip.  Bank agents will NOT accept payments

based on expired slips.  Each slip has a unique

receipt number.  Applicants will not be able

to schedule an appointment without the

receipt number.  If paying for more than one

applicant, the payment slip cannot be reproduced nor used for lump sum

payment

HOW TO DOWNLOAD A PAYMENT SLIP Go to ustraveldocs.com/ph Click Bank and Payment Options Click Deposit Slip - $160 MRV Fee Print the payment slip

Visa application fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. No exceptions will be made to this rule.  It is

valid for one year after the date of actual

payment; the interview must fall within the one-year validity.

PAYMENT MODE Cash at Bank – Any BPI Branch Online Payment – BPI Online and

Bancnet

Once done with the payment, wait for the payment to be activated.

Payments made before 3pm – 4 hours Payment

Processing Timelines otherwise it will be

activated one day after receipt purchase date

and after 11:00am

4. PHOTOOne 2" x 2" standard photo.  The photo must be: In color Sized such that the head is between 1 inch and 1 3/8

inches (22 mm and 35 mm) or 50% and 69% of the image's total height from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. View the Photo Composition Template for more size requirement details.

Taken within the last 6 months to reflect your current appearance

The ears should be exposed, if local or religious custom does not prohibit. 

Taken in front of a plain white or off-white background Taken in full-face view directly facing the camera With a neutral facial expression and both eyes open

Taken in clothing that you normally wear on a daily basis Uniforms should not be worn in your photo, except

religious clothing that is worn daily. Do not wear a hat or head covering that obscures the

hair or hairline, unless worn daily for a religious purpose. Your full face must be visible, and the head covering must not cast any shadows on your face.

Headphones, wireless hands-free devices, or similar items are not acceptable in your photo.

If you normally wear glasses (without tinted lenses), a hearing device, or similar articles, they may be worn in your photo.

Dark glasses or glasses with tinted lenses are not acceptable.

Glare on glasses is not acceptable in your photo. Glare can be avoided with a slight downward tilt of the glasses or by removing the glasses or by turning off the camera flash.

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