US Visa extension

Nonimmigrant visa or visitor visa to the US can be obtained under various categories. Find out how you can get an extension on US visa. Check out if you are eligible for the Visa Waiver Program.

EXTENDING US VISA

To extend your stay beyond your visa stipulations, you need to apply for an extension on your US visa. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and in particular its Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) is authorized to extend US visas. This should be done well before the expiry of the authorized stay period. Ensure that the US visa extension is applied for, prior to the date on I-94 form.

VISA WAIVER PROGRAM

Travelers coming to the U.S. for tourism or business for 90 days or less from qualified countries may be eligible to visit the U.S. without a visa. Currently, 28 countries participate in the Visa Waiver Program: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Uruguay. Visitors entering on the Visa Waiver Program cannot work or study while in the U.S. and cannot stay longer than 90 days or change their status to another category.

US Visitor Visa - in brief :

A visitor visa is a nonimmigrant visa for those who seek to enter the US temporarily for business (B-1) or for pleasure or medical treatment (B-2). Persons planning to travel to the U.S. for a different purpose such as students, temporary workers, crewmen, journalists, etc., must apply for a different visa in the appropriate category. The consular officer can provide additional information. Travelers from certain eligible countries may also be able to visit the U.S. without a visa on the Visa Waiver Program.

The assumption of the law is that every applicant is a potential immigrant. To overcome this presumption, you must demonstrate that :

- The purpose of your trip is to enter the U.S. for business, pleasure, or medical treatment;

- You plan to remain for a specific, limited period; and

- You have a residence outside the U.S. as well as other binding ties which will ensure your return abroad at the end of the visit.

Applying for a Visitor VISA :

Applicants for visitor visas should generally apply at the American Embassy or Consulate with jurisdiction over their place of permanent residence. Although visa applicants may apply at any U.S. consular office abroad, it may be more difficult to qualify for the visa outside the country of permanent residence.

A person whose passport contains a previously issued visitor visa should inquire about special expedited procedures available at most consular offices for issuance of a new visitor visa.

Unless previously canceled, a visa is valid until its expiration date. Therefore, if the traveler has a valid U.S. visitor visa in an expired passport, he or she may use it along with a new valid passport for travel and admission to the United States.

Attempting to obtain a visa by the willful misrepresentation of a material fact, or fraud, may result in the permanent refusal of a visa or denial of entry into the United States.

If the consular officer should find it necessary to deny the issuance of a visitor visa, the applicant may apply again if there is new evidence to overcome the basis for the refusal. In the absence of new evidence, consular officers are not obliged to re-examine such cases.