Immigrating to the U.S.? Do this first!

Applying for a temporary visa to reside in the U.S. can sometimes be a long and difficult process, depending on your personal situation. But if you can fully prepare your immigration application, you have a much better chance at going through the process smoothly and of course successfully. Here is a guide on what you can do to prepare for visa application. First of all, you'll need to classify yourself. There are both non-immigrant and immigrant visas. And under those types, there are even more categories. Do you simply want to study, work, or tour the U.S. or do you want to permanently reside there? And if you are seeking work there, what kind of work? Etc. These are the kinds of basic questions you must first sift through before immigrating to the U.S. So, listed below are various tips that will keep you pushing your immigration application forward without being interrupted or having to backtrack! It's a tedious and complicated journey on its own, so avoid as many hangups and hiccups as you can from the get-go. ·          Make sure your passport is up to date and will not expire anytime soon. You will need this to purchase your visa receipt! Even if your passport expires a whole year from now, that is still considered old. Obtain a new passport right away. ·          You can download and print the visa application from your computer because it can be found online. You will need Acrobat Reader to do this and you may need to print out the form back to back on 8.5' and 11' paper. (Look into your consular office's requirements for this.) ·          Fill out all the questions of your visa application, except where an answer is not available. Put “NA” there. ·          Remember that names are different from country to country. In your passport, your whole name might make up only one line and this must reflect your visa application! In other words, you will need to obtain a new passport with your first and last name more clearly identified. Those with South Indian names should be especially wary of this. ·          Don't forget to sign the form! If an applicant is under a certain age, a parent or guardian can sign it instead. ·          Make sure to make your current address clear, as opposed to your permanent address. ·          You will need a photo taken of you for your application. You must be faced to the front and in front of a light-colored background. As well, your photo must not be more than 6 months old. Again, these detailed requirements vary depending on what embassy you are applying for a visa through. So the most important part of immigration application prep is to investigate what unique requirements your embassy has. But there's a lot more you can do to get the ball rolling. ·          Your U.S. sponsor should send the necessary documents to the consulars office as soon as possible. ·          Make sure your sponsor and you are both on the same page, literally and figuratively. ·          All documents sent in must be dated no more than one month prior to the time they are processed. ·          Don't correct errors on an application – just ask for a new one! ·          There will be an interview – don't take any valuable personal belongings with you, unless you have someone to go with who can watch over them while you're at the interview. Remember, that your immigration to the U.S. is never guaranteed. So the better prepared you are, the better your chances are at successfully immigrating.