As mentioned earlier, every time you apply for a visa in America, there’s an average of eight (8) steps involved. This includes gathering all your documents, submitting them to the embassy, receiving their response, organizing all these materials, and then traveling back home if necessary.
In some cases, however, this process can take longer than expected. There are many things that can cause long processing times at each stage, especially when you’re waiting for someone else to do something.
If a second person is not present or doing something related to your visa application when you go to collect it, then the first will have to wait for them to finish what they were doing before moving onto the next step.
This is why there are sometimes one or two extra days needed to receive your passport and/or visa after applying. We will discuss more reasons for this later!
There are a few different factors that play a part in how quickly you get your passport or visa. Some countries may be overworked due to limited resources, so your request might sit untouched until they have time to review and approve it. Or, the staff at the embassy could be very busy with other projects, leaving you with no help whatsoever.
No matter the reason, just keep yourself organized and alert and everything should run smoothly. Make sure to check up on your application frequently and hold off asking about its status unless you absolutely must know.
After submitting your application, it is sent to our officers for review. Then, they have to make their decision whether you qualify for a non-immigrant visa or not!
This process can take anywhere from days to weeks, even months. There are several reasons why this could happen!
Our officers must verify that all of the information in your application is valid, authentic and matches what we have on file. They also need to check if you have enough money to stay in Canada while here.
If everything checks out then we send your paperwork to be reviewed by an officer at the Canadian Embassy or Consulate where you’ll be traveling from. This happens sometimes up to a month later depending on how many applications there are during busy season.
General tips: remember to update your address and phone numbers after changing them on your CVO (canada visa online) form so that we don’t lose touch with you! Also, keep track of your appointment times via email, mobile device, etc.
The first thing you must do is determine if your application has been received at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. If it has, then you can move onto the next step which is sending out all of your supporting documents and materials.
After that, you will have to wait until everything arrives before moving forward with processing your visa. Unfortunately, there are no set timelines when it comes to this, so be prepared for delays!
It’s important to remember that every embassy and consulate has different deadlines for applications, even within one country there may be differences in timing. So, stay up-to-date by reading our latest article about the best ways to check VISA STATUS.
While it is possible to apply for a visa online, doing so will not guarantee that you get your passport or even a confirmation letter! This could be disastrous if you are traveling soon as you may have to start the application process all over again.
It is important to remember that most countries require at least an in-person interview when processing visas. This includes getting a medical exam, interviewing potential employers, etc. Therefore, unless you do not plan to travel for very long, it is best to apply in person to avoid any hassles.
There are some cases where only email interviews are required (for example, if you are applying under the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) program), but this is not guaranteed. Even still, it is better to visit in person to ensure successful immigration.
We cannot stress enough how important it is to make sure your documents are up to date before you go through the visa application process.
Visas for employment in the United States are quite complicated, to say the least. There are many different types of visas that require you to prove your job offer is legitimate and you have enough money to stay here.
Most employers look into this before issuing a work visa, but things can sometimes get lost in translation or bad information.
It is important to make sure your employer isn’t lying about their ability to pay you well and keep paying health insurance so you don’t overstay your welcome when they find out!
There are several ways to verify if an employee has permission to be in the country legally, and most countries have clear guidelines as to what will and won’t do for proof.
But unfortunately, none of these apply to everyone, and it can feel like trying to figure out which end of the stick we're being held at.
We try our best to help people with similar issues, but there's no way to know what questions were asked and answered during the processing of your visa, so we move onto other solutions.
The final step in obtaining your VISA is actually submitting all of your documents to the US embassy or consulate where you want to visit. This includes having them review and accept your medical records, proof of residence and employment, and then processing your visa!
It can take some days for these documents to be reviewed and processed, so it’s important to have a way to follow up with their office about when they expect to receive everything.
We recommend using Google Apps or Microsoft Office 365 to create an account that you can use to log into and monitor this process. You can also add yourself as a “VIP” member so that you are automatically informed of any changes by the staff at the embassy or consulate.
This will save you from going back and forth trying to find out what was happening with your application! If there were no updates, you would know immediately.
A non-immigrant visa can be given to you for specific purposes, such as business or tourism. Once your visit has ended, you must return home unless your country grants you entry as an alien resident.
If this happens it is called “granting immigrant status” to you. This is very difficult if not impossible without proof that you will remain in America after your stay expires – which most people do.
You would need to prove that you have money to live on while staying here and that you have a place to go back to at night.
Visas are only given to people with very specific reasons for coming to America as an immigrant or tourist. A business trip is not enough reason to apply for a work visa in the United States, for example. Therefore, even if you have all of the documents needed and have paid the appropriate fees, you may be stuck waiting around for weeks, months, or even years before being granted entry into the country!
It’s important to know that most countries require working visas to be sponsored by a company in their own country. So, even though there may be opportunities to work abroad while in the US, it is also possible that your application will be rejected because no one has asked to employ you here. You can check out our article about Working While In The Country For More Information.
Another thing to remember is that some embassies offer “emergency” processing where they can give you a visa within just days of submitting your paperwork! This is extremely rare, but does happen from time to time. Check out our tips below for more information.
The next step in processing your VISA is to pay some additional fees for your visit. These include the Application Fee, Tourist Card Fees, Medical Test Fees, and other miscellaneous costs such as shipping of documents or return flights back home.
The Application fee is paid when you first apply for the visa and can range from $100 to well over $1,000 depending on how long it takes to process your application. This cost must be received within 30 days of being approved so make sure to keep an eye out for it!
The Tourist card fee is needed to stay in Canada while you have active working visas and is typically one year at most. You will be asked to prove that you have enough money to support yourself during this time frame before receiving the card. Some people get these cards automatically but this depends on what country you’re applying from.
Medical test fees depend on which country you’re coming from and whether they require one before issuing you a visa. Certain countries don’t require medical tests unless you fall under their ‘visa rich’ status.
There may also be other expenses related to health checks or returning home if there are concerns about your health.
