The first step in becoming a legal resident of the United States is to apply for a visa. A visa allows you to enter our country, so this makes sense as a prerequisite before moving here permanently.
You can only stay in America if you have a visa, so it’s important to know what kind of visas are available to foreign nationals and how long it takes to process them. This information will help determine whether it's worth applying for the American Visa that you want or if we should instead suggest you get your Canadian Visa first.
There are several different types of US Visas, but unfortunately not all of them exist for Canadians. That means even though there may be easier ways to immigrate to the USA, we cannot recommend any of them unless they're specifically approved for Americans.
A B-1 Visa is typically referred to as a business traveler visa. This type of visa allows you to visit for one or more specific purposes with an expiration date. You must return home before your visa expires!
Most countries will issue you a B-1 visa at their airport. Since most major international airports have a federal government office that handles visas, this process has been streamlined for travelers.
There are two main reasons why businesses require a business traveler visa. The first is to ensure that someone in the company represents the organization while in the country. For example, if you go on vacation alone then your employer can’t be sure that person isn’t representing them overseas.
The second reason is to limit what people can do while they’re in the country. Some nations only allow professional visitors, for instance. They may also ask about the nature of your trip and who will be traveling with you.
General rules: don’t misrepresent yourself on any documents, etc.
A B-2 visa allows you to enter the United States for business or tourism purposes. Applicants must have at least two nights’ stay in America, and they can return home after their trip. Some exceptions apply — like when staying longer than 30 days or not returning to your home country for six months.
Business travelers use a B-2 visa if they will be conducting an international trade show, meeting with potential clients, or attending other events that require them to be present in the U.S. for more than just one night. Students may qualify for a B-2 visa if traveling for educational purposes.
The length of time it takes to process a B-2 visa depends on several things, such as the embassy staff member working on your case and whether there are additional documents or forms needed.
A tourist visa, also known as a “T” or “tourist” visa, is given to travelers who will be visiting the United States for a short period of time. Tourists are allowed to enter and leave the country using this visa type.
Most countries grant at least one t-visa to their citizens so they can visit the US for tourism. The duration of these visas varies by nationality but it is always less than six months!
So how long does it take to process a t-visa for your stay in America? We have gathered some information about t-visa processing times for you to refer to.
This article will discuss what things affect the length of time it takes to process a t-visa, why t-visas may take longer than other types of visas, and what you can do while waiting for your visa to arrive.
A conditional visit entry (T-1) visa is only given to individuals who will return from their trip within 180 days. This requires that you have proof that your stay in Canada will be short!
If this isn’t the case then it can become difficult or even impossible to enter Canada as most countries require at least six months of validity on a passport before they issue a visa.
A frequent cause of overstay is when an individual doesn’t know that he/she may not be allowed to leave Canada after his/her departure date, making it hard to come back under the T-1 Visa category.
The Department of State does not track t-visas at any length, but what information we have gathered is that it can take anywhere from one to eight months! That’s a long time when you want to visit someone or spend some time with them while they’re in country.
You also need to confirm your return flight which means finding out if there are enough seats left and whether or not you will be able to get onto the same flight as everyone else.
If this isn’t possible, you will probably need to find another way back home which could include expensive airfare or traveling by boat or train – both of which require appropriate documents and clearances.
The Department of State does not publicly list what documents must be presented to prove your intention to return home or remain in America, but they do outline some documentation that can help determine if you qualify for a tourist visa (B-1) or a business/work visa (B-2).
Documents like these show proof of an intended stay in America longer than six months so they can confirm whether you meet the requirement for a B-2 visa. These include passports, tickets back to the country you’re departing from, hotel reservations, etc. It is very important to have all of these things before applying for the visa as there will not be any additional chances to gather them!
The Immigration Legal Team at Rosen Law Firm would love to tell you more about how to process your VISA, but we cannot represent you without first reviewing your case and gathering necessary evidence. Contact us today to set up a time to speak!
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Visas can take some time to process, depending on how quickly your organization’s staff can work through our already long application processes. Unfortunately, there is no set timing framework when it comes down to individual consulate offices’ workloads and staffing levels at any given time.
Many of the more complex applications require outside vendors or third party services to complete certain steps for us. This could be due to national security concerns, but also because they do not offer their service directly to the public.
We have made every effort to keep processing times as low as possible by outsourcing many of the tasks that need to be done so that you don’t have to wait for someone else to focus on them while you prepare your documents and go over things like again to make sure you did not leave anything out!
But even with these efforts we still ask people to expect to spend one week (or longer) after arrival in the US until they receive word about whether their visas were approved or denied.
The length of your visa process depends on several factors, not all of which you have control over. These include: How popular destination countries are with Americans traveling abroad, whether there has been a recent increase in American tourism to that country, how well connected their immigration system is, and what kind of paperwork they require from you (such as receipts or proof of money).
The first two items determine how many visas get issued at any given time, while the last one determines how long it takes for you to receive yours. And because most people apply for a visa before departing, waiting until after you’ve traveled can make a big difference in how quickly you receive your passport!
If you're applying for a tourist visa rather than business or employment related visa types, your chances are better of getting a faster turnaround. Business travelers and job seekers usually go through more formal processes that take longer, but again – timing is everything.
