US VISA RENEWAL
Have a US visa that has already expired? Well, you need not worry as you can easily file for US visa renewal. It is the same visa type you will be receiving again only after you fulfill all the criteria and required conditions.
Eligibility
One can renew their US visa only if they are eligible for the following:
- You already had a US visa previously and want to renew it. You can renew your visa for the same category only, e.g. if you had B2 visa, you can renew only B2 visa and no other visa category.
- Renewing your visa of multiple entries with a validity of more than a single year.
- Your recent visa application wasn’t denied/rejected by the US Embassy. Suppose your visa expired and you applied for a new visa which got rejected, you cannot apply for renewal.
- You can still fulfill the requirements for visa renewal.
- You are applying for renewal from your home country as you cannot file for renewal whilst still in the US.
- Your visa expired in the duration of less than 48months. However, at times, more than 48months visa can also be eligible.
Documents required
Just as you submitted documents for your initial visa, it applies the same for visa renewal.
- Passport having validity of at least 6months from the date you leave US.
- Previous passports having expired US visa.
- Two passport size photographs that abide by the US visa photo requirements strictly. Don’t use the same ones you used in your prior application.
- Copy of form ds-160 confirmation page.
- Receipt of US visa fee payment.
- Any extra documents needed for visa renewal.
A tip would be to get health insurance whenever you travel to the US due to high medical care costs. It isn’t a requirement for visa application but deemed necessary to get while traveling.
Application process
The procedure to renew US visa for Indians is the same as the first time you applied for a regular visa to the US.
The steps are:
- Complete form ds-160 which is your online application form.
- Schedule interview appointment at the US Consulate/Embassy.
- Pay visa renewal fees.
- Submit documents for renewal.
- Lastly, go for the interview.
Note that certain facets of the application process differ from country to country from where you are renewing your US visa. In some countries, you need to pay the fees first and then complete your form after which you can book an appointment. But in India you need to complete your form first, book an appointment and then pay visa fees.
Filling form ds-160 for US visa renewal
Ds-160 is the name of the application form for US visa. It is the same online form that is filled by non-immigrants and even for renewals. You can easily fill the form in two ways:
- Via CEAC (Consular Electronic Application Center). You will need to fill the form yourself and can take assistance if you require. The form is filled in the English language only.
- By taking the help or getting the form filled by a visa consultant, like us at Fly for Holidays. We shall fill the form for you and help with required documents. Since we are well acquainted and deal with the Embassies and Consulates daily, we are well aware about the entire process and required documents.
Our visa consultants will help with:
- Filling of the form ds-160
- Book a visa appointment with US Embassy/Consulate
- Help you with documents required to support your application
- Get you a date for interview with US Embassy/Consulate
Our staff will help you fully regarding your US visa application to help you get your visa quickly.
Once you complete your application at the end, you are directed to a confirmation page which needs to be printed and brought along for interview along with submission of documents. It is an important sheet needed at any point of time during US visa renewal process.
Scheduling an appointment for interview
To schedule an appointment with US Embassy/Consulate for interview, you need to visit their website. That is only if you are doing it alone. If a visa agency is helping you, you needn’t do anything.
They provide instructions on how to proceed. Then you will need to contact the Embassy and obtain all necessary information.
Payment of US visa renewal fees
Before you proceed for the interview and submit your application, you will be asked to pay renewal fees.
The fee is entirely non-refundable (even if your application gets rejected).
You can pay it via debit card, at the bank in cash via a downloaded receipt or even before you can appear for interview at the Embassy, in hard cash.
Method of payment and timing is vital in some countries because you will need the receipt to complete your online ds-160 form (doesn’t work in India).
Submission of documents and interview
When it comes to document submission and US visa renewal interview, you can:
- Submit documents and go for interview at the Embassy on different days.
- Submit documents the same day you go for interview at the Embassy
- Submit documents at a Visa Application Center and go for interview at the US Embassy.
You might need two separate appointments, one for interview and the other for document submission. This information will be provided to you by the US Embassy in your country.
At times, when you renew your US visa, you won’t be asked to give an interview.
US visa renewal interview and interview waiver
After submission of documents for visa renewal, you are asked to go to the US Embassy for an interview conducted by a visa officer. He shall question you about your trip, reason for visa application and some personal information like salary, family ties, etc.
Whatever questions are asked, you are required to answer them truthfully and give them no reason to doubt you. By being honest on every aspect, they will take a decision to grant you you’re US visa.
You may qualify for interview waiver if you are renewing any of the following visa types – B-1/B-2, C-1/D, F, J, M, O. This allows you to just submit documents at the Embassy and wait for a response regarding your application.
For more information, you can inquire with the Embassy or Application Center regarding interview waiver.
More information about US visa renewal
The validity of your renewed visa will be the same as your old visa (10years) along with the same conditions.
The processing time depends on visa type you are applying for. The time can range for a few days to few months. It also depends on when you apply, if the Embassy doesn’t have much workload and if you require an interview or not.
If lucky, you will be notified about your successful visa renewal just after your interview is done by the visa officer himself. Otherwise, you will have to wait for the final decision.
By any chance, if your visa application gets denied/rejected, you will be informed about the reason for denial by US consular services. The main reasons for US visa application rejection is incomplete information or documentation and any sort of suspicions in terms of the applicant’s intentions to travel to the US.
To summarize, it is quite easy to renew your US visa, with the same procedure like you did it the first time.
Once it gets renewed, you are free to travel to the US anytime.