Here is some basic and helpful information on American visas that you might need to know. I am writing this because this information is not clearly explained on embassy websites. You're welcome.
If you are required to have a visa to enter the United States, the first thing you should do is check to see what length of visa your country gives to Americans. The American visa is issued based on reciprocity, so whatever your country does for Americans, America will do for you. Sort of. Here is where it is tricky, and confusing, and not at all clearly explained on embassy websites. Say you are from Chad, Africa, for example (that is where my husband is from.) Chad will issue visas for 3 months to Americans. So America will issue a "visa" for 3 months to Chadians. I've been referred to this website: travel.state.gov but really I don't find the information that is needed there. So find out how long of a visa your country will give Americans. Ok, now that length is the "visa" that America will give you. The American "visa" is different from most other visas that I have encountered, and they don't explain this well on their websites. The visa, say it is for 3 months, gives you permission within those 3 months to travel to the USA, to arrive there. Once you arrive you go to the Homeland Security desk and its there that they give you a stamp that says how long you can stay in the states, often this will be 6 months for a regular visitor visa. So say your American "visa" is given to you today, July 9. It will say that it is good from July 9 through October 9 (for 3 months starting today.) You can travel and enter the USA on October 9, and there they will give you a 6 month "period of authorized stay" so you can stay in the states until April 9. So technically, your American "visa" is expired as of October 10, but you get to stay in the states for the next 6 months on that expired visa. Stupid system, right? So even though Chadians get a 3 month "visa" they get to stay for 6 months in America.
That is not how a visa works in any country I've ever had a visa in (and I do have a fair collection of them in my passports.) For example, my visa for Mali, I sent in my application and said I wanted to enter Mali on October 6th. They gave me a visa with a starting date of October 6th. And it is good for 5 years. So starting October 6th, I can come and go in and out of Mali as I please for the next 5 years.
You need to understand the difference between the American "visa" and the "period of authorized stay" stamp thing. Its 2 different things in America, whereas in most places it is the same thing.
If you can only get a 3 month "visa" for America, make sure to wait until 3 months or less before you want to enter the states to schedule your visa interview appointment. Otherwise they will issue it for 3 months starting that day, and if you want to travel 4 months from now you can't. You have to enter the states before the 3 months is finished. Why can't they just explain this on the embassy website?
Also, to apply for an American visa, the application is all done online now. It takes an "estimated 75 minutes" to fill out, but I found that it was more like an hour and a half, and I type fast. (yes, I filled it out for JP but it's allowed to have help.) Its a lot of basic information about you. Your name, parents names, family, birth dates, places lived and traveled to, schools and job histories, why you want to go to the USA. And then there are 5 screens worth of questions that I find ridiculous at best and offensive at worst. Basically asking you over and over if you have any connection with terrorism, drugs, prostitution, espionage, etc. I mean, who is going to say yes??? Really... its pretty over the top.
After you finish the application, which also requires you to upload a photo that follows very specific guidelines, (the photo is the one thing that is very well explained, they are quite detailed on this!) you have to pay the visa fee of $160 at a local bank and have the receipt from that to electronically schedule your interview at the embassy.
For the interview, you need to bring your confirmation page, passport, a paper copy of the photo you uploaded, and supporting paperwork. You have to show them that you have either the money to pay for your trip or a financial sponsor, and that you have good reason to return to your own country after the trip. If you are a young unmarried person from a 3rd world country who doesn't own a house or a business and who doesn't have a really solid career, you shouldn't even waste your time applying. They think that you'll just stay in America. I know this because JP's first visa try from before we were married was denied. Even being married to an American doesn't make it easy. To get a visa (in 2011) he had to show all kinds of supporting paperwork and then they left him hanging for 6 weeks not knowing if he'd get it or not while they did "administrative processing." This time was quicker because he has already been to the states once and returned to Africa, so they aren't so suspicious now I guess. They gave him an immediate "yes" answer at the interview. He had to go back a couple days later to collect the passport with visa. Actually it was me who went to collect the passport, anyone who has the receipt they give you can pick it up. That's how I know what it looks like in the room.
On the day of the interview, you go in a waiting room with all the other people getting interviewed that day. Here in Bamako they have appointments available for something like 42 people per day. Eventually someone calls you to a window, and you talk with the person through a pane of bullet proof glass. You hear them through a speaker system that reminds me of ordering at a drive through restaurant. We already saw that they are very suspicious and worried about security because of those 5 pages of ridiculous questions, and this just goes to prove it. I guess maybe they need to take drastic security measures because I know sometimes there are attacks on US embassies, but this seems kind of dehumanizing to me. Like visiting someone in prison - you stay on your side and we'll stay on ours. And the waiting room is after you have already passed through airport-like security. You aren't allowed to bring a cellphone or even a USB key or mp3 player with you.
I feel like the whole system is set up to make the applicant feel like "nah, forget this, I think I'll just stay home." It is a lot of hoops to jump through. Compare this to my Mali visa application where I simply mailed off my passport to Washington DC with a one page simple application form with a picture and the fee.
So that's some information that I would have found good to know before we went through the process. Any questions? I'll answer if you write a comment.
sigh...
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