News advisory for those applying for a US
tourist visa.
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NEW NONIMMIGRANT VISA FEE PAYMENT SLIP EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2009 Beginning July 1, 2009, Citi and BDO will use new payment slips for nonimmigrant machine-readable visa (MRV) application fee payments.
Upon payment of the $131 MRV application fee, the bank will issue a new “US Embassy copy†of the bills payment slip which will be stapled to a blank DS-157 form. The BDO bills payment slip will have three copies. The copy on blue paper is the “US Embassy copy.†On the day of the interview, the Nonimmigrant Visa Unit will only accept the “US Embassy copy†as proof of payment of the $131 MRV application fee. If the slip stapled on the DS-157 form gets lost, the applicant will need to pay a new MRV fee.
All MRV fee payments made between May 25, 2009 and June 30, 2009 with the old bills payment slip will still be accepted. All MRV fee payments made before May 25, 2009 with a proof of payment validation at the back of the DS-157 form, which fall within the one-year fee validity, will also be accepted.
The DS-157 form is still a required document and must be submitted as part of the visa application.
For questions and concerns, please e-mail us at
[email protected] Message updated: June 16, 2009
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ELECTRONIC DEVICES NOT PERMITTED ON EMBASSY GROUNDS For the safety and security of all applicants and employees, visa applicants are NOT PERMITTED to bring any kind of electronic and battery-operated devices (cellular phone, digital camera, laptop, music player, portable game consoles such as PSP, etc.) into the U.S. Embassy. Applicants who bring such devices will be denied entry. Please make arrangements to leave your electronic equipment in a safe location off Embassy grounds BEFORE your interview appointment. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your cooperation.
Message updated: May 28, 2009
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MAIDEN NAME AND OTHER NAMES REQUIREMENT Boxes 8 and 9 of the Nonimmigrant Visa Application Form, DS-156, require you to list any other Surnames used (Box
and/or First and Middle Names used (Box 9). This is a REQUIREMENT. For example, if you are married, this means you MUST list your Maiden name in Box 8 of the DS-156. If you are known by a nickname, you MUST list this in Box 9 of the DS-156. Failure to list the other names by which you are or have been known may result in delays of your visa processing.
Message updated: May 28, 2009
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Appointment Availability and Processing Times AVAILABLE APPOINTMENTS Due to heavy summer visa demand, the wait time for a nonimmigrant visa interview appointment has increased. To find the typical wait time for a nonimmigrant visa interview appointment, please click here.
Appointment availability changes often. Appointments may not be available on the date shown as appointment bookings are made continuously through the Call Center and VisaPointâ„¢.
Please visit the Nonimmigrant Visa Application Procedures page for information on how to apply for a nonimmigrant visa to the United States. For medical emergencies, family emergencies, and other cases requiring earlier appointments, please click here.
To avoid delay in travel, apply for the visa at least 3 months in advance and before making final travel arrangements. Final travel plans or the purchase of airline tickets should not be made until a visa has been delivered.
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AVERAGE VISA PROCESSING TIME AND DELIVERY Depending on the volume of the visa issuances of the Nonimmigrant Visa Unit, visa processing after the interview usually takes at least one week*. After the one-week visa processing, the receipt of a passport with a visa may take longer, depending on the applicant’s delivery address.
* – Average Visa Processing Time: This means the number of working days it takes for an approved applicant to receive his/her passport back from the Embassy with the U.S. Visa at the address given to the courier company. All applicants should be aware that the one week processing time is an AVERAGE, and that the processing time of a specific case can vary due to individual circumstances and other special requirements.
For more information on visa processing and release, please visit the If Visa Is Issued page.
EARLY ARRIVAL AT THE EMBASSY FOR VISA INTERVIEW APPOINTMENT Applicants are requested to come to the Embassy an hour earlier than their appointment time in order for the Embassy to process their applications prior to interview. Applicants who appear an hour or more after their scheduled appointment time will not be granted access to the Consular Section (absent dire circumstances). Those applicants will then be required to book a new appointment for interview online or through the Call Center.
Source:
http://manila.usembassy.govLinkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=18960.0
