Hyderabd, March 01: I had visited U.S on official business in 1999 and 2005 on a 10 year valid B1/B2 visa. Now, I am retired and settled in Hyderabad. I would like to visit the U.S. and other countries as a tourist along with my wife. I have some relatives in the U.S. who have acquired U.S citizenship and also some friends who are naturalised Americans. They are all keen to take us around the great country. For getting a B1/B2 visa for two or three visits over the next five or six years, is it necessary for any sponsoring? I intend to meet the expenditure for these visits using my own funds.
Durgananda Swamy
No, B1/B2 visas do not require a sponsor. The interviewing officer will evaluate all aspects of your visa application, including your financial situation in India. If you will pay for the trip yourself, you may want to bring documentation supporting your ability to pay. If your friends or family are willing to support your travel, you may want to bring that documentation.
But keep in mind that non-immigrant visas are interview-based. Interviewing officers most often do not consult supporting documents such as affidavits of support, travel documents, employment letters or financial statements. The fundamental rule for applying for a non-immigrant visa is that every applicant must qualify based on his or her own circumstances at the time of visa interview. You can find more information on required documentation on our website: ‘http://hyderabad.
usconsulate.gov’
I have a valid B1/B2 visa in my old passport. Earlier, I have travelled several times to U.S. and I want to know if I can continue to use my valid visa to travel to the United States or do I need to transfer the visa to my new passport? If so, will I have to pay a fee for and appear for an interview once again? Please advise me.
S. Vasu
As long as your U.S. visa is valid, you may use it for travel to the United States, even if it is in an expired passport. You will need a new, valid passport as well, and you will need to take both passports with you to present them to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officer at the port of entry. Permission of entry into the United States and the length of stay in the country are determined by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), at the port of entry. More information can be found on the website: www.uscis.gov.
As per U.S. law, a visa cannot be physically transferred to the new passport. If you wish to apply for a new visa for your new passport, then you would need to schedule a new visa interview. Please note that a current visa does not guarantee anyone that he or she will receive a visa in the future. It is up to the officer at the time of interview to determine if an applicant qualifies for a new visa to the United States.
I hold a B1/B2 visa valid till 2016; I have visited the U.S. three times since 2007 and have never overstayed during any of my previous visits. While returning to India after my third visit to the U.S. in Oct-2008, I forgot to surrender my I-94 / embarking slip at O’Hare International Airport, Chicago, and on my fourth visit to U.S., I was deported from Dubai International Airport to Hyderabad without citing any reasons.
On going through the U.S. Customs and Homeland Security website, I found reasons for deportation could be due to the non submission of I-94 and so, I immediately sent the original I-94 slip with a covering letter to the US Customs and Border Protection office at London, KY in September 2010 and it is almost four months now and I need to know whether my departure record has been updated or not, as I have plans to visit the U.S. in Feb 2011.
Surrendering your Form I-94 (white) or Form I-94W (green) at the time of departure is an important part of the non-immigrant process. If you must submit the form by mail after your departure, be aware that the London, Kentucky office does not answer correspondence, so do not expect confirmation that your record has been updated.
There is a difference between being refused boarding at a foreign airport and being deported at a U.S. port of entry. If you were indeed deported from the U.S and your visa was cancelled at the port of entry, then your visa is no longer valid. You may choose to reapply for a new visa. You must admit to the visa cancellation on your application and explain to the officer why you were deported.
It will be up to the officer at the time of your visa interview to determine if you qualify for a visa or not. Depending on the reason you were deported, you may no longer qualify for a visa. If this is the case, the visa officer will inform you of your ineligibility at the time of your visa interview. If the DHS officer at the port of entry informed you that you were ineligible for a visa for a specific time frame, you should not reapply for a visa until that time period is up.
For additional information on visa ineligibilities and refusals, you may visit http://travel.state.gov/visa/
frvi/ineligibilities/
ineligibilities_1364.htm. If you believe you still qualify for a visa, you may reapply at any time. Visit our website, http://hyderabad.usconsulate.gov for additional information.
–Agencies