How to Apply for American Visa in UAE

Dubai has slowly established itself as not only a vacation spot but also a business hub; from countless investors pouring money into the developing sector, Dubai has become a landmark for all the investors across the globe. This is backed by the rapid increase in investors in the UAE and the government altering its policies to ensure that the investors are suitably compensated at every step along the way. The most recent and perhaps the biggest tweak to the policy was allowing foreign investors to own 100% of the company shares, which was previously not allowed; the UAE regulations stated that a local entity must own majority stake i.e. 51% of the company which meant it was an added cost for the investors. These kinds of relaxations are the reason why Dubai is slowly but steadily becoming the ideal place for foreign investors to invest not only the money but also there are sources.

Dubai enjoys a lot of investors from foreign countries, especially from the United States. The relationship between the United States and UAE has solidified over the course of the years. Not only has there been an influx of US travelers in the UAE but also vice versa.

This comprehensive guide will show you all the steps required to fulfill prior to applying for the US Visa as a UAE citizen.

How to Apply for US Visa

The first and foremost thing you will require for your US visit is a valid Visa. This is the haps the most essential document because you will need to show a valid Visa at the US port of entry. It is important to remember that irrespective of whether you are traveling for immigrant or non-immigrant purposes you will still require a Visa.

According to the US Visa Waiver Program, which includes 39 countries, you might be shown some leeway. If you are a passport holder of any of those 39 countries and are living in Dubai then you probably will not need a visa to enter the US. However, you will require a US Electronic Travel Authorization for entry as a visitor.

The 39 countries included in the list are as following:

Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunie, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom.

The latest country to join this program was Poland, and it was added to the list in November of 2019 and becoming the 39th official nation on the list.

Documents Required for US Tourist Visa From Dubai

Often times when people do not hire a travel agent or a travel agency, their application is denied mainly because of either poor documentation or not attaching all the relevant documents. This is the reason why we have decided to dedicate an entire section to all the necessary documents required to complete the process.

• Application Form
  • You will need to fill out the US visa application form and make sure that it does not contain any mistakes
• Cover Letter
  • This will essentially be a description of why you are traveling to the United States, the purpose behind your application
• Financial or Bank Statement
  • This is primarily required to prove that you have the means to finance yourself once you are in the United States
• Home Country Documentation or Proof
  • To fast-track, the process, the more proof you attach, the better chances your application will have to be successfully processed. The proof could be a job contract, lease, property ownership, or anything substantial which will prove that you will return
• Optional US Visa Invitation Letter
  • If you have friends or family in the US then you can obtain it and attach it with the rest of the documents
• Transcript, Degree, or Diploma
  • If you are a student then you need to attach your proof of education
• Letter of Employer and Pay Slips
  • This is done to establish that you have a steady job; often to sort the ‘bad’ applicants from the rest
• Photocopies of Relative’s Status in the US
  • If you are visiting your relatives then this should be a simple and straightforward step to follow
• Medical Reports  Copies
  • This step is necessary for the authorities to assess whether you are carrying an illness or not

Other documents required include a printed copy of the US form confirmation page, an original passport with a validity of at least 6-months, and at least two blank pages remaining for the visa stamping. Photographs required should have a white background and their size should be 51 x 51 mm. The itinerary and details of the journey are also required by the authorities in the majority of the cases. It is worth mentioning that bank statement is one of the most important documents to be attached in this whole process because entry to the US is most often than not denied on the basis of the statement; the statement should reflect a good financial situation which can imply that you can manage to live in the US on your own.

The general documentation required for the visas, in general, require the following documents:

• Appointment assistance for the USA
• DS-160 form Filling assistance
• Verification of Documents
• Flight & Hotel Booking assistance

Types of USA Visa from Dubai

Once the documentation process is out of the way, let us move towards understanding different types of visas that are available to Dubai citizens for their travel to the United States of America.

• USA Business Visa

This type of visit visa is also commonly referred to as a B1 visa and is primarily given to those who are traveling to the US for business purposes. The USA Business Visa can take up to 4 days to process.

• USA Tourist Visa

Similar to the Business Visa, the next one is Tourist Visa which is referred to as a B2 visa as well. As the name suggests, this is given to those citizens who are looking to travel to the US for tourism purposes. The processing time of this visa is the same as Business Visa i.e. 4 days.

Once you have your visa, you can spend up to 6-months in the USA on these visas. In order to get the visa processing started, the first thing you will need to do is fill out the DS-160 online form. The form must be filled in with accurate information and if there are any issues with the form, your application can be denied altogether.

Process of Applying for USA Visa from Dubai

From all the destinations across the globe, the USA has the toughest requirements and processes for attaining a visa. This is why Rizmona has compiled a comprehensive guide for you to understand the importance of each step as it can prove pivotal in your visa application. Here are all the steps required to be fulfilled for your USA visa application:

Visa Type Requirement

The first thing you will need to identify is the type of visa you will require. The Dubai residents are grouped into two main categories:

1. US non-immigrant visa
2. US immigrant visa

The immigrant visa allows its holders to remain in the US permanently whereas the non-immigrant visa is required to return to their home country when the visa duration is expired. Since the immigrant visa does not expire, you can live, work, or study in the US without any restrictions.

Both categories are further sub-divided into more categories, which depends on the reason why you are traveling to the US. Since the US visa application is an extremely tedious process, you need to fill in the accurate information. If your application has any discrepancy then your application will be tossed out; this is why you need to select the right visa depending on your needs.

Documents Requirement for US Visa from Dubai

Documentation is one of the most important factors of any visa process. The most common reason for any visa rejection is the lack of documentation as well. The visa processing is primarily dependent on these documents, which is why it is important to submit all the documents mentioned below:

• DS-160 form confirmation page
• Your passport
  • The passport must be valid for at least 6-months or more (after the date on which you plan to leave the US). Furthermore, you should also have one blank page remaining within the same passport
• Your recent US Visa photograph
  • The photo must be 5×5 cm in size with a white background. If you have already uploaded a photograph with the DS-160 form then there’s no need to go through with this step
• If applicable, then you should also attach the US Visa appointment confirmation
• Receipts of the money paid for the visa application fee
• Proof of any criminal record
  • This step is extremely important because the certificate that is needed to be attached must be a police certificate, which is commonly referred to as ACRO. This certificate shows whether you have ever been arrested, cautioned, or convicted
• Proof of your past attempts to apply for the US; whether your application has ever been rejected, whether you have ever been deported, and the reasons for either of the aforementioned things

The documents required for the US tourist visa from Dubai are following:

• Cover letter
  • This should also contain the reason why you are traveling to the US in the first place
• Financial or bank statement
  • The purpose of this is to ensure that you would be able to pull your weight once you land in the US
• Ties to your home country
  • This could be the proof of your family, property and land ownership, job contract, or anything substantial which would indicate that you will come back to your home country
• Visa invitation letter
  • If you have any family or friends in the US with whom you will be meeting up, you will require them to draft an invitation letter. Although this step is not that crucial but can have a positive impact on your application
• Photocopies of the relatives living in the US
• Medical report
  • The US ensures that the people traveling are not sick, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. You will need the COVID-19 vaccination certificates along with other protocols that must be strictly followed

Apply US Visa in Dubai

In order to proceed to the next step, the first thing you need to do is physically apply for a US Visa. That can be done at either the US Embassy or the Consulate General in Dubai. You can get help from a professional firm before applying. We at Riz & Mona Consultancy have years of experience and we assist our clients at every stage starting from inception to completion of the visa, including medical, emirates ID processing, and a wide range of visa services in Dubai/ UAE. We work very closely with the high officials of the Dubai government and ministries. Reach us at Whatsapp. #: 00 971 54582 1012 – Email: info@rizmona.com

Attending the Interview for US from Dubai

The visa interview is mandatory for all applicants age between 14 and 79 years old. This is the final step of the crucial stage and perhaps the most important as well. You must attend the interview on time otherwise your interview will be canceled, which gives a very negative impact on your application.

The meeting is conducted with a consular officer and you should try your level best to answer all the questions properly and that your answers should match the information present in your application form and your documents.

US Visa Application Processing Time in Dubai

Each application is processed with different timelines. Since all the information and documents have to be verified, the time differs from application to application. Except in cases of emergency travel (i.e. serious illnesses, injuries, or deaths in your immediate family), before making inquiries about the status of administrative processing, applicants should wait at least 180 days from the date of interview or submission of supplemental documents, whichever is later.

Due to the COVID situation, all types of visa applications are currently only catering the emergency appointments. The different types of nonimmigrant visas are Visitor Visa, Student/Exchange Visitor Visas, All Other Nonimmigrant Visas.

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