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Temporary Visitors to the US - Visa Wait Times
http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/tempvisitors_wait.php
Nonimmigrant
Visa Application
Every
applicant for a nonimmigrant visa must present a fully
completed visa application (DS-156). You must answer every
question on the application in order to be admitted for
your
visa interview.
Application forms (DS-156, DS-157, DS-158) are available
free of charge at Banco Cuscatlán and the Embassy
visa entrance.
The application may be filled out online. If you fill
out the online application, be sure to print it out and
bring all three pages to the interview.
In addition, all male nonimmigrant visa applicants between
the ages of 16 and 45 must fully complete a supplementary
biographic form (form DS-157).
Individuals applying for F, M or J status are now required
to complete the Form DS-158 ("Contact Information
and Work History for Nonimmigrant Visa Applicant"),
as part of the visa application.
Nationals of some countries do not need visas to visit
the U.S. for less than 90 days.
Click here to see which
countries qualify.
Interviews for Nonimmigrant Visas
Nonimmigrant visa applicants (tourist, transit, student,
temporary work visas- such as H1B, J1, L-) must pay
the nonrefundable visa application fee of US $100 in
advance
at any main branch of Banco Cuscatlán (not at
mini-banks).
To
schedule an appointment, the applicant must call our
regional U. S. Visa Information Center
by buying a special Telefónica calling card
- VISAS USA - that is available at any
branch of Telefónica in El Salvador.
Or call 900-6011 as an alternative
to access the official Visa Information Center (VIC)
and to schedule immigrant or nonimmigrant visa interview
appointments. The call has a cost of USD$1.87 per minute
plus IVA, and will be included in the caller’s
phone bill. Callers to the 900 number are charged by
the minute. NOTE: The number is not accessible from public
phones, cellular phones and some businesses that have
900 numbers
blocked.
Visa applicants do not need a calling card to use the
new 900 number service.
The customer service representative will
require from the applicant information such as the
passport number and the name as it appears on the
applicant's
passport.
If the applicant has an urgent need to travel,
the applicant should request an expedited appointment.
See below for our special requirements for
temporary work visa applicants.
Children under age of eighteen must be accompanied by
both biological parents at the interview for their child's
visa. The only exceptions would be death, divorce, birth
certificate showing father unknown or legal custody due
to other circumstances (e.g. adoption). In each exception,
a legal document would be required to show cause for the
other parent's absence. In the case of remarriage, the
child's mother/father must appear with the current spouse
(child's stepparent). The parents will also be required
to submit original birth certificates of the children.
| Please note that applicants must bring: |
| 1. a valid passport, completed application forms
(DS-156 for all nonimmigrant visa applications regardless
of the type of visa, DS-157 for males between 16-45,
and DS-158 for student applicants), |
| 2. one photograph (click
here to know about the photo requirement) |
| 3. the application fee receipt to be admitted to
the Embassy. |
A student visa applicant must bring the I-20 issued by
the educational institution.
The applicant will be interviewed by a bilingual American
Consular Official. The short interview will clarify and
add to the information on the visa application, so the
application should be completed carefully.
Documents which may be requested during the interview
to support claims on the application include but it is
not limited to job letters, birth and marriage certificates,
other family members' visaed passports, bank documents,
tax documents (Declaración de Renta y de IVA) and
titles to property such as cars or houses. This is not
an exclusive list to guarantee that the visa will be approved.
Delivery of Visas Via Aeroflash
Except in emergency circumstances, all issued nonimmigrant
visas are returned to applicants only via the Aeroflash
service.
We have arranged for an Aeroflash counter just
outside the Consular waiting room.Successful nonimmigrant
visa applicants must stop at the Aeroflash counter
to arrange for the return of their passports with visas.
At that time, Aeroflash will collect a fee for the
delivery service. Passports are normally delivered
to the applicant's
home or office, or a local Aeroflash branch.
Visa Denials
Most visa denials are made under section 214b of the Immigration
and Nationality Act (INA) because the applicant has not
convinced the interviewing officer that he or she has sufficiently
strong ties to El Salvador to compel their return after
a limited visit.
Refusals under section 214b INA are not
permanent. Applicants may reapply whenever they believe
their circumstances have changed sufficiently, or if
they have new evidence to present. People refused under
section
214b INA who wish to reapply must pay the nonrefundable
visa application fee. Some cases are refused under section 221g INA and requested
to return with additional information to assist in the
adjudication. Persons refused under section 221g INA will
be given a form letter explaining what additional information
is needed and when to reappear before the consular officer.
These applicants do not have to pay another application
fee.
Click here to learn more about visa denials.
Nonimmigrant Visas for Special Purposes
Student Visas (F visas). All persons seeking a student
visa must present a valid Form I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility
for Nonimmigrant Student Status) completed by the educational
institution in the U.S. In addition, student visa applicants
must provide evidence of the ability to pay all the costs
associated with the planned studies in the U.S. as stated
in the Form I-20.
Beginning September 1, 2004, the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) will collect a Congressionally-mandated
fee of $100.00 for a SEVIS to be paid by certain aliens
who are applying for F-1, F-3, M-1, M-3 or J-1 visas
along with their I-20 or DS-2019. Click here for more
information about this fee
Visas for Medical Treatment
or humanitarian reasons.
There is no special visa for medical treatment or other
humanitarian concerns. Such applicants must still overcome
the presumption in section 214b INA that they are intending
immigrants and therefore ineligible to receive a visa.
Interviewing officers, however, will give applicants needing
medical treatment or traveling for humanitarian reasons
every consideration possible under the law. In order to
help us help you receive a nonimmigrant visa for travel
to the United States to obtain medical care, the following
documentation should be provided:
1. A professional diagnosis of the illness and evidence
that it cannot be treated in El Salvador;
2. Official letter from U.S. hospital and doctors, accepting
patient for treatment and providing estimated cost and
length of medical treatment;
3. Evidence regarding ability to pay for the treatment;
and
4. Proof of social, economic and professional ties in
El Salvador that will compel the applicant to return to
his/her home country following completion of the medical
treatment.
Click here to learn how to apply for the visa at this
Embassy.
Temporary Work Visas.
The Immigration and Nationality
Act provides several categories of nonimmigrant visas for
a person who wishes to work temporarily in the United States.
In order to apply for a temporary work visa, the employer
or agent in the U.S. must file a Petition for Nonimmigrant
Worker (I-129) with the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS). At the time of the visa interview, the applicant
must present a Notice of Approval of the Petition (I-797).
Specific
information on the H2B work visa for temporary workers.
Exchange Visitors
Lost or Stolen Passports
All persons who have lost or had stolen a passport containing
a valid U.S. visa who wish to obtain a replacement visa
must appear for a personal interview. Please bring a
copy of the police report, report (Movimiento Migratorio)
from the Salvadoran immigration office noting your exits
from and entries into El Salvador, and other documentation
as available. Lost visas should be immediately reported
to the visa section by fax to 503-278-5522. Click here
to learn how to apply for a visa this Embassy.
Third Country Nationals
Persons who do not reside in El Salvador may apply for
nonimmigrant visas (tourist, transit, student, temporary
work visas- H1B, J1, L, O, P-) at the U.S. Embassy in
San Salvador, but may have more difficulty proving outside
of their own country that they meet the legal requirements
for obtaining a nonimmigrant visa. If the person still
wish to apply, click here to learn about our application
system at this Embassy.
Additional Information
If you still have questions, please call our regional U.S.
Visa Information Center.
Our address in El Salvador:
Embajada de Los Estados Unidos
Seccion Consular
Boulevard Santa Elena Final
Antiguo Cuscatlán, La Libertad
In the United States:
U.S. Embassy San Salvador
Attn.: Consular Section
APO AA 34023
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