Requesting a visa for the United States has become more expensive and bureaucratic. The changes are part of a Package approved by the Government of Donald Trump and come into force on Tuesday, 2, directly impacting tourists, students and professionals who want to enter the US – either for the first time or who to only want to renew the document. In practice, changes require everything to be more planned, as measurements can increase the waiting time of scheduling.
See below each of them:
What has changed?
Roughly, there are two changes. The first, involving the “visa integrity rate”, causes the request price to increase to more than $ 420. And the second is about the possibility of a face -to -face interview during the visa request. Earlier, for children under 13 and over 80, usually no interview was required.
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Do everyone need to do face -to -face interviews?
All people who will request visas from non -immigrant for the first time will need to schedule a face -to -face interview with a consular officer.
Who is exempt from doing face -to -face interview?
Candidates with Visas A-1, A-2, C-3 (except domestic employees), from G-1 to G-4, NATO-6 to NATO-6 and E-1, as well as applicants from diplomatic or officers are exempt from interviews. Those who are renewing visa B1 (normally used for business), B2 (normally used in tourism) or B1/B2 (which unites both spheres) may be eligible for interview exemption.
For this it is necessary that:
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- The visa is still valid or has expired for less than 12 months
- The applicant is 18 years or older
- The applicant apply the visa in his country of nationality or residence
- Never had a refused visa (unless the refusal has been annulled)
- Does not have apparent ineligibility or potential
The US Department makes it clear that they may require face -to -face interviews for any reason, regardless of whether you enters the exemption or not.
What is the step by step?
First of all, determine the type of visa you need. The most common is B-1/B-2, for tourists, but there are others that can be checked on the Embassy website itself. Most non -imigrant visas require the completion of the DS-160 form, which have English questions and answers. It is important to answer every detail calmly, as any error (even typing) can result in interview resetting.
Then you need to pay the fee and schedule both the collection of fingerprints and photos in the visa request center and the interview interview. The answers given during the appointment will determine whether the applicant is eligible for interview exemption or not.
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How is the interview?
The interview is done in Portuguese and is usually five minutes long. In it, the consul will ask questions in order to check the information contained in the DS-160 form and better understand the motivations and profile of the traveler. At this point it is good to make an alert: If in the official document you have stated that it speaks English fluently, it may be that the consul want to check. Be sure to be faithful to the truth.
Most videos and texts that help immigrants request visas advise that the answers are objective and that the applicant take the DS-160’s submission pages, interview schedule, valid passport and other documents that can be requested, such as proof of income, marriage certificate and proof of work.
How much does it cost to take the American visa?
In addition to the $ 185 (the equivalent of about $ 1,006) of visa emission fee, now there is an extra fee of $ 250 (about $ 1,360) called Visa Integrity Fee. It will be charged when the visa is issued, adding to existing fees.
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The visa for non -immigrant, cited in the law, encompasses, for example: tourists, students, journalists, au pairs, diplomats and their families, and people who do medical treatment in the US and their families.
The new rule is among the measures approved within Donald Trump’s fiscal megaproject dubbed One Big Beautiful Bill (something like “a great and beautiful project”).
Thus, the total cost of a standard visa of non -immigrant comes out for $ 435, about $ 2,367. If the visa is denied, the applicant will not be charged for the extra fee.
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Is it true that they give social networks?
Yes, but this only concerns visa requests for categories F (students), M (technical/vocational) and J (exchange, including researchers and teachers). For this it is necessary that even before requesting the visa the person leaves his public so that the analysis is possible by the consulate.
According to the agency’s statement, the measure allows all the necessary checks to assess whether the applicant meets the requirements for entry into the country. “Getting a visa for the US is a privilege, not a right,” they say.
During the completion of the DS-160 form, there is a space that questions the online presence of abroad. In it, the applicant must list the names of user or profiles of all platforms he has used in the last five years.
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To date, there is no official indication that the same type of verification will be adopted for other categories, such as Tourism (B2). Anyway, experts advise those who want to take a visa rethink their publications.
