How to Determine the Type of U.S. Visa You Qualify For

Before contacting the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) for a visa application, it helps to know which application you want.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Legal Counsellors
• Yellow Pages
• Telephones
• Envelopes

1. Determine your status relative to the United States. Are you a citizen of a country outside the United States who is married or engaged to an American citizen? Are you in the United States illegally? Are you already a temporary legal resident of the United States? Were you born outside the United States to American parents? Are you a minor who wants to be an exchange student? A businessperson who wants to work in the United States?
2. Determine the kind of visa you want: permanent resident, temporary resident, tourist, student, work, investment, refugee, religious, "exceptional" (in the national interest). Each type requires a different application.
3. Speak to an immigration attorney, an immigration consultant or an accredited representative of the INS to determine your eligibility.
4. Have all your information handy when you call the INS.
5. Call the INS office nearest you. It will be listed in the "Government" section of your phone book. If you do not live in the United States, call the nearest American embassy or consulate INS office.
6. Ask for application documents specific to the visa you need. The INS will send you a packet of preliminary application documents for free.

Tips & Warnings

• Be aware that the INS processes millions of visa requests annually. It helps to ask specific questions.

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