U.S. B1/B2 Visa Application Process and Interview Precautions

Preparing Your Passport and Photo If you do not have a passport, apply for one first. If you already have a passport, make sure it has at least 6 months of validity remaining. Prepare a recent digital visa photo (taken within 6 months), as it will be needed soon. The specifications are: color, white background, no headwear, no glasses, square large 2-inch (51mm x 51mm). You can refer to my DIY U.S. passport photo for my child (U.S. passport and U.S. visa have the same specifications). Completing the DS-160 Application Form Go to the U.S. Department of State website to fill out the DS-160 form; during the process, you will be asked to upload the applicant's photo. The DS-160 form is the most important step in applying for a nonimmigrant visa; please see the illustrated guide below. [https://gonglue.us/2084] After submitting the DS-160, a confirmation page will be generated, as shown below. DS-160 Confirmation Page This confirmation page contains an "information confirmation number" similar to AA00XXXXXX, which will be used later. In addition, this confirmation page needs to be printed out and brought to the visa interview. Scheduling the Interview (1) Open the official U.S. visa appointment website https://cgifederal.secure.force.com, register and log in, select "New Visa Application / Schedule Interview" → select the consulate (should be the same as the one you filled in when submitting the DS-160) → select visa type → fill in and confirm personal information (at this step you will be asked to enter the DS-160 confirmation number above) → if multiple people are applying together, "Add Companion", otherwise skip → specify the delivery address for passports and documents. For the detailed process of this part, please refer to this article. After confirmation, a CGI Reference Number will be generated, similar to 730xxxxxxxxx, as shown below. With this CGI Reference Number, you can go to CITIC Bank to pay the fee. Payment Notice and CGI Reference Number The visa application fee is 160 USD for B1/B2, F, J, M visas, and 190 USD for H, L, O, P, Q and other visas. For more visa fees, see this list. Some visas have additional fees (for example, Blanket L visa has a $500 fraud detection fee). Paying the Visa Fee U.S. visa fees are collected by CITIC Bank. If you have a CITIC Bank debit card, you can pay online directly through the visa appointment system mentioned above; otherwise, you need to go to a CITIC Bank branch. Some locations have self-service payment terminals, and some may require counter payment; after paying at a self-service terminal, you may still need to queue to get the receipt, as shown below. Visa Payment Receipt Using different cards and different payment methods may incur a small service fee, so the actual amount paid may be slightly higher. In this example, there are two applicants, the visa fee is 2,080 RMB, and the actual payment was 2,090.19 RMB. Scheduling the Interview (2) After payment, log in again to the appointment system https://cgifederal.secure.force.com, click "New Visa Application / Schedule Interview", and continue confirming. Normally, the system will already have the payment record, and you will see the following reminder. After paying at CITIC Bank, the visa system will automatically update the association. Click "Use Existing Receipt", check that the receipt number is correct, and then you can enter the page to select a date and time for the appointment. Visa Interview Appointment Page Select an available date and time. After confirmation, you will see a confirmation page similar to the one below, which you can print and save or send to your email to save. Visa Interview Appointment Confirmation Letter Going to the Consulate for the Interview On the scheduled date, bring the following materials to the consulate: DS-160 confirmation letter. Appointment confirmation letter. Passport. Visa fee receipt. 1 visa photo. Other supporting documents, such as invitation letter, property certificate, bank deposit certificate, marriage certificate, etc. These materials are not mandatory and depend on the visa type and the applicant's own situation; some require many documents, and some require none. After entering the consulate, someone will initially review the materials, take fingerprints, and finally there will be an interview with the visa officer. As long as your application is legal and reasonable and there is no deception, nonimmigrant visas are actually quite easy in my experience. I have applied for B1/B2 for my parents, parents-in-law, and several friends, and all were approved smoothly on the first try, with very few questions asked. The most important point is: from the moment you start filling out the DS-160, always answer questions truthfully and submit materials truthfully. If you lie or the visa officer suspects you, not only may the current application be denied, but future U.S. visa applications may also be troublesome. When I had a work visa interview years ago, the visa officer looked at my resume for a while, did not look at the large stack of other documents at all, and asked three simple questions: (1) How many people are in your company? I answered: about xxx people nationwide. (2) What was your major in college? I answered: Philosophy. (3) How did you end up in this industry? I answered: That's a long story... The visa officer laughed and said: Well, that's true. Then he told me: You are approved. When I invited my parents to visit, I wrote a very detailed invitation letter. According to my parents, after reading the invitation letter, the visa officer asked them two questions: (1) How many sons do you have? (2) Where are they? Then told them: Your visa is approved, have a good time in the United States! I also once invited a young, beautiful single female friend to visit (click here to see the invitation letter I wrote) — I note that she is young, beautiful, and single because many people online say such applicants are easily suspected of immigration risk and easily denied; I also applied for a B1/B2 visa extension for my parents-in-law (the reason was to help take care of children; some people online also say this is suspected of illegal work and may be denied — I think that's nonsense; parents helping to take care of grandchildren is not work), and both were approved smoothly. The reason these invitations were approved smoothly, in my view, is simple: these are all reasonable and legal visits by relatives and friends, and I have always applied truthfully, stated truthfully, and answered truthfully, without trying to be clever or committing fraud. If everything goes well, the visa officer will tell you on the spot that your application is approved, and you can go home and wait for the visa! Precautions Plan your trip in advance. Visa processing requires an appointment in advance, and during busy times it may be scheduled one or two months later. You can click on this page of the U.S. Department of State website to check the waiting times at each consulate. The consulate has strict security regulations. When going for the interview, only bring materials related to the interview and do not bring anything extra. Any electronic devices (mobile phones, electronic watches, cameras, MP3 players, computers, etc.) are prohibited, as are travel bags, backpacks, briefcases, suitcases, handbags, cloth bags, zippered folders (you may bring a small handbag, women's bag, or plastic bag containing application documents), bottled water, food, sealed envelopes or packages, cigarettes, cigars, matchboxes, lighters, scissors, knives, nail clippers, or other sharp objects. See the official website instructions for visa applications. If inviting parents to visit the United States, it is recommended to help them fill out the customs declaration form before departure. [https://gonglue.us/14889]

If you do not have a passport, apply for one first. If you already have a passport, make sure it has at least 6 months of validity remaining.

First, prepare a digital visa photo taken recently (within 6 months), because it will be needed in the next step. The photo must be in color, have a white background, show the full face without a hat, contain no eyeglasses, and measure 51mm x 51mm. The author has documented how they took a U.S. passport photo for their child themselves, which can serve as a reference; U.S. passport and visa photos have the same specifications.

Completing the DS-160 Application Form

Next, go to the U.S. Department of State website to complete the DS-160 form; during the process, you will be asked to upload the applicant's photo. The DS-160 form is the most critical step in applying for a nonimmigrant visa; please refer to the relevant illustrated guide.

[https://gonglue.us/2084]

After submitting the DS-160, a confirmation page will be generated, as shown below.

DS-160 Confirmation Page

This confirmation page contains an "information confirmation number" similar to AA00XXXXXX, which will be used later. Additionally, the confirmation page must be printed out and brought to the visa interview.

Scheduling the Interview (1)

Visit the official U.S. visa appointment website https://cgifederal.secure.force.com, register and log in, then select "New Visa Application / Schedule Appointment" → select the consulate (should match the consulate filled in the DS-160) → select visa type → fill in and confirm personal information (this step requires the DS-160 confirmation number mentioned above) → if applying with multiple people, "Add Companion", otherwise skip → designate the delivery address for passports and documents.

For detailed procedures of this part, please refer to the relevant article. After confirmation, the system will generate a CGI Reference Number, similar to 730xxxxxxxxx, as shown in the figure below. Only with this CGI Reference Number can you go to CITIC Bank to pay the fee.

Payment Notice and CGI Reference Number

The application fee for B1/B2, F, J, and M visas is $160, and for H, L, O, P, Q visas, it is $190. For more visa fees, please refer to this list. Some visas may incur additional fees (for example, the Blanket L visa requires a $500 fraud detection fee).

Paying the Visa Fee

U.S. visa fees are collected by CITIC Bank. If you have a CITIC Bank debit card, you can pay online directly in the visa appointment system; otherwise, you need to go to a CITIC Bank branch. Some branches have self-service payment terminals, while others may require counter payment. After paying at a self-service terminal, you may still need to queue to obtain a receipt, as shown in the figure below.

Visa Payment Receipt

Using different bank cards or payment methods may incur a small service fee, so the actual amount paid may be slightly higher than the visa fee. In this example, the visa fee for two applicants was 2,080 RMB, and the actual amount paid was 2,090.19 RMB.

Scheduling the Interview (2)

After payment, log in again to the appointment system https://cgifederal.secure.force.com, click "New Visa Application / Schedule Appointment", and confirm to continue. Normally, the system will already have the payment record and display the following reminder.

After paying at CITIC Bank, the visa system will automatically update the association.

Click "Use Existing Receipt", check that the receipt number is correct, and then you can enter the page to select a date and time for the appointment.

Visa Interview Appointment Page

Select an available date and time. After confirmation, you will see a confirmation page similar to the one below, which you can print and save or send to your email to save.

Visa Interview Appointment Confirmation Letter

Going to the Consulate for the Interview

On the scheduled date, bring the following materials to the consulate:

• DS-160 confirmation letter.

• Appointment confirmation letter.

• Passport.

• Visa fee receipt.

• 1 visa photo.

• Other supporting documents, such as invitation letter, property certificate, bank deposit certificate, marriage certificate, etc. These materials are not mandatory and depend on the visa type and the applicant's own situation; some require many documents, and some require none.

After entering the consulate, staff will first conduct a preliminary review of documents and collect fingerprints, and finally there will be an interview with a visa officer. According to the author's experience, as long as the application is legal and reasonable without deception, nonimmigrant visas are actually quite easy. The author has helped parents, parents-in-law, and several friends apply for B1/B2 visas, all of which were approved smoothly on the first attempt with few questions asked. The most important point is: from the moment you start filling out the DS-160, always answer questions truthfully and submit authentic materials. If you lie or raise suspicion, not only may the current application be denied, but future U.S. visa applications could also be problematic.

• When I had a work visa interview years ago, the visa officer looked at my resume for a while, did not look at the large stack of other documents at all, and asked three simple questions: (1) How many people are in your company? I answered: about xxx people nationwide. (2) What was your major in college? I answered: Philosophy. (3) How did you end up in this industry? I answered: That's a long story... The visa officer laughed and said: Well, that's true. Then he told me: You are approved.

• When I invited my parents to visit, I wrote a very detailed invitation letter. According to my parents, after the visa officer read the letter, he asked them just two questions: (1) How many sons do you have? (2) Where are they? He then told them: your visa is approved, enjoy your trip in the United States!

• I once also invited a young, attractive single female friend to visit (click here to see the invitation letter I wrote). I specifically note that she is young, attractive and single because many people online say applicants of this kind are easily suspected of immigrant intent and easily refused; in addition, I applied for a B1/B2 visa extension for my parents-in-law (the reason being to help care for the children, and some people online also say this amounts to illegal work and will be refused — I think that is nonsense, since parents helping look after grandchildren is not work), and all of these applications were approved smoothly.

In my view, the reason these invitations were approved smoothly is simple: they were all reasonable and lawful visits by relatives and friends, and I always applied truthfully, stated things truthfully and answered truthfully, without trying to be clever or resorting to any deception.

If everything goes smoothly, the visa officer will tell you on the spot that your application is approved, and then you can go home and wait for the visa!

Points to Note

• Plan your trip in advance. Visa processing requires an advance appointment, and during busy periods the wait may extend one or two months; you can click this page on the U.S. Department of State's official website to check the waiting times at each consulate.

• Consulates have strict security rules: when going to the interview, bring only materials related to the interview and do not bring anything extra. Any electronic devices (mobile phones, electronic watches, cameras, MP3 players, computers, etc.) are prohibited, as are travel bags, backpacks, briefcases, suitcases, purses, cloth bags and zippered folders (you may bring a small handbag, women's bag or plastic bag containing your application documents); bottled water, food, sealed envelopes or packages, cigarettes, cigars, matchboxes, lighters, scissors, knives, nail clippers and other sharp items are also prohibited. See the explanation on the visa application official website for details.

• If you are inviting your parents to visit the United States, it is advisable to help them fill out the customs declaration form before they travel.

[https://gonglue.us/14889]