Hello everybody. In this video, I'm going to talk about six steps: how to apply for a tourist visa
in 2021 and beyond. Remember, this is post-COVID. And I mentioned in
previous videos that there may be no visa appointments for tourists
until the end of the year. But as we're getting ready for embassies and consulates to reopen,
there are some things that you have to do in order to prepare, the next time you're going to be
applying for a tourist visa, as soon as they're gonna start opening the opportunity to do so.
So in this video, I'm going to give you the most up-to-date information, how to apply for a tourist
visa, post COVID-19 pandemic. So what are you waiting for? I'll see you on the other side.
Hello, everybody and welcome back to our immigration channel. This is a place where we get
the most up-to-date immigration news, immigration information, and everything else that you need to
make your immigration journey less stressful. My name is Jacob Sapochnick, and I'm an immigration
attorney located in San Diego, California, and I help clients in all 50 states. In this video,
we're gonna talk about a very important topic, how do we apply for tourist visas, B1, B2 visas
post-COVID-19 pandemic. What's happening, so much confusion. Now remember in a previous video,
you can see the link here, and in the description of this video, I gave you information about what
the State Department said recently about tourist visas. And it specifically said the tourist visas
are now the lowest priority. Post-COVID, there is a tier system for visa processing. First,
they're working on immigrant visas, mostly family cases, spouses, and children, then they're going
through green card holders, then they're going through work visas employment cases. And finally,
tourist visas are a low priority. And as a result, the prediction was that most likely, it's going to
be virtually impossible to get an appointment for a tourist visa by the end of 2021. Now,
while this is true, some embassies and consulates are still able to issue very limited appointments
for tourist visas in certain situations. And as we going through this process, and as embassies and
consulates are reopening, and we're coming close to the point where they will start to process B1,
B2 applications post COVID-19 pandemic. We have to get ready for the new processing of B1,
B2 visas under the new rules, and this video is going to tell you exactly what you have to do
to apply for a tourist visa, B1, B2 post-COVID-19 pandemic. We're going to talk about six steps. I'm
going to go over them one by one. Now remember, when you apply for a tourist visa, whether it's a
B1, B2 visa, you have to understand that it's your job to come to the US Embassy prepared, to show
them that you qualify to meet the requirements of a tourist visa. The main thing they're looking for
is that you have sufficient ties to your home country. The main reason why most tourist visas
get denied is because of Section 214b. This section of the immigration nationality law
is all about ties to your home country, you are not able to convince the consular officer,
that you have sufficient ties to your home country and therefore you are at a higher risk to stay in
the United States unlawfully and never return back to your home country. What is the reason
why consular officers are, for example, more strict in countries like Nigeria, the Philippines,
and India when it comes to tourist visas? Why is the denial rate in those countries
is close to 90% when it comes to tourist visas, as opposed to countries like Germany, or Israel,
or even Brazil, where the rate of return where people are going back to the United States
is much higher than the countries that I mentioned to you before. And that's really what it's all
about. If the consular officers will be convinced that you're going to meet the requirements of the
B1, B2 and you will return at the end of your trip to your home country, your chances to get the visa
are definitely higher. It is important to start this journey of applying for a tourist visa with
this notion in mind. Am I able to convince the consular officer that I will return to
my home country after presenting myself at the interview with the supporting documents
and we want to be telling the officer verbally at the time of the interview? Step number one,
submit form DS 160 online. This is an online form that requires all your biographic information,
information about your trip, and about yourself. The form is available online,
every embassy that you are going to be dealing with whether it's the US Embassy Nigeria,
the US Embassy in Manila, the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, they have their own websites.
It's not just the general state department website. Every embassy has their own website.
Before you apply for a tourist visa, you need to go on the website of that respective embassy,
find the link to form DS 160 at that embassy, and go through the process of completing
this form electronically online. Once you complete this form, it's going to generate
a barcode, which you need to print and keep, because you're going to take it with you
to your interview. Step number two is you have to pay the fees, the visa fees online. Every visa has
a different fee schedule. The tourist visa has a set fee, that fee changes from time to time,
it is essential for you to check on the website of your embassy, where you're going to be applying to
make sure that the fee hasn't changed before you make that fee payment online as well. In the end,
once you pay the fee, once you make that fee payment, make sure you print the proof of payment
as well because you're going to need that with you when you attend the interview. Step number three
is to make sure you have your passport pictures done correctly. The US has a particular passport
style, it's different than many other countries, all you have to do is find that link on the US
Embassy that you apply for. Every embassy has a link to the correct style of passport pictures.
And remember, the background is always white, it cannot be blue, it cannot be gray, it has to be
plain white. That's the only format they accept for US passport photos. If you don't have the
correct photo, you may be required to exit the interview area. Go outside, obtain those photos
and return to the embassy. Therefore losing some precious time at the time of your interview.
Step number four, schedule your tourist visa appointment. Now, remember, at the moment,
there are virtually no appointments available for tourist visa applications. This video is
being recorded in July of 2021. The process of applying for a tourist visa is the same,
it's going to be the same moving forward. What is going to be different
is the availability of visa appointments. Right now, in some countries, people can still apply
for tourist visas, but it's very, very limited. I'll give you an example. In Israel, for example,
some applicants reported tourist visa applications that they were able to schedule because they were
going on the US embassy's websites every single day between the hours of midnight
and 3 am. And they were able to secure multiple single appointments, it is possible.
There are other embassies that are also open some slots. But again, they're very, very limited and
may be pushed for the end of the summer, maybe the beginning of the fall. But it is possible. If you
have an urgent need to travel, you can still try to schedule your appointment even today.
Sometimes we have applicants who scheduled their appointments in recent months, and the embassy
canceled those appointments because embassies had to close because there was a spike in COVID cases,
because of security reasons. Whatever the reason is, once you have that appointment, it could be
canceled by the embassy. And then you get to have to log in and try to reschedule that appointment
once again. So that's a very, very essential step, especially these days, because appointments can be
canceled, it's normal. So make sure you monitor the system and make sure that before you go
check whether your appointment is still on, or was it actually canceled. Step number five, prepare
all the supporting documents that you need to take with you to show the embassy that you qualify for
the tourist visa. This is a very important step because in this step, you're going to bring
documents to show that you have ties to your home country, you have a job, maybe you have a house,
you have other family members that are left behind if you're traveling by yourself,
anything that can show them that you are not going to need to stay the United States and never return
back home. You want to show them the risk factors, you have too much to lose by not going back,
you have a business, you have a house, you just started a job a year ago, you'd be promoted.
These are especially for younger applicants, it's very difficult for people under the age
of 30 to obtain those visas because they're at a higher risk of going to the United States and
never coming back. Also remember, what you tell the US Embassy officer at the interview is going
to stay on record. So you have to know that whatever documents you prepare, you have to
also match what you tell him physically at the time of the interview. So if you tell them that
you have a job, and they ask you how long have you been working in that job, if your documents
reflect a different reality, it's going to be a problem, right? So make sure you study
the documents you provide and be very consistent with the information you give them physically, as
well as verbally. Preparation of a proper file for tourist visa application is a very essential part
of a successful tourist visa. If you don't have enough documents, if you're not convincing enough,
you're not going to make it, you're not going to be able to get your visa on the first try. Let's
talk about some of the documents that you're going to collect to put in the file as you prepare to
go to the interview. You should have your valid passport, two passport size photos, the printed
DS 160 form and the confirmation page, the receipt of the visa fee that you paid, and the interview
confirmation page very important. I suggest you prepare a letter describing the purpose
of your trip. So you can hand it to the officer in case he asks you for proof of financial means,
bank account, bank statements, whatever, you have to show that you have enough money to travel and
stay there for the duration of your trip. Enough ties to your home country as I mentioned before,
your job, house family members left behind. If you've been in the United States previously, and
returned already, make sure you have proof of that because there's going to increase your chances to
get the visa one more time. If you’re applying for the first time make sure you have a letter from
your employer or somebody that shows that you have a high intention to return to the United States.
Again, you have a lot to lose by not going back home, make sure you have a list of all your social
media accounts with you. Sometimes consular officers will have to see those just to verify
and check who you are. Make sure you have those prepared, do not hide those. Finally,
step number six, attending the actual interview. On the date of the interview, make sure you relax,
you dress appropriately. The consular officer will have a very short time at the window to speak with
you. Some of these interviews last less than five minutes. You need to have your documents prepared.
Some consular officers will not even look at your documents, they will ask you questions directly.
And they want to see how confident you are. And what is the reason why you want to go to
the United States? Other consular officers would like to see more documents, make sure everything's
organized in a tab folder format, so you're able to pull it and give it to the officer.
And finally, if your visa is not approved, make sure you stay relaxed, make sure you understand
why it happened. You can ask the questions in a polite manner. And remember, you can always try
again. But if you're prepared, if you're direct, if you're confident, and you come equipped with
all the documents mentioned in this video, your chances to get this visa are definitely gonna
increase very much. Remember, if you get a tourist visa, typically you'll get it in your passport,
anywhere from one year to 10 years. That does not mean you can stay in the United States all
this time. Once you enter the United States, the maximum that you can stay there is six months.
And potentially, you could extend that from inside the United States for another six months.
So hopefully you found this information helpful. It's definitely going to be very,
very difficult for tourists to obtain those visas, especially for first-time applicants.
As embassies and consulates are going to reopen, we will update their procedures. And we're going
to let you know if there are any changes when it comes to tourist visa applications. But right now,
it's important to know that it's almost impossible to apply for tourist visas right now. And if you
do need to apply for those, you can still try to find those limited appointments that are available
in some consulates worldwide. If you have any questions, make sure you post them in the comments
below. I'm happy to answer them. If you're here for the first time, subscribe to our channel,
click the notification bell to not miss any of our videos or live streams. And also give us a big
like, so YouTube will be able to share this video with more people just like you. Once again, thanks
for watching, and I'll see you in our next video. Before we go, we've got two questions that were
asked about tourist visas. And I'm going to answer them right now. Somebody is asking, do tourists
get access to American healthcare insurance to public American health care insurance?
Well, the answer is no. Tourists are not eligible for public health insurance in the United States.
They can get private travel insurance, but you're not eligible for Medicaid,
Medicare as a tourist. In fact, if you do so you may lose your tourist visa,
and may not be able to come to the United States ever again. Another question, Can I
get a green card? While I'm here on a tourist visa? The general answer is no. As a tourist,
you're not supposed to get a green card. The only exception to that is if you are here as a tourist
and you meet a US citizen and you get married, you can file an adjustment of status off there's
an amount of time of being in the United States. That's one of the only exceptions but otherwise,
as a tourist, you just don't have enough time to apply for a green card through any other category
aside from marriage. So remember, as a tourist is supposed to be a tourist,
but if you fall in love, yes, you can still get a green card based on marriage.