US Tourist Visa

The USA is perhaps the most famous country in the world. Every Indian dream of
going to the US and making a life for themselves. And the thing that can get you
passage is a US Visa.

There are different kinds of visas for different purposes, for instance, if you are
traveling for the purpose of tourism, you will need a US tourist visa; if you are
traveling for business, a business visa is what you will need.

There even is a US visa for Indians that allows the nationals to travel to the country
for purposes such as tourism and leisure, visiting friends and family members,
carrying out business, studying or working in the country and several others.
US Visa for Indians​ Application
The process of application for a US visa is mainly offline. However, before moving on
to the application process, you first need to make sure that you are an eligible
candidate for the same. The process can be understood as follows:

1. Start with your application. Visit the US Department of State Consular

Electronic Application Center (CEAC) website and fill in the details in the
DS-160 form. Note the DS-160 form barcode for the rest of the procedure.
2. Proceed to pay the visa application fees. Make sure to note the receipt
number for future reference.
3. Log on to your account to book your appointments. Two appointments
are to be booked. The first one for the biometric submission at one of the five
VACs and the second one is for the interview at the US Embassy or Consulate.
4. For your first appointment, visit the VAC along with needed documents -
a passport, appointment confirmation page, and a DS-160 confirmation page.
You will be subjected to a fingerprint scan, and a digital photo will be taken.
5. For your second interview, prepare well and visit the embassy or
consulate along with a valid passport, appointment confirmation page, and
the VAC stamped DS-160 page.
Important visa-related terms

There are several terms that you may come across at the time of obtaining a visa.
Some of such important terms are given as follows:

● Eligibility Criteria
The eligibility criteria are the parameters that are put forth by the embassy
that will differentiate the applications. The criteria are different for all types
of visas. It is absolutely necessary that you meet these criteria to obtain any
visa.
● Validity
The period from which to which the visa will be valid allowing you to make
 trip/s to and from the US is termed as the validity of the visa. This period will
differ as per the purpose and the number of entries.
● Duration of the Stay
The period from which to which you are allowed to stay in the country per
visit is the duration of stay. This is quite different from validity. The validity is
generally longer than the duration of the stay.
● Number of Entries Permitted
This is the number of times you can go to the US and return. Visas can be
single entry, double entry or even multiple entry types. The validity will
generally increase with the increase in the number of entries.
● Photo Specifications
There are certain specifications that are to be taken care of when you are
submitting a photograph for your visa. These generally differ from country to
country. If the specifications are not met, the application may get rejected.
● Processing Time
The time required for the verification, approval, and issuance of the visa
stamp or e-visa is called processing time. This time differs as per the type of
permit as there are different requirements for different permits and the
procedure may vary even. For instance, the processing time required for the
issuance of the US tourist visa is less than the time required for a work visa.
● Visa Status
Check the ​USA visa consultant status just means tracking your application. It
is necessary to check the status as this will help in knowing how far is the
processing done and how much longer it might take.