Nonimmigrant Visas

Visa Applicants Planning to Engage in Technology-Related Business or Study While in the United States

The visa applications of applicants involved in technical or scientific fields may require administrative processing of approximately two to three weeks. Applicants who believe they may be affected by this requirement should apply as early as possible. Students planning studies in technical or scientific fields may need to ask VFS for an earlier appointment. When doing so, applicants should make it clear that they believe there may be a need for additional processing which necessitates an appointment at least three to four weeks before the date they are due to report to their school or research facility.

Applicants can help make this process faster by being well prepared for their visa interviews. For example, applicants should bring a copy of their resume or curriculum vitae (CV); a list of their publications (if any); a summary of their past research; a detailed description of their ongoing or future research or work in the U.S.; the name of their advisor or sponsor in the United States, including a mailing address and telephone number (for example, a copy of his/her webpage); the name of the financial sponsor of the U.S. study/research; and a list of references. This information should be in English. Applicants also should be ready to answer specific questions during the interview about their research plans in the United States.

In addition, we request that the applicant complete the following form and bring a printed copy to the interview.

Questionnaire
(PDF) (Download Free Acrobat Reader)

Applicants who do not bring complete information to the interview (e.g., their resume, their research summary, completed form) may have their applications delayed even further, or may be refused a visa and be required to apply again.

As soon as the processing of an applicant's visa is complete, we will contact the applicant and explain how he/she can pick up the visa. The applicant does not need to make a new appointment and does not need to pay a new application fee.