How our family got an American visa.
A lot of people asked me how we got an American visa. I decided to talk a little about it.
We received an American visa back in November last year. We received it because back in the fall we planned a trip to relatives in Los Angeles in the spring of 2015.
Like all Ukrainians, we naturally first of all went to the agency to ask how much an American visa would cost for at least 2 years (in order to be able to return to visit again. The amount was called unrealistic, somewhere around $ 600 per person. , and as the trip was planned for both children and grandmother, the amount could be approximately $ 4.000.
Therefore, we decided to try to get a visa on our own. The first step is to go to the website of the American Embassy in Ukraine and apply for an interview. Before the application is placed, you will need to collect the package of documents indicated on the site. At the time of our submission, these were foreign passports, a copy of a voucher for booking a hotel in New York. Why is it important to go ahead and see what documents are required? As soon as you start the process of registering for an interview, and it is long enough, and suddenly you do not have something, then you have wasted time.
Accordingly, we go to the site, look at the list of documents, the next day you must pay yourself a receipt for paying the fee for applying for a visa, at that time it was also a fairly large amount: $ 80 per person. After that, you pay the visa fee. And yes, if you are denied a visa, the money for the visa fee is not refundable. So don't be upset! They did not receive a visa - they left a fee for the development of the US state.
After the documents are ready, scan and prepare in electronic form for attaching on the site.
Second step: go through the registration procedure. It is necessary to enter all the data (scanned) for all family members who apply for a visa, they also attach a visa payment number (either a scan or a receipt number). You are now registered.
The date can be set as the day of registration or the one for which you need a visa. Since we planned to leave for a 2-week vacation, we took a late deadline - a month after submission (we filed in September, and came to receive in October.
Nuance: everyone comes to receive a visa, even small children, if it is planned to enter a visa in the parents' passport.
Our meeting was scheduled for 9:30. Another caveat: arrive as early as possible, at least half an hour before. Because in our case, at 9:00 a young man came out of the embassy and said that everyone who is at 9:30 can follow for an interview. That is, everyone who came at 9:00.9:15 and 9:30 went. Everyone came up and handed stickers and registration. We also passed the medical examination. We were examined and we left all the things that we had with us at the security point, so keep in mind that you will not be allowed to carry all phones, video cameras to the territory of the embassy.
We entered the large hall, there was already a certain number of people, and everyone was waiting for their turn. The first thing they will do with you is take fingerprints. The registration receipt, which was stuck to you at the entrance and is your number for fingerprinting.
We waited quite a bit, 10-15 minutes, and we were already called to submit prints. A very interesting point: everything is automated at the embassy, so you have a registration number on your check. Above each reception window hangs a plasma TV. As soon as the assistant girl is released, your number starts flashing on her plasma, and an audible signal sounds. Therefore, no matter how much you want to skip the queue - it will not work!
Since we applied for visas for five people at once, we went to this window together. They had a nice conversation with us, asked where we were flying and asked to take prints in turn (those whom the girl called came up and took prints). After handing over the prints, we were given another number - it was already, directly, for an interview, and our prints also went to processing. Since I was very worried about whether I would get an American visa or not, I took two folders with me. One - registration documents of all my enterprises, the second - documents for real estate and for a car. But I can say right away, friends, the folders were not required.
We didn't list our property on the site or show folders during the interview. The interview was very easy. All five of us went to the window, after sitting for about 20 minutes beforehand, and began to talk. Since the "language" in the family is me, when we were asked where and why we were going, I stepped forward and said that we were going to see New York, said that we love to travel very much, and in addition shoved my girl passport, with a lot of visas, mostly Asian ones. The girl smiled, but leafed through her passport. After that, she asked what I do and how I earn a living, despite the fact that everything happened calmly, not stressfully, without any checks. If you calmly explain the essence of your work, then you will not be asked unnecessary questions. In this format, they ask all family members, except for children, namely: what do you do, how do you earn money, and what kind of education do you have. There was a hitch on Vitalik, as he named a profession that the girl did not know about.
Therefore, until she found out everything related to the specialty (rocket technical school), she asked if the engineer was, to which Vitaly of course answered "Yes! ", On this the girl calmed down and we moved on to the children. The first thing they asked if the children were traveling with their parents, Danya was asked to re-take fingerprints. By the way, when we took our fingerprints for the first time, we asked everyone for Dani (youngest son). Once Dana was offered to take it or not to take it, to which the child refused out of fright. And the second time Danya was against taking fingerprints. This is where our interview ended.
The girl said that our visa was approved, to which we were very surprised, as we expected some kind of official response (in the form of a letter), but they only said that we can pick up our passports in 2 weeks at a certain office.
When we took our passports, we were very surprised that they asked to open it for 2 years, but they opened it for us for 10 years. Thus, the United States is open to us as a country of transportation until 2024.
My advice: when obtaining a visa, you need to clearly understand why you are going to the USA, and also that the embassy employees are trained to recognize lies (keep this in mind! ) Well, the more documents you have confirming your attachment to Ukraine, the more likely you are get a visa (although, I repeat, we were not even asked for these documents).