Non-Immigrant Visas

Required Documentation to Apply for a Non-Immigrant Visa

Please read the following information carefully to avoid confusion. Prepare the following documentation then schedule your own online appointment.

All non-immigrant visa applicants, please bring:

1. APPLICATION FORMS:
   
   • DS-156 - electronically completed (For all visa applicants regardless of age)
   • DS-157 (Only for male applicants, 16 to 45 years old, in addition to the DS-156)
   • Albanian Courier (This form will be provided from the Albanian Courier official at the time when you enter the Embassy facility.)
   
   NOTE: All forms must be COMPLETELY filled out and be presented signed at the time of your visa appointment. Each question MUST be answered. If a question is not applicable or the answer is (none), please put (none). If the forms are not filled out completely they might not be accepted.
   
   
2. PASSPORT:
   
   A passport, valid for at least 6 months after your planned entry to the United States.  (If you have your National ID card, please inlcude its number in field number 14 of the DS-156 application form.)
   
   
3. PHOTOGRAPH:
   
   One recent photograph (not more than six months old) that should be attached to the designated place of the Form DS-156. Please read the photograph requirements on the following Internet page: http://tirana.usembassy.gov/photo_requirements.html. Photos not meeting these specifications will be rejected and the applicant will be asked to bring a new photo.
   
   
4. APPLICATION FEE:
   
   

   131.00 U.S. Dollars or equivalent in Leke based on the exchange rate of the U.S. Embassy in Tirana (every person who applies must pay this fee, regardless of age). The application fee is non-refundable and is paid in CASH only. Please try to bring the exact amount of money. Additionally, a part in U.S. Dollars and a part in Leke is not accepted.
   
   Visa issuance fee – If the visa is issued, there will be an additional visa issuance reciprocity fee, if applicable. Please consult the Visa Reciprocity Tables to find out if you must pay a visa issuance reciprocity fee and the fee amount due. If there is a fee for issuance for the visa, it is equal as nearly as possible to the fee charged to U.S. citizens by the applicant's country of nationality.
   
   

5. EVIDENCE:
   
   

   Applicants for visitor visas must show that they qualify under provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The law does not specify what documents are needed in order to be found qualified for a non-immigrant visa, and every application is considered in its individual context. Applicants must demonstrate that they are properly classifiable as visitors under U.S. law. The presumption in the law is that every visitor visa applicant is an intending immigrant. Therefore, applicants for visitor visas must overcome this presumption by demonstrating that:
   
   • The purpose of their trip is to enter the U.S. for business or pleasure;
   • That they plan to remain for a specific, limited period;
   • Evidence of funds to cover expenses in the United States;
   • Evidence of compelling social and economic ties abroad; and
   • That they have a residence outside the U.S. as well as other binding ties that will insure their return abroad at the end of the visit.
   
   For more information you may visit the U.S. Department of State's website at: http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1265.html.
   
   

6. ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION:
   
   • Visitors for Medical Treatment (B1/B2)
   • Students and Exchange Visitors (F, M, J)
   • Temporary Workers (H, L, O, P, Q)
   • Temporary Religious Workers (R)
   • Foreign Media (I)
   • Treaty Investors (E2)

Visitors for Medical Treatment (B1/B2)

In addition to all of the documentation requirements explained above, the following documentation is also required, for persons seeking medical treatment in the U.S.:

• Persons desiring to travel to the U.S. for medical treatment should be prepared to present the following, in addition to any other documentation the consular officer may require:
• Medical diagnosis from a local physician, explaining the nature of the ailment and the reason the applicant requires treatment in the United States.
• Letter from a physician or medical facility in the United States, expressing a willingness to treat this specific ailment and detailing the projected length and cost of treatment (including doctors’ fees, hospitalization fees, and all medical-related expenses).
• Statement of financial responsibility from the individuals or an organization that will pay for the patient’s transportation, medical and living expenses. The individuals guaranteeing payment of these expenses must provide proof of ability to do so, often in the form of bank or other statements of income/savings or certified copies of income tax returns.
• Persons traveling to the U.S. for medical treatment should have a statement from a doctor or institution concerning proposed medical treatment.
  

Students and Exchange Visitors (F, M, J Visas)

All students and exchange applicants should be prepared to present the following documentation in addition to the above:

• DS-158 (Contact Information and Work History for Nonimmigrant Visa Applicant)
  In addition to DS-156 and/or DS-157 (if you are a male from 16 to 45 years old), students and exchange applicants should complete, sign and present Form DS-158.
  
  
• Form I-20A-B, Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (F-1) Student Status-For Academic and Language Students or Form I-20M-N, Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (M-1) Student Status for Vocational Students. You will need to submit a SEVIS generated Form, I-20, which was provided to you by your school. You and your school official must sign the I-20 form. All students, as well as their spouses and dependents must be registered in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), an Internet-based system that maintains accurate and current information on non-immigrant students and exchange visitors and their dependents (F/M-2 visa holders). Your school is responsible for entering your information for the I-20 student visa form into SEVIS. Students will also have to pay a SEVIS I-901 fee for each program of study. Questions regarding your exchange program should be directed to your program sponsor.
  
  All student applicants must have a SEVIS generated I-20 issued by an educational institution approved by DHS, which they submit when they are applying for their student visa. The consular officer will need to verify your I-20 record electronically through the SEVIS system in order to process your student visa application. Unless otherwise exempt, participants whose SEVIS I-20 was issued on or after September 1, 2004 must pay a SEVIS I-901 Fee to the Department of Homeland Security for each individual program. The fee may be paid either through a special website or via Western Union. See SEVIS-901 Fee for further information on how to pay the fee.
  
  In addition to the visa application fee student applicants must pay and bring a separate SEVIS I-901 fee receipt. While all F-visa applicants must pay the visa application fee, including dependents, only the F-1 principal applicants must pay the SEVIS fee. If the SEVIS fee has not been paid the applicant will not be interviewed.
  
  
• DS-2019, Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status. You will need to submit a SEVIS generated Form, DS-2019, which was provided to you by your program sponsor. All exchange visitors, including their spouses and dependents must be registered in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), an Internet-based system that maintains accurate and current information on non-immigrant students and exchange visitors and their dependents (J-2 visa holders). Your program sponsor is responsible for entering your information for the DS-2019 into SEVIS. Exchange visitors not part of a U.S. Government-sponsored program will also have to pay a SEVIS I-901 fee for each program. Questions regarding your exchange program should be directed to your program sponsor.
  
  DS-7002, Training/Internship Placement Plan. All exchange visitor (J visa) trainee or intern visa applicants with DS-2019 forms dated on or after July 19, 2007 (based on Box 7 on the form) must also present Training/Internship Placement Plan, Form DS-7002 when applying for your visa. If your Form DS-2019 is issued prior to July 19, 2007 a Form DS-7002 is not required. For more information about the new rules for trainee and intern programs, see the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Exchange Visitor Program, Private Sector Programs.
  

Temporary Workers (H, L, O, P, Q Visas)

You will need the receipt number that is printed on the approved Form I-129 petition. NOTE: During your interview, the consular officer will use the receipt number to verify the Form I-129 petition approval. Therefore, Form I-797 is no longer used to verify petition approval, and is no longer necessary for your visa interview. With the exception of the H-1 and L-1, applicants may also need to show proof of binding ties to a residence outside the United States which they have no intention of abandoning. It is impossible to specify the exact form this evidence should take since applicants' circumstances vary greatly.

Temporary Religious Workers (R Visas)

You will need the receipt number that is printed on the approved Form I-129 petition. NOTE: During your interview, the consular officer will use the receipt number to verify the Form I-129 petition approval. Therefore, Form I-797 is not used to verify petition approval for your visa interview. Consular officers may request whatever documentation is required, and the applicant must be prepared to present to the consular officer any or all of the following documentation to verify that the applicant and the religious organization qualify for the R status, including:

1. Proof of tax-exempt status or eligibility for tax-exempt status and;
2. A letter from an authorized official of the specific unit of the employing organization certifying:
        • That if the applicant's religious membership was maintained, in whole or in part, outside the United States, the foreign and United States religious organizations belong to the same religious denomination;
        • That, immediately prior to the application for the R visa, the alien has been a member of the religious denomination for the required two- year period;

• If the applicant is a minister, he or she is authorized to conduct religious worship for that denomination. The duties should be described in detail; or
• If the applicant is a religious professional, he or she has at least a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent, and that such a degree is required for entry into the religious profession; or
• If the applicant is to work in a nonprofessional vocation or occupation, he or she is qualified if the type of work to be done relates to a traditional religious function;
• The arrangements for remuneration, including the amount and source of salary, other types of compensation such as food and housing, and any other benefits to which a monetary value may be affixed, and a statement whether such remuneration shall be in exchange for services rendered;
• The name and location of the specific organizational unit of the religious denomination or affiliate for which the applicant will be providing services;
• If the alien is to work for an organization that is affiliated with a religious denomination, a description of the nature of the relationship between the two organizations;
• Evidence of the religious organization's assets and methods of operation; and
• The organization's papers of incorporation under applicable state law.
  

Foreign Media (I Visas)

Proof of employment – Provide the following:

• Staff Journalist: A letter from the employer that gives the employee's name, position held within the company, and purpose and length of stay in the United States.
• Freelance Journalist under contract to a media organization: A copy of the contract with the organization, which shows the employees name, position held within the company; purpose and length of stay in the United States and duration of contract.
• Media Film Crew: a letter from the employer which gives the following information: name; position held within company; title and brief description of the program being filmed and period of time required for filming in the United States.
• Independent Production Company under contract to media organization: a letter from the organization commissioning the work which gives the following information: name; title and brief description of the program being filmed; period of time required for filming in the United States and duration of contract.
  

Treaty Investors (E2 Visas)

• DS-156E (Nonimmigrant Treaty Trader/Treaty Investor Application)
  In addition to DS-156 and/or DS-157 (if you are a male from 16 to 45 years old), treaty investor applicants should complete, sign and present Form DS-156E.

An applicant for a Treaty Investor (E-2) visa must first establish that the investment enterprise meets the requirements of the law, and complies with the many requirements for the E2 visa classification. The consular officer may provide the applicant with special forms for this purpose. The applicant can expect the consular officer to request additional documentation, to make a determination about eligibility for a treaty investor visa. It is impossible to specify the exact documentation required since circumstances vary greatly by applicant.  We suggest you visit the Department of State's website at http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1273.html#2 more information regarding the requirements for a treaty investor's visa.