Obtaining a US Tourist Visa in the Philippines
In this blog post I am going to share the steps we took in obtaining a US Tourist Visa.
Before securing an interview we opened this link http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph/ph-niv-paymentinfo.asp#feepaymentoptions and printed the necessary deposit slip before going to the bank, we paid ours through BPI.
We paid the necessary fee for the B1/B2 Visa which amounted to 160 USD (8,320 PHP). (Note that the amount varies from the current rate of USD in Peso.)
We created an account at ceac.state.gov and completed the DS-160
*Have a soft copy of the photo required by the US Embassy. Check their website for the photo requirements.
After completing the DS-160 Application, we reviewed our answers if they were correct because once submitted, you won’t be able to edit without starting all over again.
We scheduled for a group interview online, since we were applying as a family. (You can schedule for an interview through online or through their call center.)
We arrived 20 minutes before our scheduled interview. (The US Embassy doesn’t recommend being very early on the day of the interview because you will be called by the interview time you have selected, they only suggest to be there 15 mins. early before interview schedule)
Upon arriving, there were already a lot of people, the first guard outside will check your Passport, DS-160 Confirmation, Appointment Confirmation and the Receipt. These are the things they will check all throughout the process.
Before entering the US Embassy, make certain that you are not bringing any of these items:
-battery-operated or electronic devices such as mobile phones, digital diaries, digital watches, pagers, cameras, audio/video cassettes, compact discs, MP3s, floppy disks, laptops, or portable music players
-large shoulder bags/purses – only bags that can be carried by hand will be permitted
-bags such as travel bags, backpacks, briefcases, suitcases, leather, cloth bags, and zip folders – you can only carry plastic bags containing application-related papers
-food items (refreshments are available for purchase in the waiting area)
-sealed envelopes or packages
-cigarettes, cigars, match boxes, lighters
-sharp objects such as scissors, pen knives or nail files
-weapons or explosive materials of any kind
Inside the US Embassy, the first step is a window manned by a Filipino, he asked for our passports and made inquiries regarding our travel history.
The second step was the fingerprint scanning.
After that step was the interview with the consul, we expected to wait longer but the queue was moving fast that day (got lucky with the interview time i guess)
While waiting we were observing others that were being interviewed, some were leaving with a smile and the others… we weren’t sure, but one applicant stood out because she was maybe in her late 30s or early 40s and the only thing i heard was when the consul asked who was going to pay for her trip she answered “my friend” after that I saw the consul give back her passport and handed her a blue paper.
Here’s how our interview went:
Good morning *give passports
He asked my mom how long are we planning to stay in the US, and asked about our itinerary.
Mom answered New York
Consul asked “So what are you going to do in NY for 2 weeks?”
I answered and said we aren’t only staying in NY, we are also going to visit Florida, Philadelphia and Washington.
Consul asked some stuff from our application…
He asked about my mom’s business and how much is her net per month.
Questions about her immediate relative, which is her sister.
Then the consul proceeded to asking me questions about the itinerary because I was the one who made it. He also made queries about my work and how much I am earning.
It was also the same with my sister but he asked for a med cert because she has eczema (she had problems with the fingerprint scanning.)
My brother’s turn was the briefest, he asked about his course in college and if he’s planning to be a lawyer. The consul asked if he already tried to be an intern at a law office already and even joked that he must do that before pushing through law.
The consul was actually very nice. He even made a joke that the Americans here are actually very different from the Americans we’ll encounter in the US.
Some friends told us to be prepared for the long wait times, but ours only took an hour!
It is very important to be confident on that day, and show the consul that you are really a genuine tourist. If you’re not hiding anything, you should not be nervous. =)
The consul did not even check the supporting documents we were bringing. I guess they already made their background check before the interview.
The greatest tip ever is DON”T FORGET TO PRAY!
We received our 10 year multiple visas after 2 working days.
Btw, you can track your US Visa on this link https://ceac.state.gov/ceac/
and your passport http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph/ph-niv-passportretrieve.asp
So see you, North A!
