Embassy of the United States

Non-Immigrant Visas

General Information

The Nonimmigrant Visa Unit of the U.S. Embassy's Consular Section processes applications for nonimmigrant visas by appointment only. Telephone inquiries are accepted between 1:00p.m. and 3:00p.m. at 22-29 8000. Our email address is papniv@state.gov. We are closed for all U.S. and Haitian holidays.

A valid visa is required for most aliens who wish to apply for entry into the United States. Under U.S. law, all aliens seeking temporary admission into the United States are presumed to be immigrants until they establish that they are entitled to receive a visa in one of the nonimmigrant visa categories. For security purposes, all applicants must be cleared through the name check system before a visa can be issued. If the applicant's name and date of birth closely matches an entry in the name check system, the applicant will be asked to provide fingerprints. This could delay processing of the visa request by several weeks.

Appropriate Use of a Nonimmigrant Visa

A visa is not a guarantee of entry into the United States. Under American law, a visa is simply permission to apply for entry into the United States. The person (or persons) to whom a visa has been issued is subject to inspection at the port of entry by officials of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). DHS determines the length of stay authorized to the alien upon entry. Additionally, the validity of a visa is not related to the length or number of extensions of stay, which may be granted subsequently by DHS. A nonimmigrant visa for a particular category is valid for entry only for the purpose for which it was originally issued. For example, a student visa cannot be used for entry as a visitor, nor can the holder of a visitor visa enter to study.

Passback Service

When applications are approved by the Consular Officer, applicants have the option of receiving their passport and visa within 24 hours. To do so, applicants must pay a fee of $5.00 (or the equivalent in Haitian currency) to a representative of RBC services. This representative has a booth adjacent to the interview windows and will provide full information about the service, including where to retrieve the passport and visa.

If applicants do not wish to pay the fee for the passback service, they must so advise the consular officer at the time of interview. They may then return to the Consular Section after 10 business days and retrieve their passport and visa without charge.

Section 214(b) Refusals

Section 214(b) is part of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). It states:

"Every alien shall be presumed to be an immigrant until he [or she] establishes to the satisfaction of the Consular Officer, at the time of application for a visa, and the immigration officers, at the time of application for admission, that he [or she] is entitled to nonimmigrant status."

To qualify for a nonimmigrant visa under Section 214(b), applicants must show that they have a permanent residence and other ties abroad that would compel them to leave the United States at the end of a temporary stay. The law places this burden of proof on the applicant.

US-Visit Program Information

For information regarding the new fingerprint and photo requirements for persons entering the United States, please go to US-Visit Program information.

Visa Waiver Program

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) enables nationals of certain countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without a visa.  Not all countries participate in the VWP, and not all travelers from VWP countries are eligible to use the program. All VWP travelers, regardless of age or type of passport used, must present a machine-readable passport. If a traveler cannot meet the passport requirements, he/she must obtain a visa for entry to the United States. In addition, nationals of VWP countries must obtain visas if traveling on airlines that do not participate in VWP. This includes air ambulances and non-commercial aircraft. For more information on VWP, please visit the State Department Travel Website.

Effective August 1, 2008, Visa Waiver Program travelers may register via the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) to apply for advanced authorization to travel to the United States. ESTA applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel to the United States. Effective January 12, 2009, all VWP travelers will be required to obtain an electronic travel authorization prior to boarding a carrier to travel by air or sea to the U.S. under the VWP. For more information, please visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Website.