Most people around the world have some sort of fascination with the USA and understandably so. USA was the first country I travelled to back in January 2010, basically, that is how the solo travel adventure started.
There are a number of hurdles to overcome when someone wants to travel to the US and explore on an individual basis, however, I think there are ONLY 2 generic problems, i.e.
Getting the U.S.A. Visa & Cost of Travel to the U.S.A. While the cost of travel may not be a point of concern for all, but for me as well as most others, it is. Here in this article, I am dealing with U.S.A. Visa (Non-Immigrant) ONLY.
Things to Remember Before You Apply:
Anyway, starting with visa, the visa process for the US is both the toughest as well as the easiest / simplest one.
Toughest, because you do not get the opportunity to explain yourself much as you cannot submit any documents unless you are explicitly asked to present it during your interview. (unlike Schengen, Australia & other visas where you are required to submit a lot of documents)
Easiest/ Simplest because you can just apply online and pay the fees. All you need to do after that is fix an appointment and appear for an interview on that day.
One is required to carry documents including his/her passport. There is no specific list of documents, rather, one should carry all documents, which he/ she thinks can prove anything he/she has mentioned in his/ her application.
What You Should Understand!
For example, there is a field in the application where one is required to state personal 'Income'. Now you can write the amount there, but if the interviewer/ visa officer suspects your declaration, he may ask for documents which can prove that the declaration about your income is true.
My personal suggestion is to mention only the income which you can demonstrate with your bank accounts/ statements & taxation papers. You can also carry other documents which can help justify the income you have mentioned.
I personally feel, the profession of the applicant is of the utmost importance when it comes to a visa application for any of the first world countries including the USA, however, some emphasizes on profession ties & stability more than others and USA is one of them along with Schengen countries.
By professional stability or ties, I did not mean that if you are a student you will not be able to apply and obtain the visas, but it is the ties to your country of residence/ home country because of your profession, which is important.
One simple example is, a student from a very renowned top-ranked University is considered to have way stronger ties than many job-holders/ business persons with decent or more than decent income (even though the student has NO income at all), this is because, in the eyes of the visa officer, that student is likely to return back to complete his studies from that top university, than simply staying back in the US illegally and work part-time for few dollars an hour.
Travel history is another factor which is important for any visa application, however, know that it is definitely NOT the deciding factor for the visa officers. As most people from Bangladesh tend to think, that a good travel history will ensure that they will get a visa, they could not be more wrong especially when it comes to the US Visa. The same may be true for other visas as well.
About travel history, I would say, it helps you to strengthen your case, but it is definitely not the deciding factor. I myself received my first USA Visa when I only had Indian Student Visas on my passport.
Summary:
So to sum up the sense of the above writing, it is a must that the applicant has at least ONE STRONG TIE to his home country, which may be his profession or his financial status (demonstrated through the property, saving, salary, etc) or his social status.
One of the most common reasons for rejection if the US visa is clause 214 B of Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which states: "Every alien shall be presumed to be an immigrant until he establishes to the satisfaction of the consular officer, at the time of application for admission, that he is entitled to a nonimmigrant status..." - which basically means, you are presumed to be someone who will stay back in the US and it is on you to prove that you have enough ties & incentives to return to your home country/ country of residence after your visit to the USA.
Hope the information will help any prospective US Visa applicant. You can read the other post for more information including the process of applying for US Visa from Bangladesh.
P.S. These posts are to help out the genuine travellers from countries with weaker passports and under no circumstances encourages anyone to violate any immigration laws & rules.
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