Helping with Visas to the United States
Information for U.S. Citizens About Visas to the United States
U.S. nonimmigrant visas (NIVs) are for non-Americans who wish to travel to the United States temporarily, such as tourists, students, exchange visitors and temporary workers. Many Slovenes can travel to the United States without first obtaining a visa if their travel conforms to the requirements of the Visa Waiver Program. However, the duration or purpose of the trip may indicate that a visa is required. For an explanation of the various kinds of NIVs and the documents and evidence required to obtain them, click here. If the Slovene citizen wishes to move permamently to the United States, then an immigrant visa is required.
A visa does not grant the bearer the right to enter the United States. A visa allows the bearer to apply for entry to the U.S. in a certain classification (e.g. student [F], visitor [B], or temporary worker [H]). The Department of State (DOS) is responsible for visa adjudication at U.S. Embassies and Consulates outside of the U.S. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) immigration inspectors at the port of entry determine admission into the United States, as well as length of stay and conditions of stay in the U.S. The information on a nonimmigrant visa only relates to when the traveler may apply for entry into the United States. DHS immigration inspectors will record the terms of the traveler's admission on the Arrival/Departure Record (I-94 white or I-94W green) and in the traveler's passport.
Of course you may do so, but please send such a letter to the visa applicant and let the applicant bring the letter to his/her appointment at the Embassy. We cannot store your letter at the Embassy and retreive it at the time of the application, and we cannot begin work on any visa case until an application has actually been submitted. Providing advance notice to us of an upcoming application does not expedite issuance of a visa. U.S. immigration law makes no provisions for offers of guarantee or sponsorship. Each applicant must qualify on his/her own merits.
We cannot guarantee issuance in any case, and cannot guarantee a visa will be ready on a specific day even if the applicant is fully qualified. Note that re-applications, made after a person has been found ineligible for a visa, can take additional processing time. Therefore, we advise all visa applicants not to make unchangeable travel plans in anticipation that a visa will be available on a certain day. Like any of the other planning that goes into an important trip, applicants should apply for their visas well in advance of any intended travel.
We adjudicate each visa case individually in accordance with U.S. law to determine each applicant's eligibility. Because of this, the reason why an applicant is ineligible for a visa is quite specific to that applicant's individual circumstances. Applicants receive a written explanation concerning their visa ineligibility and what they may do, if anything, to overcome that ineligibility.
While there are many sections of U.S. immigration law that describe various reasons why particular people cannot receive visas -- if the person has been convicted of a serious crime, for example -- in general, there are two main categories of refusals that can apply to most applicants:
Section 221(g) : applicants are ineligible under Section 221(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), as amended, because the applicant failed to provide some required information or document at the time of the visa interview, or because some further procedure or review by us or by another U.S. government agency must be completed before a final decision can be made about the applicant's eligibility for a visa.
Section 214(b) : applicants are ineligible under Section 214(b) of the INA because the applicant has failed to overcome the presumption of U.S. law that he or she is in truth an intending immigrant and is not a qualified nonimmigrant.
For more information about visa denials, please click here.
If you write us with a case-specific inquiry, please include the applicant's full name and date of birth, and the date of the visa application. If the person is a married woman, please also include her maiden name. Be sure to include your contact information (e-mail address and/or fax number). You may email us at the address listed in the Key Information box above on the right hand side of the screen.
Here is an example:
I am writing in connection with the NIV application of Janez NOVAK, born January 15, 1980. Mr. Novak applied for a, F-1 student visa on March 20, 2007, in Ljubljana.
Please note that our reply may have to be general in nature, due to restrictons imposed by privacy laws.
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Helping with Visas to the U.S.
