Finding the US visa appointment available dates is crucial to your travel arrangements. But how exactly does this date availability work? Find out ways to schedule online your appointment date. It doesn’t matter where you are applying from, as a nonimmigrant US visa applicant, there are some appointments you will have to keep during your US visa application process. To have a hitch-free application process, you need to understand how US visa appointment date availability works. This will help you prepare and position yourself for favorable dates for all your appointments. Getting your desirable dates during your visa application will help in your travel plans.  This article explains how to schedule online your visa appointments date with ease.

Us Visa Appointment Date Availability

Everything about the US visa application process is step by step. If you are a nonimmigrant applicant, your journey to the United States from your home country will start from completing Form DS-160, Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application.

If you are an immigrant applicant, your application process will be initiated by your sponsor who is based in the US. Once the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has approved your sponsor’s petition to sponsor your visa, then the following processes will be continued by you right from your home country.

In any case, you cannot travel to the United States until you have been granted a visa by a US consulate or embassy. And in most cases, you cannot have a visa unless you schedule and keep US visa appointments. The visa appointments may include biometrics screening, immigration medical exam, and/or an interview.

Just like every other official appointment, you can’t just show up at the consulate or embassy. You also cannot just go to a visa application center without prior notice. This is why every applicant will need to schedule online their US visa appointment available dates. If you are planning to travel to the US, the following is a step-by-step guide on how to schedule online your visa appointments.

Steps to Finding us visa appointment available dates

Complete Form-DS160

This is the first thing in your application process. The form must be completed by providing answers to every required item. You cannot schedule your visa appointments without first completing the form. You will start your online visa application by choosing the location where you are to apply for your US visa.

After clicking your destination out of the options there, then click on “Start an Application,” if you are applying for the US visa for the first time. Once that’s done, you will need to complete the security question. Ensure that you choose the question you will comfortably remember, as you will need it for your next log in on the website. This will be followed by personal questions. 

When filling the forms, ensure that all necessary information and documents are provided. You may also need to answer questions regarding your travel itinerary. If you have embarked on an international trip before, either to the US or other country(s), you may be asked to provide dates of some of your past trips. Once the form has been completed, you will be shown a confirmation page with a 10-digit barcode. Print the confirmation page and keep it. The barcode will be needed to schedule online your visa appointment and during other stages of your application. 

Pay Your Visa Application Fee

You will need to pay a visa application fee. You can use any of the payment methods in your country that is allowed on the website. Keep in mind that the payment is compulsory. Without it, your application can as well be considered nonexistent. Cost of visa application varies, depending on the visa type you are applying for and your country of origin. The embassy will show you what is required in your own case. A receipt number will be issued to you once you make the payment. Again, just like the 10-digit barcode, the receipt will also be needed when you want to schedule online your appointment.

US visa appointment available dates : Schedule Online

Once you have completed the above steps for your US visa appointment, you can now schedule your interview by visiting ustravels.com. Once you are there, you will click on “New User.” Fill all the required fields on the page and then create a password. The information needed includes your email, first name and last name, and password (which you are to create there).

Once you have done that, you will have access to your own dashboard on the left-hand side of the page. Proceed by clicking on “Schedule Appointment.”  With this, you will be able to schedule online your visa appointment. US visa appointments are on a first come, first served basis. This is why you need to make your appointment as early as you can to avoid delay. 

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This is How to Find us visa appointment available dates

Once you log into the dashboard, you will be shown the available dates for US visa appointments in your location. You will see an on-screen message indicating the appointments dates available for an interview. Schedule your appointment on a date that you think is most favorable according to your travel plans.

Except during a public holiday, weekend, or in a case of certain unavoidable reasons, the US embassies and consulates are usually open for interviews. Some documents you will need for nonimmigrant US visa application are your passport, which must have at least six months validity beyond the period you intend staying in the US, the receipt for your visa application fee, and your DS-160 confirmation page.

In the event that you MUST travel to the US before any of the available dates, you can apply for an expedited appointment to fast-track your application process and travel. In this case, you will need to choose the earliest date on the website. Keep in mind that expedited appointment is not meant for every applicant or visa type. It is usually allowed in an emergency situation. This may include medical needs, death of a loved one, or urgent business travel.

Traveling to the US? Schedule Your Appointment Early

However, whether your case is an emergency or regular appointment, the earlier you book your appointment, the better. The US embassies recommend that applicants book their US visa appointment date days before their intended travel date. This will allow the embassy or consulate to have enough time to process the visa. Also, some unforeseeable issues may come up along the line which may elongate the anticipated processing time. Some of them may include an application that requires administrative processing, which can be a potential delay. Find out about the questions and wait time of the interview.

But if you start the process early, you can still make up for the delay and arrive in the US in due time despite the hitches. Applicants who book their appointments too close to their intended travel plan may have issues getting their desired interview date. This may affect your plans, especially if your mission in the US has a start date. One of such examples is a student who needs to resume his or her program at a US college or university, or a business person attending a conference on a stipulated date. You can avoid delay by knowing how us visa appointment available dates works and book at the right time.