In the case of students, for example, this temporary stay may last several years. Nonetheless, an NIV carries with it the presumption that at the end of a legal stay, the applicant will depart the U.S. and return home. While the Embassy issues many immigrant and nonimmigrant visas each day, experience suggests most questions from Americans arise in connection with nonimmigrant visa applications, and so we will focus on that topic. Like the old advice that the three most important things to consider when buying real estate are location, location and location, the most three important things to do before applying for a visa are gather information, information and information. NIVs are purpose-based, so knowing which visa to apply for ensures that the applicant prepares the proper materials.
Information is also a crucial tool in protecting the applicant from bad or misleading advice.
Many times these helpers will mislead their clients, or charge outrageous fees for simple tasks such as merely filling in forms. Providing advance notice to us of an upcoming application does not expedite issuance of a visa. We cannot store incoming FAXes and retrieve them at the time of application. While visa processing in most instances only takes three to five working days once we have received the complete application, 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 refused a visa, can take additional processing time.