Apply for US Visa in Australia

Australia is one of those few fortunate countries in the world whose citizens don’t require a US visa in order to the enter the country. It is because Australia belongs to elite group of countries that are inducted into the Visa Waiver Program of the United State of America. Visa application for Australians is fairly simple and straightforward. All they have to do is to go online and apply for a US visa via the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). This new travel authorization program has without an iota of doubt has streamlined the process of visa application for Australian citizens and compared to other standard visa programs, it costs way less.

Apply now and get your ESTA travel authorization by email

Us Visa Waiver Australia

Just because Australia along with other countries like New Zealand, falls under the Visa Waiver Program, it does not mean that all Australians are allowed to enter the United States with a simple and easily obtainable Travel Authorization. However, it is to be noted that Travel Authorization is not granted to all because there are some background checks involved and if the Australian authority finds something suspicious, they can deny the person from obtaining Travel Authorization. Even if someone manages to obtain Travel Authorization by forging the documents or by duping the Australian authority, U.S. Immigration officials still have the upper hand in this regard; U.S. Immigration officials at the entry port can deny the entry of an Australian citizen with Travel Authorization in the US if they deem it right.

In case, an Australian citizen is planning to travel to the USA for any other purpose other than travelling is required to obtain a visa in advance otherwise the immigration authority of the US might stop the person from entering the US. Here we are going to explain different US visa types and the requirements in details. You will also get to know different stages of applying For Us Visa From Australia –

Electronic Travel Authorization for Australians

Thankfully, Australians are not supposed to apply for a US visa since they are a member country of the Visa Waiver Program. This VWP program allows the citizens of the member countries to visit the United States for a period of 90 days without even without even applying for US Visas in the first place. Since Australia is an active member of Visa Waiver Program, citizens are not required to apply for a US Visa in order to travel to the United States for business or tourism purpose. They can get all the necessary authorization from the US by applying for Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). Australians who are planning to enter the US via this new travel authorization program, will be screen by the United States Immigration Officials at the entry port and they are required to get enrolled in the US-VISIT program, a pet program launched by the Department of Homeland Security.

Electronic System for Travel Authorization or USA Visa Australia ESTA program is basically a project initiated by the United States that examines whether a traveler is eligible to enter the US within the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).

Member Countries of ESTA

Andorra	Hungary	New Zealand
Australia	Iceland	Norway
Austria	Ireland	Portugal
Belgium	Italy	Republic of Korea
Brunei	Japan	San Marino
Chile	Latvia	Singapore
Czech Republic	Liechtenstein	Slovakia
Denmark	Lithuania	Slovenia
Estonia	Luxembourg	Spain
Finland	Malta	Sweden
France	Monaco	Switzerland
Germany	Netherlands	Taiwan
Greece		United Kingdom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, this program can’t be utilized by people who are planning to visit the United States for medical treatment or for some employment opportunities. In those circumstances, the citizens of those member countries will have to apply for a regular US Visa. Moreover, if a person fails to obtain a travel authorization even after trying multiple times, he / she can be stopped from entering the US. In those rare cases, that person will have to apply for a regular US visa.

Different Types of US Visa Programs

US visa programs can mainly be categized into two types – Immigrant Visa and Non-Immigrant Visa. Australian nationals depending on the type of Visa they choose at the end can enter the US legally and stay in the USA for a specific period of time.

Let’s talk about immigration visa first. This visa type is extremely sought-after and therefore, quite expectedly, very few applications actually get approved at the end. With this Visa, an Australian citizen will be allowed to enter the US and he/she will also be allowed to live and work in the United States for as long as he/she wishes.

The 2^nd most popular Visa type is – Non-Immigration Visa. With this Visa, a person with Australian citizenship will be allowed to enter the United States for study, seasonal work, tourism etc.

US E-3 Visa

The United States have launched a special visa program excessively for Australians. It is known as US E-3 Visa that enables high skilled Australian citizens to enter and work in the United States easily without going through a strict screening process. This visa programs falls under the E visa category.

US E-3 Visa is popularly known as Specialty Occupation Professionals from Australia because this visa program is aimed at encouraging high skilled professionals from Australia to emigrate to the USA and join the workforce. 

US E-3 Visa is designed to encourage Australians to wants to work in specialized fields. The candidates need to have these equalizations –

·         Candidates in possession of specialized skills that are high in demand in the USA

·         Candidates need to have higher education qualifications.

Though it is not clear what jobs are qualified as specialized jobs, it is widely believed that occupations like medical professionals, engineers, business managers are given preferences in this Visa type by the officials.  

The requirements of US E-3 Visa

·         Some occupations demand license before anyone can begin to practice those profession in the US. In that case, the applicant must be in possession of the necessary licenses otherwise the application might get rejected on that ground.

·         Candidate must produce proof of educational and professional qualifications so that it can be ascertained that the candidate is making genuine effort to join a job that demands specialized skills.

·         The job offer that a candidate has should qualify as a specialty occupation otherwise the application might get rejected on that ground.

·         Only Australian citizenship holders are eligible to apply for this Visa Program.

Check here if you are eligible for Visa Waiver Program

Visa Requirements

No matter what type of Visa a candidate is applying for, proper documents need to be submitted before the authority. Here is a list of some other supporting documents that a candidate needs to produce before the designated authority for their perusal –

·         Appointment Confirmation Document

·         Document that testifies that the candidate in question has completed and submitted the DS 160 application form

·         Candidate needs to possess a valid passport. The passport needs to have a validity of 6 months and the passport must have one blank page so that visa stamp can be affixed there.

·         One color 5 x 5 cm size photo needs to be produced before the authority and the photo must be taken within the last 6 months. However, if the candidate has already uploaded an image in the DS-160 application form, there is no need to submit another photo copy before the designated authority.

·         If the candidate has a US visa (does not matter whether it is expired or not), it should be produced before the authority.

·         Candidate needs to approach the local police station to obtain ACRO. It is a document that contains all the criminal records of the candidates if any.

·         Candidates applying for B-2 visa needs to produce Letter of Invitation before the authority.

·         If the candidate has ever been evicted from the US or has been barred from entering the US earlier, that particular document needs to be produced before the authority.  

·         If the candidate is suffering from a preexisting medical condition that can have direct impact on the eligibility criteria of the Visa, he/she needs to collect a letter for the same from an approved physician. 

Us Visa Application Australia Process

The most important part of the Us Visa Application Australia for an Australian citizen is the interview process. Based on the outcome of the interview, it will be decided whether the candidate will be allowed to enter the US or not. The consular officer will try to judge whether the candidate has any ulterior motive behind entering the US or whether the candidate is planning to remain in the US as a permanent basis.

In the first stage of applying for a us visa from Australia, a candidate needs to decide what type of US Visa he/she is going to apply for. Once the candidate has made up his/her mind, Form DS-160 needs to be submitted online. After that the candidate needs to print out the confirmation page of the Form DS-160 application form. This printed confirmation page must be produced before the Consular office during the interview.

The application form contains some questions pertaining to the candidate’s personal life like marital status, passport details, email id, phone no, full name, educational qualifications, work experience etc.

Once all the questions are answered truthfully, the candidate needs to pay for Machine Readable Visa (MRV) application fee and the interview will get scheduled accordingly.

US Visa Interview Process

Candidate needs to appear in person at the US consulate or embassy in Australia to get a US Visa Australia. The age of the candidate should be between 14 to 79 years. USA has embassies and Consulates in these following cities –

·         Sydney

·         Perth

·         Melbourne

·         Canberra

Candidate under the age of 14 or above the age of 79 are not required to appear before the interview in person. They can send their application to the Consulate via courier.

Candidates need to show up on time. Unable to appear before the interview board will automatically lead to cancellation of application. Candidate needs to carry all the necessary documents at the interview room and the documents should be presented in a presentable format.

The documents will be examined prior to the interview and the candidate must willingly provide biometric details to the designated authority.

Processing time

If all criteria are met, the approval process of Australia to USA visa does not take more than 3 to 5 days. However, there are some instances where the approval process takes weeks or even months. The passport of the candidate will remain in the embassy till the Visa application is approved by the authority. Candidates are not allowed to collect passport by themselves. It will be sent to their home address by the authority.

 

FAQ

 

Question – How To Apply For US Visa?
Answer – The process of USA visa application is pretty straightforward. A candidate needs to fill out the Form DS-160 online and then get a print out of the confirmation page. Once the visa application pay is paid, the candidate will have to schedule an appointment with the US embassy. Attend a personal interview in any of USA’s embassy or consular office in Australia. If everything goes well, the candidate will get a US visa within the next 6 days.

Question – How To Apply For US Visa From Australia?
Answer – The process of visa application from Australia less cumbersome because Australia is a member country Visa Waiver Program that allows Australians to enter the US for a period of 90 days without even applying for a US visa. However, if an Australian is planning to visit the United States for business or other purposes, they will have to apply for a tourist or B-2 visa.

Question – How To Apply For US Tourist Visa?
Answer – Fill out the Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160) form first and then make payment for processing the visa application. After that the applicants needs to fill out a specific form online to schedule an appointment once the payment is done. On that scheduled day, visit a USA embassy with a printed copy of the DS-160 confirmation page.

Question – How Long To Get A US Visa From Australia?
Answer – Technically, a visa application should be processed within 2 to 3 business days but sometimes, it can take up to 12 weeks.

Question – How To Apply Us Tourist Visa From Australia?
Answer – Since Australia is a member of Visa Waiver Program, Australians don’t need to apply for a Visa if the plan is to stay in the USA for 90 days or less. All they will have to do is to apply for Electronic System for Travel Authorization.

Question – how long is a us visa valid for?

Answer – Almost all non-immigrant US visa has a validity period of 1 month to 10 years. A B1/B2 visa holder can stay in the USA for 6 months.

 

Question – How To Apply Tourist Visa For
Answer – Candidate applying for USA Tourist Visa need to assure a US consular officer that the purpose of the application is to visit the United States for either pleasure or business purpose and there is no intention to stay in the US as an immigrant. In the next stage, the candidate needs to submit these following details and documents –

·         A recent 5cmx5cm photograph.
A receipt acknowledging the fact that the candidate has already paid nonimmigrant visa application processing fee in local currency. This fee is nonrefundable in nature.

·         A passport with a validity over 6 months.

·         Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160) Form duly signed and filled up.

Once the candidate has filled out the Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160) form, the candidate will have to pay a certain amount for processing the visa. Next, the candidate will have to schedule an appointment with the authority. In the interview, the candidate is required to bring the following details / documents –

·         Ten Digit Bar Code number (Candidate can find the code in the confirmation page of the DS-160 confirmation page)

·         Passport Number

·         CGI reference number

In the last stage of the US Tourist Visa application process, the candidate will have to attend a face to face interview with the designated authority in a US Embassy located in Australia.

Question – How Long Can I Stay In The Us On A Tourist Visa?
Answer – Candidates entering the United States with a B-2 Tourist Visa can stay up to 6 months whereas candidates entering the US on a Visa Waiver program can stay up to 90 days.

Question – How Long Does It Take To Get An ESTA?
Answer – ESTA approval is instantaneous. Once an ESTA form gets submitted, it barely takes more than 4 seconds to get details verified against US law enforcement databases. However, in some cases, candidates might have to wait for at least 72 hours before the decision can be made.

Question – How To Get Visa To America?
Answer – Candidates applying for non-immigrant Visa program should fill out the Form DS-160 properly and then submit the form online. A small fee needs to be paid by the candidate before the form can be processed. Once the payment is made, a payment confirmation page will appear in the same tab. Candidate will then have to take a print out of that page. In the next stage of the Visa application process, candidate will have to select a day to schedule an appointment with the USA embassy located in the United States. Candidate have to meet a U.S department personnel in person for this interview. If the candidate manages to pass the interview with a flying color, he/she will receive the Visa in the next 6 working days.

Question – How to Apply For Us Visa?
Answer – US Visa Application has been simplified and streamlined in the past few years successfully. First, a candidate must fill out the all-important Form DS-160 form and submit it online. A small fee needs to be paid so that the form can be processed. Candidate must not forget to take a print out of the confirmation page. Then the candidate needs to schedule an appointment with the U.S Embassy. If the interview goes well, it would not take more than 6 days to get the visa issued by the US government authority.

Question – How Long Can I Stay in The Us on A Tourist Visa?
Answer – On a Tourist Visa, a person can stay up to 6 months in the USA and some cases, it can be extended. However, a person who has entered the US on a Visa Waver program can stay up to 90 days. However, one should not confuse Tourist visa with immigrant visas.

Question – How Long Is A Us Tourist Visa Valid For?
Answer – A US Tourist visa is valid for a period of 6 months. However, a person who is planning to enter the US under the Visa Waver Program can stay in the US for 6 months.

 

Question – How To Apply For A Travel Visa?
Answer – First thing first, a candidate must fill out the Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160) form and then pay the visa application fee. Once the payment is done, the candidate will have to schedule an appointment with the US embassy. Before the interview panel, the candidates will have to submit the following –

·         DS-160 confirmation page

·         Recent photograph

·         Valid Passports

·         Printed copy of the letter of appointment

If the candidate managed to provide proper answers to queries asked by the authority, the U.S Visa application will be approved within the next 6 working days. Should any problem arise, applicants are requested to contact the US embassy where they have given interview.

 

Question – what is the Visa Waiver Programme?
Answer – Visa Waiver Programme is an initiative of the United States Government and this program allows citizens of certain member countries to travel to the US and stay up to 90 days without applying for a Visa. It is to be noted that the countries that are members of this program are mostly high-income countries and most of them rank relatively high on the Human Development Index.

See also: Skip the lines with the free Automated Passport Control (APC)

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