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1. A Request for Visa Support Letter, which must include the following information:
- Name of the employee as it is printed in his/her foreign passport
- Foreign passport number
- Date of birth
- Corporate e-mail address
- Business reason for traveling to the United States - this statement needs to be very specific including as much information as possible
- Length of the visit
- Contact person
- If the employee has been issued a US visa in the past with the help of the Chamber, please, specify the date of issue and visa control number.
• It must be addressed to the President of the Chamber - Mr. Jorge Zukoski
• The manager / director of the Member company must sign the request.
• The request will be followed up with a phone call from the Chamber to clarify any issues that are not fully understood and confirm all submitted information.
2. A photocopy of the first page of the applicant's international passport.
3. Official letter of invitation from an organization in the United States
Interested parties should contact us as early as possible, as we can send a limited number of applicants each Friday to the U.S. Embassy Consular Section. The written request to the Chamber should be done well in advance of the travel dates as poorly planned business trips are not considered an emergency and cannot be rushed.
The applicant will then receive a letter from the Chamber that must be presented to the U.S. Embassy Consular Section upon arrival, in addition to OTHER NECESSARY DOCUMENTS TO THE INTERVIEW:
1. An international passport, valid for at least 6 months beyond the return date of the proposed trip.
2. A completed copy of each application form necessary for the type of visa which the applicant will be requesting.
Application Forms necessary:
Form DS-156 - This form must be filled out online! by every applicant who applies for a nonimmigrant visa to the U.S. Click here to download it: Attention! New electronic form!
Form DS-157 (additional) - This form must be filled out by any male applicant aged 16 to 45.
Click here to download it: Form DS-157 Eng. ; Form DS-157 Ukr.
3. 1 color photograph (5cm by 5cm) on light background for each applicant, including children. The photo must be less than six months old. Click here for detailed information about the new photo requirements (in Ukrainian).
4. Voucher receipt for the $131 application fee for each applicant, which can be paid in any branch of ProCredit Bank.
Attention! Effective January 1, 2008, the application fee for a U.S. nonimmigrant visa has increased from $100 to $131.
5. Because each applicant's case will vary, no single document guarantees a visa will be issued. In addition, documents rarely, if ever, determine the outcome of an interview. U.S. law requires that temporary travelers to the U.S. prove that their purpose of travel is legitimate and authorized under the type of visa requested and that they are not intending immigrants to the U.S. before a visa can be issued. Helpful supporting documents are (depending on which kind of visa the applicant is applying for):
For business visas (B-1 or B-1/B-2):
A substantive letter explaining the nature of applicant's business in the U.S. and the nature of the relationship between the inviting party and the applicant is very helpful.
All applicants are subject to the same processes and qualifying factors.
As a part of the visa application process, U.S. Consular Officers must take scans of all fingers of all visa applicants. Officers take the scans at the time of the interview. The electronic scanning procedure takes only a few seconds and does not use ink. Click here for more information about it.
New Procedure and Timing on U.S. Visa Issuance Involving Facial Recognition Software
Please note that starting May 15th, 2006 the U.S. Department of State began screening all visa applicants from many countries, including Ukraine, with facial recognition software. The procedure will add to the time it takes to process visa for most Ukrainians, including many VIP and referral cases. Note that Ukrainian Government officials or employees of international organizations, such as the UN or World Bank, traveling on official business are exempt from the new processing, so processing time for them will not change.
Because of this new procedure, the Consular Section informs all applicants that normally it will take up to five business days starting from the visa interview to complete processing visas and release applicants' passports to express courier service. The courier service is then generally able to deliver the passport to the applicant within two to five business days, depending on the delivery location within Ukraine. Consequently, it is important that applicants allow at least seven to ten business days from the day of their visa interview to their departure date when planning travel to the United States.
Applicants with other special processing requirements - including many scientists, engineers and academics -- should expect visa issuance to take from three to six weeks.
Consequently, please make sure you never to purchase non-refundable tickets until a visa is physically in your possession.
Visa Waiver Program (VWP) Travelers
Electronic System for Travel Authorization - REQUIRED FOR ALL VWP TRAVELERS AFTER JANUARY 12, 2009
The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) is now accessible via Internet for citizens and eligible nationals of Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries to apply for advance authorization to travel to the United States under the VWP.
Effective January 12, 2009, all VWP travelers will be required to obtain an electronic travel authorization prior to boarding a carrier to travel by air or sea to the U.S. under the VWP. ESTA will initially be available in English only. Other languages will follow.
More information can be downloaded here.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security's US-VISIT Program
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is transitioning its biometric collection technology from a two (2) to ten (10) fingerprint collection standard to more quickly and accurately identify international visitors. This upgrade includes using new, faster fingerprint scanners to collect additional fingerprints from international visitors when they enter the United States.
As our members and their employees conduct business in the United States, we wanted to ensure you have access to updated resources on U.S. border-security measures that affect the movement of goods, services and capital.
Below you will find a comprehensive suite of educational resources that we hope you find helpful:
- Newsletter Article
- 10-Fingerprint Collection Update
- Update on the Status of Biometric Exit Procedures
The links to the above Web content goes to materials that will continually be updated to ensure you have the latest information.
Some visa applicants qualify for the non-interview, "DROP-BOX" APPLICATION procedure, which does not require an appointment. Click here for more information on the non-interview application procedure.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine reserves the right to refuse access to the Express Business Visa Referral Service to any Member in Good Standing of the Chamber for any reason at any time.
For more details please contact Elena Yakovenko, Publications Coordinator at 490-5800 or eyakovenko@chamber.ua.
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