How Can A Russian Get A Visa To America?

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How Can A Russian Get A Visa To America?

2 Answers

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Answer 1

For Russian citizens wanting to apply for an American (or United States) visa, you will need to contact the relevant American consulate closest to the area you live in. They will process your application and decide whether to grant you a visa based on the information you provide.

What type of visa should you apply for?

There are several types of visa you can apply for when travelling to the United States, as each one is specifically-designed to cater for your purpose of travel.

So - the first thing you'll need to do is figure out which visa will suit your reason for travelling to the US. Below is a short guide that can help you make that choice:

The first decision to make is whether you are applying for an immigrant visa or a non-immigrant visa. If you're interested in immigrating to the United States, I'd recommend you read the relevant section of the US State Department's website.

If it's a non-immigrant visa you're interested in, you'll need to submit a form called a DS-160.

To be able to fill the form out, you will first need to decide which of the following visas you'll be applying for based on your reasons for travelling to the US:

Work Visa
Business Visa
Family Visa
Student Visa
Travel Visa
Trainee Visa

Russians applying for a visa to the United States.

The next step I'd take is to get informed and do some research. I'd recommend using the US Embassy in Moscow's website.

In particular, you should find information relating to:

Visa requirements
Fees involved and how to pay them
How to book an interview at the US embassy.

Booking an appointment at a US embassy or consulate will be the the final step in getting your application rolling. If the embassy in Moscow is inconvenient for you to travel to, the US also has consulate buildings in the following cities:

St. Petersburg
Vladivostock
Yekaterinburg

Details for contacting the above consulates and their dedicated visa section can be found here.

Answer 2

You can expect to wait for a duration of about two weeks from the date of starting your application to receive the visa to United States of America from Russia. A fortnight is a normal period of time for the procedure to be completed.

The next two steps in the process after starting the application would be to apply for a visa and get it in the United States Consulate in Russia. It must, however, be kept in mind that the passport should not expire earlier than three months after the expiry of the visa.

Note that you cannot invite other people from your country to visit the United States of America. The United States embassy in the Russian capital (Moscow) often does not permit Russians to privately invite their countrymen to the United States of America.