Global Services

The first step is to pay the I-901 SEVIS fee. You must have your DS-2019 or Form I-20 when accessing this online payment site because you will need certain data from these forms.

Helpful information:

•  The SEVIS ID # begins with “N000”.
• The program number begins with “P-“ and then either “3” or “1” and followed by five more digits.
• The program sponsor must be the name of the organization that is designated to approve your J-1 or F-1 participation. Check your DS-2019 or I-20 to be sure of the precise organization name.
• The category of exchange visitor also is listed on your DS-2019 or I-20 (ie research scholar, intern, undergraduate student, etc.).

You must bring the I-901 SEVIS fee receipt to your visa interview. Additional documentation required for your visa application may be found at the website of the U.S. Embassy or Consulate where you will be applying.

Visit the U.S. Embassy website for a listing of all the different U.S. consulates and embassies worldwide. Select the city where the embassy where you will apply is located. You will be directed to the main website for the embassy. Go to the consular section and review the local procedures for applications for the class of visa you will obtain.

Form DS-160 is the standard U.S. visa application form used by all U.S. consulates. It is an online form that self-selects additional questions based on the answers already received from the applicant. It must be accessed from the embassy or consular website where the applicant will submit the visa application or the correct consulate must be selected from the drop-down menu at the U.S. Department of State’s consular electronic application. For more information, review the FAQs for form DS-160.

Schedule an appointment
Follow the local consulate’s procedures to book your visa appointment. The appointment date should be two months prior to the date you want to actually enter the United States. You can check the U.S. Department of State’s website for the visa appointments availability. If the appointment date issued to you appears too late for your planned travel to the United States, check the consulate’s website to see whether there are instructions for getting an expedited appointment. There also might be a number to call to speak to the appointment reservation system, which usually is a private company unrelated to the U.S. consulate itself). In some consulates, it is possible to check back each day to see if appointments on earlier dates have become available due to cancellations.  If you cannot get a visa appointment with sufficient time to visit the United States by your desired date, please email Fermilab’s Visa Office at VisaOffice@fnal.gov.

Go to the consulate 
On the date of your interview, go to the consulate with all the paperwork recommended to you by the consulate and this website. Many other people will be assigned the same date and time. You will not be permitted into the consulate until your specific appointment time, so there is little point in arriving very early. Do not, however, arrive late. You must wait outside the consulate until they admit you, so be prepared for the weather, etc.

U.S. consulates worldwide have instituted stringent security policies, so the following items are prohibited: electronic devices of any kind (including cellphones), backpacks, suitcases, attachés or briefcases, and strollers or similar items (for example, many embassies prohibit any more than one baby bottle). Security personnel will not store items for visa applicants and will confiscate all weapons. Accordingly, if you bring to your interview an item that cannot be allowed into the building, you will lose it permanently or be refused admission to the building.  If you have concerns about whether a specific item will be allowed into the building, please contact the consulate.

The paperwork you must take to the visa appointment
Fermilab has developed the list of paperwork you must bring to your consular appointment

For everyone:

1. A current passport, valid for at least six months longer than the anticipated entry into the United States, and with at least three free/unmarked pages. Previous passports must also be brought to the consulate on the day of the interview.
2. An invitation letter (for visitors), or an employment offer letter or employment confirmation letter (for Fermilab employees – obtain from the Records Office).
3. A curriculum vitae or resume (an accompanying spouse must also submit a complete resume even if they will not be employed);
4. A publication list (an accompanying spouse must also submit a complete list of publications even if they will not be employed);
5. A detailed, but understandable (i.e. nonscientific, “plain language”) description of proposed research or other activities during the individual’s visit to Fermilab;
6. A Fermilab visitor (not as an employee), must bring a letter from their home institution that explains their title and duties (if employed) or their program of studies (if a student); their wages (if any); and the benefit to the institution of their participation at Fermilab. This letter also should confirm (if this is the case) that the institution expects the individual to return to it and resume your usual activities upon the completion of the event in the United States; and
7. Evidence of their credentials, such as copies of degrees or diplomas, if available.
8. Evidence of income, such as earnings statements, if any.
9. A detailed itinerary.

For J visa applicants only:

1. Signed DS-2019
2. Signed DS-7002 Training/Internship  Placement Plan (in triplicate) (only for J-1 interns)

For H-1B or O-1 visa applications only:

1. A clear copy of Form I-797C “Notice of Action” approving your petition (H-1B approval notice).
2. Copy of the filed H-1B petition.

For B, F, or J visa applicants only:

1. Evidence of strong ties to the country where the individual currently resides, to show that when activities in the United States will end, the person will leave the country, such as but not limited to:
   1. Evidence of ongoing enrollment in a local educational institution.
   2. Evidence of ongoing employment with a local company.
   3. Evidence of immediate family (such as parents or children) in your country of current residence (if applicable).
   4. Evidence of ownership of property in the country of current residence, if any.

It is often helpful to bring an original and one copy of each document, so that you can show the original to the consular officer and then give them the copy, thereby eliminating the need for them to make copies themselves.

The Interview 
When you are called for your interview, you must give your documents to the consular officer. The officer then asks questions, such as about the proposed visit to the United States, and your credentials and current activities. You must be able to understand and then answer the questions asked. Consular officers do not like being asked to read documents instead of being answered. They want you to be able to answer their questions, so that they know the information is coming from you instead of whomever prepared the paperwork.

Your answers also should be understandable, rather than scientific.  The officer must understand what it is you do now and what you will do while in the United States, and then confirm that the activities are not potentially threatening to the country’s national security.

During your interview, you will be fingerprinted and subjected to certain “normal” security clearances.  These are done during every visa application, regardless of your personal history or credentials.

Administrative processing – also known as security clearances
Many non-U.S. citizens who visit Fermilab must undergo security clearances before being issued their visa stamps. This is a result of U.S. law. The decision to run the security clearances is based on a combination of factors, including your credentials, education,  and field of expertise, nationality, name and age, the places you have visited in the past and a variety of other elements. Once the decision is made by the consulate that security clearances are needed, there is nothing that can be done until the security clearances are complete.

The security clearances are conducted against international and U.S. criminal, immigration, and other databases. In some cases, security clearances are completed within a few days.  In other cases, the security clearances take two or more weeks – in some cases, they can take months. In rare circumstances, the security investigation might generate an adverse preliminary answer, which the Consulate then generally double-checks, and which then takes more time.

If, at the conclusion of your interview, the consular officer indicates that your visa application will undergo administrative processing, please email Fermilab’s Visa Office. Neither the U.S. Consulate nor Fermilab can speed up the time taken for security clearances, by law.

Contact the Visa Office at VisaOffice@fnal.gov and your recruiter/point of contact to alert us to your travel plans and anticipated arrival.