All You Need to Know About Renewing Your US Visa
Planning on renewing your visa to the US?
Unfortunately, only those who are eligible to renew their visa application for the USA can renew as the actual United States of America visa application process is the same whether you are applying for the first time or renewing your visa. This means that, unless specified, you will have to apply all over again, including paying all the fees and going for the personal interview.
However, you can avail of renewal appointments for your application for American visa if you have the same class of visa for the US which is still valid or that has expired less than 12 months from the scheduled date of interview; intend to apply for the same visa class such as you had an H1 work visa and are now applying again for an H1 work visa; are Indian nationals with Indian passports; and a resident in the New Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai or Hyderabad consular districts.
In order to qualify for the Renewal Program, business, tourist, crew, or temporary employment non-immigrant visa, applicants must meet first the following conditions such as: the visa to be renewed must be a full-validity (24-month) multiple-entry visa; your previous visa is still valid or expired less than 12 months ago or within one year of the actual date of your visa appointment (not the date you scheduled the appointment); you must present the previous visa (if lost or stolen, you cannot renew as replacement of lost or stolen visas cannot be done via the renewal program); and you are applying for a new visa in the same visa class as the previous visa; and you have not been refused a visa in the last 12 months or had your previous visa canceled or revoked.
Also, spouses and dependent children under 18 years of age may also be eligible to apply with parents/spouses renewing their visas even if the spouse or children do not meet the above conditions. However, please do take note that children over 18 years old may not make use of the renewal program if they do not independently qualify. For children over 18 who have never had a visa or have been refused a visa, you must apply independently of your parents even if you are traveling together.
For visa applicants who do not meet these criteria, you should schedule regular appointments to ensure you receive the earliest visa appointment available to you.
However, if you had been able to schedule a renewal appointment but do not meet the criteria for this category, you will be turned away on your appointment date and are then required to schedule a new appointment, which could result in a significant delay in your application.
For travelers with valid U.S. visas: Please do bear in mind that it is important to know that your U.S. visa may still be valid even if the passport it is in had already expired. In most cases, if your existing valid visa has not been altered, travel to the United States is still allowed by making use of both your old passport containing a valid visa and your new, valid passport.
For holders of ESTA for America, you must reapply for a brand new travel authorization by submitting a new ESTA visa to USA application. You current authorizations cannot be extended, though you do not need to wait until your ESTA expires to re-apply.
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