I recently got an opportunity to attend an international conference at the University of California, San Diego. For this, I had to travel from India to the U.S. So, yes, the first step was to get a Passport. Once you have the Passport, you have to get a Visa. In this blog, I will write about How to apply for a visa and get it in 15 days.

Steps to follow:

  • First thing is to fill out the DS-160 form. Just go into this link and follow the instructions “https://ceac.state.gov/GenNIV/Default.aspx.”
  • Location Information: Select the location where you wish to give your interview.
  • Enter the personal address, phone, and Passport information.
  • Enter the travel information.
  • Enter the family information.
  • Enter the security and background information.
  • Enter the U.S. contact information.

  • Enter the work/ Education/ Training information.

  • Get the confirmation page - Check if all the details are correct.
  • Next step is to schedule a visa interview or enter your visa delivery address; you will need to register and create a profile online. If you already have a profile, please do not create a new one. You can always modify your existing profile by logging in using your user ID and password. Use this link “https://cgifederal.secure.force.com”
  • Pay the fees, it’s 160 Dollars. Multiple options are available, using which you can deposit the fees. But I personally deposited at Axis bank. For that, just select the Axis bank option and take a printout of the page you get. Then go to the bank in person and deposit the fees. Then you will be given a CGI reference number.
  • This reference number will be activated in 2- 3 working days, and now you can go to the next step.
  • Once you fill in the details, booking the appointment is next. You can select the nearest U. S. embassy where you can go and give your interview.
  • Next important step is to get an appointment date. When I tried for this, I got the interview date after 2 years.
  • Once you get the interview date, there will be an option for putting an emergency request. You can give a valid reason to get an early date in that section and also attach the supporting documents. Reason can include details about the conference, why this conference is essential to you, some benefits of the conference and if possible attach the acceptance letter and invitation from the organizing committee of the conference.
  • You will get an update in the registered email (whether the request is accepted or rejected).

  • If accepted, you can book the appointment within the given time frame.

  • Now you are good to go; just do the document verification, and the next day gives the interview and submit the Passport to the embassy.
  • Your Passport will be ready for delivery in 5- 7 working days.

I am writing the complete process to help the new ones and show that this process is not that difficult; you can do it yourself.

Enjoy life :)