1. Identify the consulate where you want to apply. If you wish to apply for a visa in a third country please check with ISS concerning the possibility of doing this.  This is becoming increasingly difficult.
2. Submit a Form DS-160 Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application.
   • You must upload a digital photograph of yourself. There are "Frequently Asked Questions" about the DS-160 at: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/forms/ds-160-online-nonimmigrant-visa-application/ds-160-faqs.html.
   • Purpose of Trip to the US —
     • If you are J-1
       • Select Exchange Visitor (J)
       • Indicate whether you are the Exchange Visitor, Spouse or Child
     • If you are E-3
       • Select Treaty Trader or Investor (E)
       • Select Australian in Specialty Occupation (E3)
       • Indicate that you are in possession of an approval labor condition application (LCA)
       • Input the LCA number, which is in the format I-#####-######
     • If you are H-1B 
       • Select Temporary Worker (H)
       • Select Specialty Occupation (H1B)
       • Input the Petition Receipt Number, which is in format WAC-###########
       • Note —
         • Only a citizen of Chile or Singapore might be “H-1B1” because that is a special sub-category of H-1B visa, available only to a very small subset of petitions submitted under the Free Trade Agreement for Chile and Singapore.
         • Labor Certification — The H-1B category does not require Labor Certification. 
     • If you are O-1
       • Select Alien with Extraordinary Ability (O)
       • Select Extraordinary Ability (O1)
       • Input the Petition Receipt Number, which is in format WAC-###########
     • If you are TN
       • Select NAFTA Professional (TD/TN)
       • Indicate if the applicant is the spouse or child; if neither, leave blank.
3. Schedule an Interview
   • Select your appointment date using the following priorities — (1) choose a date that is as early as possible within your scheduled travel; (2) if no date is available during your scheduled travel, pick the first possible date thereafter and then work with the Consulate to try to re-schedule the dates. You cannot request an expedited or earlier appointment until you actually have an appointment scheduled, so selecting "any" date is the unavoidable first step. 
   • Note: Not all applicants are given emergency appointments. Unless there is a true emergency (with respect to US interests or to Purdue’s education or research mission) an emergency appointment may not be granted.
4. Pay the applicable fees, which vary from country to country depending on reciprocity rules and exchange rates.
   • Usually you must take a copy of the receipt evidencing payment must be taken to the interview. In a few consulates, payment is made at the end of the interview.
5. Attend your interview
   • Sometimes, fingerprints (biometrics) are taken at your interview, or immediately before, or there might be a completely separate appointment scheduled for you when your fingerprints will be taken.
6. Arrange for the delivery of your passport back to you, once the visa stamp has been inserted into it by the Consulate (usually this occurs several days after your visa interview, at least).
7. Seek admission to the U.S. During admission, you will present your new visa.

Visa applications may be submitted to the US Consulate in

1. your home country,
2. your country of current residence, or
3. any other country provided the US Consulate posts that it accepts ‘third country national’ visa applications.

Even if a US Consulate posts that it generally accepts third country national visa applications, it can decline to process any submitted application from a third country national if it feels that ‘home country’ expertise is needed to evaluate the visa application properly.

This means that applying for a visa in a third country comes with a very small risk that the visa application might be referred back to your home country. For professionals, this risk is relatively small; in general, US Consulates are increasingly aware that the world is more mobile than it has ever been. For students, this risk is slightly more common.

The US Department of State, which manages all US Consulates, posts information about the wait to be scheduled for a visa interview here.

Every US Consulate has slightly different rules about visa processing, based on in-country business norms and other considerations. As a result, every US Consulate has webpage(s) about how they process visa applications. Most US Consulates utilize an independent company to schedule visa appointments and coordinate the intake of applications. You must check the details of the consulate where you plan to apply to confirm their process, requirements and timeline.

NOTE — If your field of study is technologically sensitive, such as nuclear physics, you may experience delays in getting your visa while a clearance is obtained from the State Department, called Administrative Processing. You will not be permitted to return to the U.S. while you wait for this clearance.

You will need the following to prepare your DS-160 Visa Application, and for the interview:

• Passport — In general, your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your anticipated period of stay in the United States. You must maintain your passport’s validity throughout your stay in the U.S.
• Nonimmigrant Visa Application, Form DS-160 confirmation page
• Application fee payment receipt
• Photo — You will upload your photo while completing the online Form DS-160. If the photo upload fails, you must bring one printed photo to the interview. The requirements for photos are explained here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/photos.html.
• Immigration Document specific to your class of visa
  • H-1B or O-1 —
    • Form I-797 Approval Notice. You will need the Receipt Number for your approved petition as it appears in the upper left corner of the Form I-797 Notice, beginning with WAC.
    • A complete copy of your petition. A copy of the entire petition filed on your behalf was provided to you via FileLocker. Please review it to ensure that you are familiar with the contents.
  • J-1 — Current DS-2019 with travel signature. J-1 Student Interns additionally must have a Form DS-7002 Training Plan. J-1 Research Scholars, Short-Term Scholars, and Specialists do not have a Form DS-7002.
  • E-3 or TN Mexico — Form eta 9035 Labor Condition application and department support letter

Once you have a valid visa in your passport, you no longer need the Form I-797 Approval Notice.  You must return it to ISS to include in our files. Individuals are not permitted to retain their I-797 Notices; that notice is the property of Purdue University.

This is a mechanism created by the law to enable US exchange visitors and international workers to make brief visits to ‘contiguous territories’ without needing to obtain a visa for re-entry to the USA.

When is Automatic Revalidation available?

Automatic revalidation is for

• J-1 Scholars with unexpired DS-2019s (meaning that the end date in Box 3 has not been met, and will not be met during the trip to Canada or Mexico)
• H-1B, O-1, TN, E-3 and other visa holders, including those whose visa status has been changed or extended by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
• Who have a visa stamp in their passport (any visa stamp, for any visa classification)
• Who seek to travel outside the U.S. for thirty days or fewer
• Who will be visiting only
  • For J-1 travelers — Canada, Mexico or an adjacent island (Saint Pierre, Miquelon, The Dominican Republic, Haiti, Bermuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, The Windward and Leeward Islands, Trinidad, Martinique, Other British, French, and Netherlands territory or possessions in or bordering on the Caribbean Sea)
  • For H, E, TN or O-1 travelers — Canada or Mexico
• Who will reapply for admission to the U.S. to continue their authorized activities

When is Automatic Revalidation not available?

Automatic revalidation is NOT possible if

• you apply for a visa at the U.S. Consulate or Embassy, and at the time of re-admission
• the visa application either is still pending, or
• has been denied
• you are a citizen of Cuba, Iran, Sudan or Syria 

Documents You Will Need

When you seek admission to the U.S. using Automatic Revalidation, you must present to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) —

• Your valid and unexpired passport,
• Your original Form I-797 approval notice with unexpired I-94 at the bottom,
• A previously-issued visa (this could be a still-valid or expired U.S. visa in your current or expired passport. It may be a different classification of visa stamp entirely — such as an F-1, J-1 or B visa)
• An Employment Verification Letter from your Department Liaison, and
• An Automatic Revalidation Letter from International Scholar Services — you must request this using MyISS, not by email

When you return to the USA, you will be directed to secondary inspection because a CBP officer will need to review your documents manually to determine you are eligible for automatic visa revalidation.

NOTE — This procedure has no bearing on the issue of whether a visa is required of you by Mexico, Canada, or the adjacent island. You are responsible for confirming whether you need a visa to enter the non-U.S. country(ies) you plan to visit.

Citizens of Canada traveling on Canadian passports are not required to obtain a visa for admission to the U.S.  

The Form I-797 serves as notification to the Immigration officers at the port-of-entry to the U.S. that you are eligible for admission. The I-797 approval notice indicates that USCIS has notified the port-of-entry in Canada of the approval of your H-1B petition. 

It is prudent to present your original Invitation or Offer letter during your initial admission. 

For employees holding H, E, O or TN status, an Employment Verification Letter from your department may be presented during subsequent admissions. For J status holders, the DS-2019 with travel authorization is sufficient for subsequent entries.

Background

Whenever a non-US citizen travels to the U.S., they must be “inspected” by a Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) officer. Often this happens during “pre-clearance” in an airport in your home country, before you board your airplane. Sometimes, this happens after your airplane lands in the U.S., and you de-board the plane. 

During inspection, the CBP officer will look at your passport. They might ask questions about your activities at Purdue. Then, they will handwrite the visa class of admission into your passport and the end date of your validity period below that. The CBP officer also will input this information into the computer system, which will generate an electronic I-94 record for you.

Admission Documents

• Passport — In general, your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your anticipated period of stay in the United States. If the passport expires before the end of the H-1B approval, your admission will be valid only until either the passport expiration date or to a date that is 6 months prior to that, depending on your country of citizenship.
• Nonimmigrant Visa (unless you are Canadian, and thus visa-exempt)
• Employment Verification Letter from your department, if travel is occurring after the employment at Purdue began. If this is your first admission after accepting an appointment at Purdue, present your Invitation or Offer Letter.
• Immigration Document specific to your class of visa
  • H-1B or O-1 —
    • Form I-797 Approval Notice. You will need the Receipt Number for your approved petition as it appears in the upper left corner of the Form I-797 Notice, beginning with WAC.
    • A complete copy of your petition. 
  • J-1 — Current DS-2019 with travel signature. J-1 Student Interns additionally must have a Form DS-7002 Training Plan. J-1 Research Scholars, Short-Term Scholars, and Specialists do not have a Form DS-7002.
  • E-3 or TN Mexico — Form eta 9035 Labor Condition application and department support letter OR Form I-797 Approval Notice if an I-129 petition was filed on your behalf.

Once you have cleared the USCBP checkpoint and have access to a computer, you must print the I-94 record from the following website — https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/home. CBP officers are extremely busy and because they are human, occasionally make mistakes. Review the I-94 carefully and if the dates or classification on the online record are different from the Approval Notice, please contact ISS immediately at IntlScholars@Purdue.edu. Also be sure to check that your passport has been properly stamped before leaving the port-of-entry post.

Every time you and/or your family travels, you must access the I-94 record for each family member from the following website — https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/home. Each time you seek admission, the Customs & Border Protection (CBP) officer who admits you will create a new electronic I-94 Admission record in the government system. The end date they assign in that system overrules the end date for any previously issued I-94 record. If you are an employee holding E, H, TN or O status, the I-94 record assigned during travel can override the I-94 record at the bottom of an I-797 notice of approval; the law states that the most recent I-94 controls your stay in the USA - and travel can thus 'override' your I-797 approval. 

For employees holding E, H, TN or O status, there are two common problems that may arise in connection with travel I-94s —

1. A spouse or child may be issued an authorized stay that is different from the parent, or different from the approval notice. This sort of error can have serious consequences!  
2. A traveler may be issued an I-94 that is shorter than the end date of the approved I-797 period as listed on the I-797 approval notice, if the traveler's passport expires before the end date of the H-1B approval. The law requires that admission to the US after travel be limited to the end date of a traveler's passport.