Applying for a Visa
Two US federal government agencies are involved in the international travel process. The Department of State issues visas at US embassies and consulates abroad, while Customs and Border Protection (CBP, part of the Department of Homeland Security) grants entry ("admission") into the US at ports of entry such as border crossings and airports.
First Visa Application to Enter the US from Another Country for the First Time in a New Immigration Status
You will receive an email from our Welcome Client database when the petition has been filed with USCIS. USCIS automatically shares a copy of the complete petition with every US embassy and consulate worldwide via the electronic PIMS system. Most US embassies/ consulates will allow you to apply for a visa with only a copy of the approval notice (USCIS Form I-797) at your visa interview. If the consulate/embassy where you applying specifically requires the official, hard copy USCIS approval notice, please email IFSIS with a link to the page documenting the hard copy requirement, and IFSIS will work with your department to mail the approval notice to the international address you provide via courier (UPS or FedEx). Please realize this could take up to two weeks, potentially delaying your interview time. In the meantime:
- Review the visa appointment wait times at various consulates.
- Make a visa appointment. Use the DOS website for appointment scheduling and visa processing information for the US embassy or consulate where you plan to apply for your visa.
- Visit the Department of State’s website to learn about visa fees. You will be required to pay this fee along with the reciprocity fee for your country.
- Complete and submit Form DS-160.
- Review the consulate’s website thoroughly and bring any necessary original documents (like degrees), photographs, and/or money orders for visa fees.
Document Checklist:
- Copy of USCIS Form I-797 Approval Notice for the petition (IFSIS will email to you via our Welcome Client system as soon as at arrives at our office via US Mail)
- Copy of LCA (if you are applying for an H-1B or E-3 visa--this will be attached to the approval notice email you will receive from our Welcome Client system when the approval notice arrives at our office via US Mail)
- Valid passport
- Copy of USCIS Form I-797 Approval Notice for your J-1 waiver (only if you previously held J-1 status and received a waiver of the two-year home residency requirement)
Your USCIS approval notice, together with the electronic Form I-94 you can download after entering the US, controls your immigration status and allows you to work in the US.
Second/Renewal Visa Application
It is fine if your visa expires while you are in the US. Your visa does not control your immigration status, and a visa does not allow you to work in the US. A visa is simply a “ticket” to apply for admission to the US. If the visa stamp in your passport expires, you can remain in the US and continue your employment through the end date of your most recent USCIS approval notice or Form I-94 (whichever is shorter).
However, if you plan to travel internationally and either a) the visa in your current passport has expired, or b) you have changed immigration status within the US since obtaining your last visa (e.g., F-1 to H-1B, J-1 to H-1B, H-1B to O-1, etc.), you must apply for a new visa stamp at a US embassy or consulate abroad before you can re-enter the US after your next international travel.
Before Leaving the US:
- Notify your department administrator and
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. at least two weeks before you leave the US. - Review the visa appointment wait times at various consulates.
- Make a visa appointment. Use the DOS website for appointment scheduling and visa processing information for the US embassy or consulate where you plan to apply for your visa.
- Visit the Department of State’s website to learn about visa fees. You will be required to pay this fee along with the reciprocity fee for your country.
- Complete and submit Form DS-160.
- Make sure to review the consulate’s website thoroughly and bring any necessary original documents, photographs, and/or money orders for visa fees.
We STRONGLY advise that you apply for the visa in your country of citizenship. If you intend to apply for the visa in a country other than your country of citizenship (known as "third country processing"), please be aware that there is no guarantee that a visa will be issued, nor is there a guarantee of processing time. If your application is refused, your application fee will not be refunded. Some US embassies and consulates do not process third-country requests. Check before you go!
Document Checklist:
- Copy of USCIS Form I-797 Approval Notice (if you are clinical faculty concurrently employed with both UAB and HSF, feel free to bring both notices, but only one is required to apply for the visa)
- Copy of LCA emailed to you from the Welcome Client database when your petition was approved (if you are in H-1B or E-3 status)
- Valid passport
- Employment letter (please have your current supervisor or department chair sign)
- Your three most recent UAB pay statements printed from your Oracle Self-Service page (if concurrently employed with HSF, please also bring your three most recent HSF pay statements from the Lawson system)--IFSIS cannot assist with downloading these. Please ask a department administrator or work colleague for assistance.
- Copy of USCIS Form I-797 Approval Notice for your J-1 waiver (only if you previously held J-1 status and received a waiver of the two-year home residency requirement)
- Chart of past and current research projects at UAB (if Researcher/Scientist)
- Current CV
International Travel WITHOUT Needing to Apply for a New Visa While Abroad
If you will travel internationally and already have a valid US visa stamp for your current immigration status, you do not need to apply for a new visa stamp in order to re-enter the US. Instead, please bring the following documents in case they are requested by a CBP agent at the airport:
- Valid passport
- Copy of USCIS Form I-797 Approval Notice (for both employers if you are clinical faculty dually-appointed with both UAB and HSF)
- Copy of LCA for UAB petition, if you are in H-1B or E-3 status (emailed to you from the Welcome Client database when your petition was approved) (or for both H-1B petitions if you are clinical faculty dually-appointed with both UAB and HSF)
- Copy of USCIS Form I-797 Approval Notice for your J-1 waiver (if you received a J-1 waiver)
- Three most recent pay statements from UAB (or from both employers if you are clinical faculty dually-appointed with both UAB and HSF). IFSIS cannot assist with downloading these. Please ask a department administrator or work colleague for assistance.
Administrative Processing
Everyone who applies for a US visa undergoes screening before the visa is issued. A consular officer will conduct an initial review of the application and interview you about your planned activity in the US. Please provide clear and concise information about your field of teaching, research, and/or employment. In most cases, US embassies and consulates issue the visa and return your passport within a few days or a couple of weeks. However, some individuals are slected for an additional level or review or screening via a deeper background check prior to receiving a visa. This is known as “administrative processing,” and if you are selected for it, the consular officer should provide you with an explanation known as a “221(g) letter.” Please email a copy of the 221(g) letter to
If you are employed or conduct research in a technologically or biologically “sensitive” field, consult your supervisor or faculty advisor to discuss contingency plans in the event you are placed under administrative processing or face security clearance issues.
Some individuals may be subject to a Security Advisory Opinion because of their country of origin, citizenship, the field of study/research, or at the discretion of the consular officer. Security Advisory Opinions commonly take 6 to 8 weeks but may take longer in some cases.
- If an SAO is requested, the consular post will ask the Department of State to initiate the process of requesting clearances from various government agencies and databases including the FBI, CIA, Drug Enforcement Agency, Department of Commerce, Office of Foreign Asset Control, Interpol, the national criminal and law enforcement databases, the DOS Bureau of Non-proliferation, and others. The Bureau of Non-proliferation is concerned with technology transfer and other issues. It considers lasers and many other technologies studied and researched at UAB to be “sensitive” technologies with possibly risky applications or risk of being exported.
- If you conduct research in certain technologically sensitive fields appearing on the TAL, the Department of State must conduct a security clearance prior to issuing a visa. Clearance may take one to several months. The TAL includes: nuclear technology; rocket systems; unmanned air vehicle subsystems; navigation, avionics, and flight control usable in rocket systems; chemical, biotechnological, and biomedical engineering; remote sensing, imaging, and reconnaissance; advanced computer/microelectronic technology; materials technology; information security; laser and directed energy systems technology; sensors and sensor technology; marine technology; robotics; and urban planning. Please understand that there can be many reasons for a delay in visa issuance other than administrative processing. All applicants must fulfill multiple criteria to the satisfaction of the consular officer. The burden of proof lies with applicants to demonstrate that the documents presented are genuine and that they are eligible for the visa.
Issues that may cause problems or delays in the visa application process:
- Inconsistent spelling of name on documents (passport, visa application, supporting documentation).
- Failure to read and follow the tips and guidance on the consulate’s website.
- The consular officer cannot understand your purpose for being at UAB/HSF and therefore cannot assess the risk/benefit of granting the visa.
- You are a citizen of a country considered to pose a risk, or your work will involve a sensitive research field listed on the Technology Alert List (“TAL”).
- Someone else has the same or similar names as you. The consulate must rule out any incidents and resolve any “hits” the Consular Lookout (CLASS) system reveals on the name(s).
You can check the status of your visa application online via the Department of State’s Consular Electronic Application Center.
Exceptions to Needing a Visa
Canadians Do Not Need Visa Stickers (Foils) in Their Passport
Canadian citizens do not need to make need a visa appointment at a US embassy or consulate and do not need a physical visa stamp in their passport in order to enter the US. Canadian citizens can enter the US simply by presenting their USCIS approval notice (Form I-797) to a Customs and Border Protection official at any US port of entry. Canadian international medical graduates currently in the US in J-1 "Alien Physician" status can also exit the US and re-enter with an H-1B approval notice to begin their clinical faculty appointment with UAB/HSF even without an approved J-1 physician waiver due to specific wording in the waiver immigration regulations.
Automatic Visa Revalidation (AVR) ONLY for Travel to Canada or Mexico for Less Than 30 Days
If the visa stamp in your passport has expired, you can still travel for less than 30 days to Canada or Mexico on the expired visa and re-enter the US. However, you must have an unexpired Form I-94 (download from https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/home) or be able to present a valid Form I-797 USCIS Notice of Approval for your current H-1B or O-1 status (or dependent H-4 or O-3 status) at a US port of entry. This process is known as “automatic visa revalidation.”
Read More About Automatic Visa Revalidation →
Traveling While I-485 Is Pending or on Advance Parole Card (USCIS Form I-131)
Individuals in H-1B status are perfectly free to travel while an I-485 green card application is pending, as long as there’s no chance USCIS approves the I-485 while you’re outside the country, which can complicate your return to the US. Traveling while the I-485 is pending does not affect your I-485 application: USCIS will continue to adjudicate it. However, if you filed an initial I-131 application along with your I-485, your I-131 application will be deemed abandoned when you leave the US, and you will need to apply for an H-1B visa to re-enter the US. If you wait until the I-131 is approved before traveling abroad, you’ll have a valid advance parole entry card and will not need to apply for a new H-1B visa while abroad. However, if you re-enter the US on the basis of the advance parole card instead of on an H-1B visa, as a best practice, the university will have to file new H-1B petition(s) for you after you re-enter to “reactivate” your underlying H-1B status until your green card arrives. IFSIS recommends keeping your underlying H-1B status active until your green card is issued, unless you are comfortable, based on your own personal risk tolerance, continuing to work and remaining in the US based solely on your status as an I-485 applicant. It's entirely up to you and your personal risk tolerance. See https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/while-your-green-card-application-is-pending-with-uscis#.