visa ( usa) for Israeli
Wrote and edited: Yair Bar-Zohar
Date: 02.02.2005
Updated on: 01.01.2008
If you don't own an Israeli passport, make one.
Toll payment? At the bank and take a receipt.
A 5X5 picture of the requesting traveler with a white background, both ears to be seen and without sunglasses.
DS-156 form to be filled + males between the ages of 16-45 need to fill out the DS-157 form, every form needs to be fully filled + printed relevant papers that are needed for the request (see below).
Submitting a request through a travelling agent or through the internet and receiving an interview date.
6. An interview at the United States' embassy in Tel-Aviv a 00004000 ccording to the date and time determined.
Receiving an answer.
To the United States - according to their new procedures, in order to get a visa, all those who request one, between the age of 16 and 60 are demanded to arrive to the embassy or to the general consulate in Jerusalem to submit the request. The embassy and consulate are developing a method to summon for an interview, so that everyone could be interviewed and handle the visa's requests quickly.
The U.S state department recommends that all those who plan to request a visa, do it as soon as possible since they might have delays in interview's summons and requests treatments. It is recommended to start applying for a visa between two and three months prior to the trip to the Unites States.
You can request a visa through a trustworthy agency, and a travel agent will help you fill out every detail needed in the English language. You can fill it out yourself, but it's hard and not worth the saving. There are agencies that will charge you 170 shekels for their service.
In form DS-156, section 26: "For how long are you planning on stay in the United States?" write down between two weeks and two months. Stating that you're going to stay above two months will seem suspicious.
In form DS-156, section 27: "The purpose of the visit", write down vacation only (don't write family visit!)
If somebody hosts you, add a letter from them (with their name and address), that you are about to visit them and that they will be in charge of the accommodation and food.
In case you are invited to a family event, it's recommended to bring the invitation.
To a child travelling alone, add parent's approval saying that they are financing the trip and that their child is continuing studying. They need to add the last three paychecks of each parent.
To minors between the age of 7 and 17 that travel alone, add parent's approval saying that they are financing the trip and that their child is continuing studying. You need to add the last three paychecks of each parent. Moreover, the parents need to bring an approval from his school saying that this student is indeed studying there (with the school's logo of course).
Released soldiers (in the last 5 years), must add their release certificate from the army. Whoever got released and it has been a long time since the release date and hasn't worked in a neat work or hasn't studied for a long time since the army - will have difficulties getting a visa.
Degree's students should bring an approval from their college or university saying that they are listed there, another approval that says that their tuition has been paid or an approval that says that they are doing a course preparation there. The approval needs to be in the English language.
In case you immigrated to Israel since 1996 and onwards, you must add your immigration certificate.
Working people need to add an approval from their employer, with the company's logo on the page. Moreover, the worker's name, job, seniority (from which date), ending date of his vacation, approval that he is going to keep working there after he returns + copies of the last three salaries, need to be written on the page.
Seniors - confirmation from the national insurance that he/she receives pension.
Seniors that haven't reached the age of 67 need to add copies of their last three paychecks.
Independents - need to bring a document from the company's attorney that specifies the business essence, its seniority, and document's writer's job.
To the visa's request, you'll need to add an account document that includes money balances, properties listed as your own (apartments + cars = the more money you have, the bigger the chances to get the visa). Recently, there has been a relief in the matter but prepare one for the agency just in case.
In case you have received a visa in the past (from the United States or Australia), you can mention it in your current request.
In case someone stole or you have lost your old passport with the valid visa, bring with you a document from the interior ministry that approves it and with all of your exits and entries to the country.
If you own your old passport with a valid visa to the United States, attach the old passport to the new passport that you have. The old passport gives you entrance to the United States even though the old passport has expired in Israel.
The passport pictures you submit need to be shot close to the time of the request. The picture must be different from the picture in the passport, otherwise you might not get approved. The pictures need to be 5X5 centimeters, without a hat, glasses and both ears visible, on a white background.
It is not recommended to bring more than 10 thousand dollars since it raises the suspicion for drugs trading or any other illegal trading.
In case you fly to Canada or any other countries that go through the United States, you need to receive a visa for the United States.
Warning
For all those who receive visa: whoever enters the United States as law but doesn't leave a day before his visa expires, risks in a criminal offense, and whoever stays beyond the time allotted him, breaks the law and might not get a visa in the future.
Additional information
The interview
There is no formula that will bring you the visa, the purpose of the interview in the embassy is to ensure that you are not going to settle down in the United States. They are doing that by interviewing you to be certain that you are planning on getting back to your country, in addition to examining the information you have submitted in the forms: steady job, children and family at home, bank account and a home. We remind you to provide the consulate all the relevant documents, which prove your intention of coming back home.
If an additional interview is required (according to the consulate decision), you will be need to pay another payment.
Changing the date of the interview for any reason (even the most justified one) will require another payment.
Most rejected are those who haven't persuaded the interviewer that they are planning on coming back to their country or they have a criminal record, drug problems, etc.
Orthodox get a special treatment, since the embassy believes that they will return to their communities in Israel.
How long does it take to get a visa? The time is between 6 to 8 embassy work days (about two weeks since the day of the interview).
What do you do if you get refused for a visa? You can apply again, but this time you better convince the interviewer that you are planning on getting back to your country! And of course you will be needed to pay the fee again, at the sum of 100$, and prepare all the relevant documents again, and go through the agent, commissions, etc. you can demand not to do the interview with the same interviewer you've had in the consulate (if you remember his/her face).
For Arab-born population, which country of origin is defined by the American government as terror countries (like Sudan, Syria, Libya, South-Korea and Cuba), will have to wait with the request for about a month (the request is transferred for a more careful examine at the different government agencies in Washington). Those who country of origin is no longer defined as terror countries (like Egypt, Morocco, Yemen, and Iraq), will have to wait between two and three weeks.
The visa renewal procedure is to request for extension through the travelling agent in an organized way, no longer than one year since the visa expired. If you follow these procedures, you might not be invited for an interview in the embassy and get your visa through the agent. If you request for an extension of the visa for over a year since the visa has been expired, you would probably be invited for a new interview in the embassy.
The American embassy in Tel-Aviv website:http://www.usembassy-israel.org.il
The postal service website - for tracking listed mail:
http://www.postil.com
Extending the visa to the United States has its own procedure, and therefore forms need to be filled out (they can be downloaded from the internet or get them from the IRS - the immigration offices), paid for (the price is written in the site) and sent to the immigration offices (IRS). You can even go yourself to the IRS and find out what is the procedure. You are required to stay inside the U.S borders for 45 days, for the simple reason that that is the amount of time taken for the visa to arrive.
Although you have a written visa, that is not enough!
There were people, especially young ones (mostly travelled alone), who weren't allowed to get inside the United States! Therefore, when you arrive to the immigration officer at the airport, you need to convince him/her that you are not going to work there illegally (you can convince by showing your return ticket with a specific date, rented cal reservation, rented hotels, etc).
Therefore, it's recommended to take with you all the documents you toke to the embassy in your country, in order to have the best chances to have the visa in the United States.
For those who want to make a visa through the internet:
A visa guide from the U.S embassy:
http://israel.usembassy.gov/consular/niv/heb/index.aspx
A center that gathers all the subjects concerning visa:
http://projectvisa.com
A step by step U.S visa guide in the internet(advices, tips, forms, and more):
http://heb.ktalegal.com/upload/Step_by_StepAug07.pdf
It's recommended to print this article.
Look & See
http://www.tiulim.net - for Israelis travelers
http://www.all4free.co.il - for Israelis entertainment
http://www.addyourpoint.com - for all travelers in the world
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