Overview
Labor Certification – Some temporary worker visa categories require your prospective employer to obtain a labor certification or other approval from the Department of Labor on your behalf before filing the Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, Form I-129, with USCIS. Your prospective employer should review the Instructions for Form I-129 on the USCIS website to determine whether labor certification is required for you.
Petition Approval – Some temporary worker categories are limited in total number of petitions which can be approved on a yearly basis. Before you can apply for a temporary worker visa at the U.S. Embassy in Belarus, a Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, Form I-129, must be filed on your behalf by a prospective employer and be approved by USCIS. For more information about the petition process, eligibility requirements by visa category, and numerical limits, if applicable, see Working in the U.S. and Temporary (Nonimmigrant) Workers on the USCIS website. Once the petition is approved, USCIS will send your prospective employer a Notice of Action, Form I-797.
Instructions to Apply
Step 1. Fill out the Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application Form
All applicants are required to complete the DS-160 application form online. Enter your name, date-of-birth, and passport number correctly or your interview appointment will be delayed. After you fill out the form, you must out print the confirmation page to 1) use the confirmation number to schedule your appointment and 2) to bring the confirmation page of DS-160 to your interview.
You do not need to pay a travel agent to fill out this free form. Document translations are not required we will tell you at the interview if any translated documents are needed. Please be advised that some travel agencies are incorrectly telling nonimmigrant visa applicants that they need translated copies of bank documents, birth certificates, school records, etc. This is false. Do not waste your money with expensive and unnecessary translations of your birth certificate or any other documents – our employees speak and read Arabic and Kurdish.
Step 2. Make a Visa Appointment
All visa interview appointments are scheduled through the Embassy’s online appointment system:Baghdad NIV Appointment SystemErbil NIV Appointment SystemYou will enter your DS-160 confirmation number.Appointments are free and you should not pay anyone to make the appointment for you.Do not make more than one appointment for the same visa interview we will delete duplicate appointments and we may inadvertently delete the one you planned to attend.Appointments are offered on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and some Wednesdays. The Consular Section is closed on some U.S. and Iraqi holidays.
Step 3. Pay the Nonimmigrant Visa Interview Fee at the Bank of Baghdad
On the day of your interview, please pay the following nonrefundable visa application fees: $ 160 for B-1 (Business) and B-2 (Tourism & Visit) non-immigrant visas; $ 190 for H, L, O, P, Q, and R visas; and $ 270 for E visas.
All applicants must pay the visa application fee at the Bank of Baghdad before the interview. You are required to bring the original signed, white copy of the bank receipt – the yellow copy is your copy, it will not be accepted, and you will be required to reschedule the appointment if you do not bring the correct, original signed, white copy to the interview appointment.
Step 4. Take Your Visa Photo
You are required to bring one photograph that meets Department of State requirements: Click here
Step 5. Appointment Confirmation
If you successfully printed out the appointment confirmation page, and if you did not schedule duplicate appointments, your appointment is confirmed.
The Consular Section will not respond to email requests for appointment confirmation.
Step 6. Access to the International Zone and U.S. Embassy Baghdad
Two to three days prior to your visa interview appointment, you will receive by email an access letter that you must print out to use to access the International Zone and the Embassy. The Consular Section will not respond to email requests for access letters
You will receive your access letter prior to the appointment.
Step 7. Your Visa Interview: What You Must Bring
- The DS-160 application form confirmation page.
- One photo.
- The white, signed Bank of Baghdad visa fee receipt.
- Your passport.
L Visa Applicants – If you are included in an L blanket petition, you must bring Form I-129S, Nonimmigrant Petition Based on Blanket L Petition, to your interview.
All visa applicants, except H-1B and L, will generally need to show proof of compelling ties to your home country to demonstrate your intent to return after your temporary stay in the United States. Examples of compelling ties include:
- A residence abroad which you do not intend to abandon
- Your family relationships
- Your economic situation
- Your long term plans
Step 8: What Not to Bring to the Visa Interview
- Expensive, unnecessary, translated documents. Please do not pay visa agents to translate or prepare documents for you. We do not need to see invite letters.
- An unrequested, unnecessary DHL slip If you qualify for a visa, you will be asked to submit a DHL shipping receipt after the interview
- Heavy jewelry that will slow or halt metal detector screening
- Bulky purses or bags that will slow you through the security screening
Step 9. After the Interview
If your visa does not require administrative processing, please email a DHL Shipping Receipt to BaghdadNIV@state.gov.
Approved Visas Pending Administrative Processing
If you are approved a nonimmigrant visa issuance, and your visa requires administrative processing, please be advised it can take up to one year for the administrative processing to conclude. You may check the status of your visa online: Visa Status Check. The Consular Section will not respond to requests for updates on administrative processing.