Step 7:  Submit Your Application

Nonimmigrant Visa Services

The final step in the process of applying for a U.S. nonimmigrant visa is to submit your application at the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo, and interview with the consular officer.  Make sure you are early or on time for your appointment.

Preparation

Prior to your arrival, make sure to ask yourself the following questions:

• Have I paid the non-refundable application fee in cash at a branch of Banco Popular, and remembered my original computer-printed deposit slip?
   
• Have I scheduled an appointment through the Visa Information Center?
   
• Have I filled and printed out the application forms relevant to my circumstances (including all three pages of the online DS-156 application form)?
   
• Have I had the correct sized photograph taken?
   
• Have I remembered to bring all of my required supporting documentation?

• Have I left my cellular telephone and all other prohibited items at home?

If your answer to each of these questions is "yes," you are ready for your nonimmigrant visa appointment.

Fingerprints

All applicants 14 years of age and older will be required to submit their fingerprints during their nonimmigrant visa interviews. This process is completed electronically, using highly sophisticated optical scanners, which compare your fingerprints against millions of others in a U.S. database within hours.

Interview

Please remember that consular staff must process large numbers of applicants, and so are unable to conduct lengthy interviews with each person. Be prepared to answer questions about your job, long-term plans, family, and host in the United States, so you can communicate as much to the officer during your interview as possible.

Interview Conclusion

At the end of the interview, the consular officer will inform you whether your visa application has been approved or denied. 

If the visa is denied, the consular officer will provide you with information about visa denials under section 214(b) of the immigration law of the U.S.  You should review this information and consider what you can do to show compelling ties to your country.  It is best to wait until your circumstances have changed before reapplying.

If the visa is approved, the consular officer will provide you with instructions regarding the private courier service, DOMEX, to deliver passports after a visa interview. DOMEX is located in the Consular Section waiting room, next to the cafeteria. After your interview with a consular officer, you will take your ticket to the DOMEX desk, where a DOMEX clerk will assist you. The cost for this DOMEX service is either US$12.00 or US$16.00 depending on where the passport will be delivered. You will receive your passport and visa in about three to five business days. Use of the DOMEX delivery service is required for all applicants.

We hope that your experience with us in the consular section is a pleasant one. We look forward to having you here!
 

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