At the time of initiating the process to request the visa tourist to the United States, one of the most important steps is to properly fill out the DS-160 form, whose information must match what we provide in the interview, but what happens if our data has changed.
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, visa appointments were suspended and, when interviews resumed, appointments were restricted, causing long waiting times that, in some countries, can exceed three years.
The form DS-160 It has about 13 sections that require personal information. However, with such long waiting times for the consular interview, it is possible for the applicant’s situation to change, such as marital status, work, housing and even travel destination. What should be done in those cases?
WHAT IS THE DS-160 APPLICATION?
The DS-160 application is an electronic form from the United States Department of State, which must be filled out by American visa applicants. It is considered the most important step because it contains the information on which the consular officer will base his decision whether to grant or deny the visa. Take into account the following:
- If you fill it out with accurate data and in great detail, it is more likely to be successful because you will have all the answers in your application.
- If you leave spaces unfilled, on the other hand, you create information gaps that will lead to more questions from the consul.
- Filling out the form can take around 90 minutes and is done virtually, through the link provided by the Consular Center for Electronic Applications (CCAE), which is the official site for the start of the visa process.
- When you finish filling out the DS-160, a necessary folio will be generated to pay for your application and schedule your appointments for biometric data and interview.
WHAT DO I DO IF THE INFORMATION I PUT ON THE FORM DS-160 BECOMES OUT OF DATE DUE TO THE LONG WAIT FOR THE CONSULAR APPOINTMENT?
Faced with this situation that worries several applicants for a visa to the United States, the Consulate General of the United States in Guadalajara, in a Visa Q&A Session on Facebook Liveanswered on the subject of updating data at the time of the interview to get the document.
One of the questions from viewers, asked on August 17, was: “If I put a travel address on the DS-160 form and then I want to travel somewhere else, could I have problems processing the visa?”
The answer was that there is no problem: “No, we know that in many cases the form is filled out and sometimes things change when you get to the interview. Obviously, during COVID there was a lot of delay and many appointments were cancelled”.
The vice consul of Guadalajara, who introduced herself as Fernanda, explained that in the interview the officer will ask the applicant what is the reason for your tripwhy goes the United States. “Just be honest, honest. If you want to say ‘I had a trip planned to California, but now I’m going to Florida,’ that’s fine. We know that things change.”.
