APPLICANTS FOR non-immigrant visas ('visitor visas') should go to any branch of the Bank of Nova Scotia Jamaica Limited to buy an application fee receipt, which costs the Jamaican dollar equivalent of US$100, and to pick up the visa application forms. With the receipt, applicants may call 754-4000 to book an appointment. Under normal circumstances, the Embassy is able to offer applicants an appointment date for two business days from the booking date.
Though applicants are welcome to apply when they wish, the Consular Section is busiest in the summer months and immediately before the Christmas and Easter holidays. The Embassy recommends that applicants who can afford to wait avoid applying at those times.
US immigration law presumes that everyone applying for a non-immigrant visa is intending to immigrate to the United States. The burden of proof is on the applicant to demonstrate to the interviewing consular officer that he or she has ties to Jamaica strong enough to compel him or her to return home following a temporary visit to the United States.
On the day of your appointment, be sure to bring with you:
- a valid passport;
- completed visa application forms DS-156 and DS-157;
- one passport-sized photograph;
- and the visa fee receipts, which are numbered '1' and '2'.
Children under six years old are not required to appear in person for visa interviews. Children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian when being interviewed for a visa. Parents or legal guardians accompanying children must present the child's birth certificate and their own passport or identification to the interviewing officer.
Visa renewal applications are accepted at the Consular Section from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. A personal interview may not be required if the applicant had been granted a previous, multiple-entry visa that was valid for one year or longer and is still valid or had expired less than a year ago.
If you have questions regarding visa requirements, please refer to the Embassy's website: http://usembassy.state.gov/kingston/wwwhfcon.html or contact the Consular Section by phone at 929-4850-9 between 1:30 and 3:00 p.m.
