1. US Consulate. Applicants for visas may apply only in the country of citizenship or current official residence. See this DOS announcement. Applying for a visa in a third country is no longer possible, unless your home country happens to be one that does not host a US Consulate. 
2. Submit a Form DS-160 Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application.
   • You must upload a digital photograph of yourself. There are "Frequently Asked Questions" about the DS-160 at: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/forms/ds-160-online-nonimmigrant-visa-application/ds-160-faqs.html.
   • Purpose of Trip to the US —
     • If you are J-1
       • Select Exchange Visitor (J)
       • Indicate whether you are the Exchange Visitor, Spouse or Child
     • If you are E-3
       • Select Treaty Trader or Investor (E)
       • Select Australian in Specialty Occupation (E3)
       • Indicate that you are in possession of an approval labor condition application (LCA)
       • Input the LCA number, which is in the format I-#####-######
     • If you are H-1B 
       • Select Temporary Worker (H)
       • Select Specialty Occupation (H1B)
       • Input the Petition Receipt Number, which is in format XXX-########### (where X are letters of the alphabet)
       • Note —
         • Only a citizen of Chile or Singapore might be “H-1B1” because that is a special sub-category of H-1B visa, available only to a very small subset of petitions submitted under the Free Trade Agreement for Chile and Singapore.
         • Labor Certification — The H-1B category does not require Labor Certification. 
     • If you are O-1
       • Select Alien with Extraordinary Ability (O)
       • Select Extraordinary Ability (O1)
       • Input the Petition Receipt Number, which is in format XXX-########### (where X are letters of the alphabet)
     • If you are TN
       • Select NAFTA Professional (TD/TN)
       • Indicate if the applicant is the spouse or child; if neither, leave blank.
3. Schedule an Interview
   • Select your appointment date using the following priorities — (1) choose a date that is as early as possible within your scheduled travel; (2) if no date is available during your scheduled travel, pick the first possible date thereafter and then work with the Consulate to try to re-schedule the dates. You cannot request an expedited or earlier appointment until you actually have an appointment scheduled, so selecting "any" date is the unavoidable first step. 
   • Note: Not all applicants are given emergency appointments. Unless there is a true emergency (with respect to US interests or to Purdue’s education or research mission) an emergency appointment may not be granted.
4. Pay the applicable fees, which vary from country to country depending on reciprocity rules and exchange rates.
   • Usually you must take a copy of the receipt evidencing payment must be taken to the interview. In a few consulates, payment is made at the end of the interview.
5. Attend your interview
   • Sometimes, fingerprints (biometrics) are taken at your interview, or immediately before, or there might be a completely separate appointment scheduled for you when your fingerprints will be taken.
   • Each US Consulate will post a list of the required documents, based on the classification of visa requested. See below of a general list.
6. Arrange for the delivery of your passport back to you, once the visa stamp has been inserted into it by the Consulate (usually this occurs several days after your visa interview, at least).
7. Seek admission to the U.S. During admission, you will present your new visa.

Applicants for visas may apply only in the country of citizenship or current official residence. See this DOS announcement. Applying for a visa in a third country is no longer possible, unless your home country happens to be one that does not host a US Consulate. 

The US Department of State, which manages all US Consulates, posts information about the wait to be scheduled for a visa interview here.

Every US Consulate has slightly different rules about visa processing, based on in-country business norms and other considerations. As a result, every US Consulate has webpage(s) about how they process visa applications. Most US Consulates utilize an independent company to schedule visa appointments and coordinate the intake of applications. You must check the details of the consulate where you plan to apply to confirm their process, requirements and timeline.

NOTE — If your field of study is technologically sensitive, such as nuclear physics, you may experience delays in getting your visa while a clearance is obtained from the State Department, called Administrative Processing. You will not be permitted to return to the U.S. while you wait for this clearance.

You will need the following to prepare your DS-160 Visa Application, and for the interview:

• Passport — In general, your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your anticipated period of stay in the United States. You must maintain your passport’s validity throughout your stay in the U.S.
• Nonimmigrant Visa Application, Form DS-160 confirmation page
• Application fee payment receipt
• Photo — You will upload your photo while completing the online Form DS-160. If the photo upload fails, you must bring one printed photo to the interview. The requirements for photos are explained here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/photos.html.
• Immigration Document specific to your class of visa
  • H-1B or O-1 —
    • Form I-797 Approval Notice. You will need the Receipt Number for your approved petition as it appears in the upper left corner of the Form I-797 Notice, beginning with WAC.
    • A complete copy of your petition, including the Labor Condition Application (Form e9035). A copy of the entire petition filed on your behalf was provided to you via FileLocker. Please review it to ensure that you are familiar with the contents.
  • J-1 —
    • Current DS-2019 with travel signature, dated within 1 year of the date of entry to the USA. J-1
    • Student Interns additionally must have a Form DS-7002 Training Plan. J-1 Research Scholars, Short-Term Scholars, and Specialists do not have a Form DS-7002.
  • E-3 — Form eta 9035 Labor Condition application and department support letter
  • TN — NAFTA memo and occupation letter from International Scholar Services
• Current employees, regardless of visa category, may also want to have with them
  • Copies of their employment offer letter
  • Copies of three recent paystubs

Once you have a valid visa in your passport, you no longer need the Form I-797 Approval Notice.  You must return it to ISS to include in our files. Individuals are not permitted to retain their I-797 Notices; that notice is the property of Purdue University.

Citizens of Canada traveling on Canadian passports are not required to obtain a visa for admission to the U.S.  

See Admission for a discussion of admission procedures.