1. PINOY EDITION
By: Dyle Cortez

2. "Every alien shall be presumed to be an
immigrant until he establishes to the
satisfaction of the officer, at the time of the
application for a visa . . . that he is entitled
to nonimmigrant status . . .”
- Section 214(b) of the U.S. Immigration and
Nationality Act (INA)

3. How do you prove that
you do not intend to stay
permanently in the
United States?
Source: http://manila.usembassy.gov and http://travel.state.gov

4.  Binding Ties shows compelling reasons to
return to the Philippines
 It must be strong enough for the
interviewing officer to conclude that one’s
ties to the Philippines will bring him/her
back at the end of a temporary stay in the
United States.
Source: http://manila.usembassy.gov and http://travel.state.gov

5. What do you mean by
"ties to the
Philippines?"
Source: http://manila.usembassy.gov and http://travel.state.gov

6. "Ties" are the aspects of one’s life that bind
him/her to his/her place of residence,
including family relationships, employment
and possessions. In the case of younger
applicants, who may not have had an
opportunity to establish such ties, interviewing
officers may look at educational status,
grades, the situation of parents, and an applicant's
long-range plans and prospects in the Philippines.
As each person's situation is different,
there is no set answer as to what constitutes
adequate ties.
Source: http://manila.usembassy.gov and http://travel.state.gov

7.  Bank statements for the last three (3)
months and both current and former bank
account passbooks
 Employment certification including salary,
tenure and position
 Form W-2Income tax return with Bureau of
Internal Revenue (BIR) or bank stampAudited
financial statement with BIR or bank stamp
 Pay slips for the last three (3) months
 Credit card statements for the prior three
months
Source: http://manila.usembassy.gov and http://travel.state.gov

8.  Vehicle registration with official receipt
 Land titles (no certified copies please)
 Pictures of family, home or businessWedding
photos
 Marriage certificate printed on the Philippine
National Statistics Office security paper, if
applicable
 Birth certificate printed on the Philippine
National Statistics Officesecurity paper
 For students, certificate of school registration
 Certification of membership to legitimate
organization(s)
Source: http://manila.usembassy.gov and http://travel.state.gov

9. Due to the large volume of applications
consular officers
processed each day,
may not always look at supporting
documents, unless there are points in
the application forms or in the interview
that need clarification.
Source: http://manila.usembassy.gov and http://travel.state.gov

10. Supporting documents may or may
not be requested from the applicant
and are only required at the
discretion of the consular officer
In certain cases, additional
documents may be requested.
Source: http://manila.usembassy.gov and http://travel.state.gov

11. All documents must be originals. Photocopies will
not be accepted, unless specified. The applicant
must submit these documents to the
interviewing consular officer during the
interview. The Nonimmigrant Visa Unit does not
accept documents before the interview. Any
documents received will not be returned and will
be destroyed. Please note, however, that
presentation of the documents will not guarantee
visa issuance. Applicants must still qualify under
INA Section 214(b).
Source: http://manila.usembassy.gov and http://travel.state.gov

12. So you have your binding ties
What else do you need?
Source: http://manila.usembassy.gov and http://travel.state.gov

13.  Allapplicants must fill out a DS160
electronically
 Available in https://ceac.state.gov/gennive
 Needs to be sign and submitted
 Confirmation page must be printed with
barcode number

14.  Must be valid at least six month from the
date of departure from the U.S.
 Must be in good condition

15. Nonimmigrant visa applicants are required to
present a U.S. visa application payment slip to
pay the machine-readable visa (MRV)
application fee. Before going to the bank,
applicants must print the applicable U.S. visa
application payment slip and take it to the
bank to pay the fee.

16. There is an expiration date on the payment
slip. Bank agents will NOT accept payments
based on expired slips. Each slip has a unique
receipt number. Applicants will not be able
to schedule an appointment without the
receipt number. If paying for more than one
applicant, the payment slip cannot be
reproduced nor used for lump sum payment

17.  Go to ustraveldocs.com/ph
 Click Bank and Payment Options
 Click Deposit Slip - $160 MRV Fee
 Print the payment slip

18. Visa application fees are non-
refundable and non-transferable. No
exceptions will be made to this rule. It is valid
for one year after the date of actual payment;
the interview must fall within the one-year
validity.

19.  Cash at Bank – Any BPI Branch
 Online Payment – BPI Online and Bancnet
Once done with the payment, wait for the
payment to be activated.
Payments made before 3pm – 4 hours Payment
Processing Timelines otherwise it will be
activated one day after receipt purchase date
and after 11:00am

20. One 2" x 2" standard photo.
The photo must be:
 In color
 Sized such that the head is between 1 inch and 1 3/8
inches (22 mm and 35 mm) or 50% and 69% of the image's
total height from the bottom of the chin to the top of the
head. View the Photo Composition Template for more size
requirement details.
 Taken within the last 6 months to reflect your current
appearance
 The ears should be exposed, if local or religious custom
does not prohibit.
 Taken in front of a plain white or off-white background
 Taken in full-face view directly facing the camera
 With a neutral facial expression and both eyes open

21. Taken in clothing that you normally wear on a daily
basis
 Uniforms should not be worn in your photo, except
religious clothing that is worn daily.
 Do not wear a hat or head covering that obscures the
hair or hairline, unless worn daily for a religious
purpose. Your full face must be visible, and the head
covering must not cast any shadows on your face.
 Headphones, wireless hands-free devices, or similar
items are not acceptable in your photo.
 If you normally wear glasses (without tinted lenses), a
hearing device, or similar articles, they may be worn in
your photo.
 Dark glasses or glasses with tinted lenses are not
acceptable.
 Glare on glasses is not acceptable in your photo. Glare
can be avoided with a slight downward tilt of the glasses
or by removing the glasses or by turning off the camera
flash.

22. How to schedule an appointment?