The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the sole institution that issues the H4 Visa to the spouse and their children who are below 21 years of H-1B visa holders. This visa allows the immediate family members to lawfully migrate to the U.S. there are many cases of families living apart for many years as the breadwinner of the family is in another country pursuing his/her career. In the case of the breadwinner living in the U.S., the USCIS has made it possible for these kinds of families to reunite through the application of H-4 visa under the condition that they are the immediate family members of the H-1B visa holder. Once they are in the U.S. they are eligible to work, live and access education in the U.S.

The following are the steps of acquiring the H-4 visa to have a better understanding of the requirements needed for someone to qualify for application. First and foremost, applicants who are applying for US visitor visa should submit a digital photograph of themselves taken by professionals that know the standard measurements of the photograph dimensions required.

The next step is to fill an online form know as DS-160 which is required by US consulates all over the globe. This form must be completed online for the applicant to qualify to the next step. As an applicant proceeds to the next stage, he/she would have to pay the Visa Application fees in accordance to the category of the visa type the applicant is applying for. These fees are usually nonrefundable and the rates are determined by the US consulates, where in this case, the applicant is applying for H-4 category visa, will have to pay the current rate of $190.

An appointment date will be set by the US consulates which it is mandatory for applicants to appear. There will be two appointment dates set where at the first date the US consulate will take biometric information as well as digital photographs. The second appointment is when the US visa interview process commences and payments of the visa application made.

H4 visa applicants are required to carry the necessary documents needed during the interview, for example, the important documents are such as passport valid for six months beyond the intended period of stay, visa application fee receipt, DS-160 form confirmation page and an email address. In rare occasions applicants may be summoned for emergency appointments for medical purposes or humanitarian services. It is after this procedure that now the US consulate decides if H-4 US visa applicants are cleared to move to the United States of America.

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