General Information:

The B-1/B-2 visitor visa is for people traveling to the United States temporarily for business (B-1) or for pleasure or medical treatment (B-2). Generally, the B-1 visa is for travelers consulting with business associates, attending scientific, educational, professional or business conventions/conferences, settling an estate or negotiating contracts. The B-2 visa is for travel that is recreational in nature, including tourism, visits with friends or relatives, medical treatment and activities of a fraternal, social or service nature. Often, the B-1 and B-2 visas are combined and issued as one visa: the B-1/B-2.

Qualifications:

If you apply for a B-1/B-2 visa, you must demonstrate to a consular officer that you qualify for a U.S. visa in accordance with the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Section 214(b) of the INA presumes that every B-1/B-2 applicant is an intending immigrant. You must overcome this legal presumption by showing:

• That the purpose of your trip to the United States is for a temporary visit, such as business, pleasure, or medical treatment.
• That you plan to remain in the United States for a specific, limited period of time
• Evidence of funds to cover your expenses while in the United States.
• That you have a residence outside the United States, as well as other binding social or economic ties, that will ensure your return abroad at the end of your visit

Requirements:

• A Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160).
• A passport valid for travel to the United States with a validity date at least six months beyond your intended period of stay in the United States.
• One 5×5 cm photo taken within the last six months.
• Interview appointment letter confirmation.

Supporting Documents:

Supporting documents are only one of many factors a consular officer will consider in your interview. Consular officers look at each application individually and consider professional, social, cultural and other factors during adjudication. Consular officers may look at your specific intentions, family situation, and your long-range plans and prospects within your country of residence. Each case is examined individually and is accorded every consideration under the law.

You should bring the following documents to your interview:

• Current proof of income, tax payments, property or business ownership, or assets.
• Your travel itinerary and/or other explanation about your planned trip.
• A letter from your employer detailing your position, salary, how long you have been employed, any authorized vacation, and the business purpose, if any, of your U.S. trip.
• Criminal/court records pertaining to any arrest or conviction anywhere, even if you completed your sentence or were later pardoned.

Additionally, based on your purpose of travel, you should consider bringing the following:

Students: Bring your latest school results, transcripts and degrees/diplomas. Also bring evidence of financial support such as monthly bank statements, fixed deposit slips, or other evidence.

Working adults: Bring an employment letter from your employer and pay slips from the most recent three months.

Businessmen and company directors: Bring evidence of your position in the company and remuneration.

Previous visitors to the United States: If you were previously in the United States, any documents attesting to your immigration or visa status.

Supporting Documents for Applicants Seeking Medical Care:

Documentation in addition to the documents listed above and those the consular officer may require:

• A medical report statement from a physician in Egypt stating the nature of the medical condition and the possibility of treatment in Egypt.
• A statement from a licensed American physician, on official letterhead or hospital letterhead, describing:

1. The medical problem based on the assessment of a doctor in Egypt.
2. The treatment required.
3. The entire cost of the treatment.
4. The appointment date.
5. Documents showing the applicants’ ability to pay for the treatment (bank statements or an affidavit of support from abroad).

Visa Fees: 185 USD (paid in Egyptian Pounds according to the exchange rate decided by the U.S. embassy in Cairo) and 1500 EGP handling fees of Ta2shira.com, excluding costs of any extra services or translation of documents.

General Information:

The United States welcomes foreign citizens who come to the U.S. to study. Before applying for a visa, all student visa applicants are required to be accepted and approved by their school or program. Once accepted, the educational institution will provide the applicant with the necessary approval documentation to be submitted when applying for a student visa. Student (F and M) visas for new students can be issued up to 365 days in advance of the start date for a course of study, and students can travel within 30 days from the start date on the Form I-20.

Visa descriptions and qualifications:

F-1 visa:

This is the most common type of student visa. If you wish to engage in academic studies in the United States at an approved school, such as an accredited U.S. college or university, private secondary school, or approved English language program then you need an F-1 visa. You will also need an F-1 visa if your course of study is more than 18 hours a week.

M-1 visa:

If you plan engage in non-academic or vocational study or training at a U.S. institution, then you need an M-1 visa.

U.S. public schools:

U.S. law does not permit foreign students to attend public elementary school (kindergarten to 8th grade) or a publicly funded adult education program. Hence, F-1 visas cannot be issued for study at such schools.

An F-1 visa can be issued for attendance at a public secondary school (grades 9 to 12), but the student is limited to a maximum of 12 months at the school. The school must also indicate on the Form I-20 that the student has paid the unsubsidized cost of the education and the amount submitted by the student for that purpose.

Note: Holders of A, E, F-2, G, H-4, J-2, L-2, M-2 or other derivative nonimmigrant visas may enroll in public elementary and secondary schools.

Dependents:

Spouses, including unmarried children under the age of 21 who wish to accompany or join the principal visa holder in the United States for the duration of his or her stay require derivative F or M visas. There is no derivative visa for the parents of F or M holders.

Family members who do not intend to reside in the United States with the principal visa holder, but wish to visit for vacations only, may be eligible to apply for visitor (B-2) visas.

Spouses and dependents may not work in the United States on a derivative F or M visa. If your spouse/child seeks employment, the spouse must obtain the appropriate work visa.

Application items:

To apply for an F or M visa, you must pay your application fee and submit the following:

• A Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160) Form. 
• A passport valid for travel to the United States with a validity date at least six months beyond your intended period of stay in the United States. 
• One 5×5 cm photograph taken within the last six months. 
• An approved original signed Form I-20 from your U.S. school or program.
• A Form I-901 SEVIS fee receipt indicating you paid the SEVIS fee. 
• Interview booking appointment letter.

Supporting Documents:

Supporting documents are only one of many factors a consular officer will consider in your interview. Consular officers may look at your specific intentions, family situation, and your long-range plans and prospects within your country of residence. Each case is examined individually and is accorded every consideration under the law.

You should bring the following documents to your interview:

• Documents demonstrating strong financial, social, and family ties to your home country.
• Financial and any other documents you believe will support your application and which give credible evidence that you have enough readily available funds to meet all expenses for the first year of study and that you have access to funds sufficient to cover all expenses while you remain in the United States.
• M-1 applicants must demonstrate the ability to pay all tuition and living costs for the entire period of their intended stay.
• Original copies of bank statements or original bank books.
• If you are financially sponsored by another person, bring proof of your relationship to the sponsor (such as your birth certificate), the sponsor’s most recent original tax forms and the sponsor’s bankbooks and/or fixed deposit certificates.
• Academic documents that show scholastic preparation. Useful documents include school transcripts (original copies are preferred) with grades, public examination certificates (A-levels, etc.), standardized test scores (SAT, TOEFL, etc.), and diplomas.

Supporting Documents for Dependents:

• Proof of the student’s relationship to his or her spouse and/or child (e.g., marriage and birth certificates).

It is preferred that families apply for their visas at the same time, but if the spouse and/or child must apply separately at a later time, they should bring a copy of the student visa holder’s passport and visa, along with all other required documents.

Visa Fees: 185 USD (paid in Egyptian Pounds according to the exchange rate decided by the U.S. embassy in Cairo) and 1500 EGP handling fees of Ta2shira.com, excluding costs of any extra services or translation of documents.

General Information:

The media (I) visa is a nonimmigrant visa for representatives of the foreign media temporarily traveling to the United States to engage in their profession while having their home office in a foreign country. Some procedures and fees under immigration law relate to policies of the traveler’s home country and, in turn, the U.S. follows a similar practice, which we call “reciprocity.” Procedures for providing media visas to foreign media representatives of a particular country consider whether the visa applicant’s own government grants similar privileges, or is reciprocal, to media/press representatives from the United States.

Qualifications:

There are very specific requirements, dictated by U.S. immigration law, which must be met by applicants in order to qualify for the media visa. To qualify for the media (I) visa applicants must demonstrate that they are properly qualified to be issued a media visa.

Media visas are for “representatives of the foreign media”, including members of the press, radio, film or print industries, whose activities are essential to the foreign media function, such as reporters, film crews, editors and persons in similar occupations, under U.S. immigration laws, traveling to the U.S. to engage in their profession. The applicant must be engaging in qualifying activities for a media organization having its home office in a foreign country. The activity must be essentially informational, and generally associated with the news gathering process, reporting on actual current events, to be eligible for the media visa. The consular officer will determine whether or not an activity qualifies for the media visa. Reporting on sports events are usually appropriate for the media visa. Other examples include, but are not limited to, the following media related kinds of activities:

• Primary employees of foreign information media engaged in filming a news event or documentary.
• Members of the media engaged in the production or distribution of film will only qualify for a media visa if the material being filmed will be used to disseminate information or news. Additionally, the primary source and distribution of funding must be outside the United States.
• Journalists working under contract. Persons holding a credential issued by a professional journalistic organization, if working under contract on a product to be used abroad by an information or cultural medium to disseminate information or news not primarily intended for commercial entertainment or advertising. Please note that a valid employment contract is required.
• Employees of independent production companies when those employees hold a credential issued by a professional journalistic association.
• Foreign journalists working for an overseas branch office or subsidiary of a U.S. network, newspaper or other media outlet if the journalist is going to the United States to report on U.S. events solely for a foreign audience.
• Accredited representatives of tourist bureaus, controlled, operated, or subsidized in whole or in part by a foreign government, who engage primarily in disseminating factual tourist information about that country, and who are not entitled to A-2 visa classification.
• Technical industrial information. Employees in the U.S. offices of organizations, which distribute technical industrial information.
• Freelance journalists will only be considered for an I visa if all of the following criteria are met. The journalist must:

1. Hold a credential issued by a professional journalistic organization.
2. Be under contract to a media organization.
3. Disseminate information or news not primarily intended for commercial entertainment or advertising.

Still photographers are permitted to enter the United States with B-1 visas for the purpose of taking photographs, provided that they receive no income from a U.S. source.

Restrictions:

Citizens from a country participating in the Visa Waiver Program who want to enter the United States temporarily as representatives of the foreign media while engaging in their profession as media or journalists, must first obtain a media visa to come to the United States. They cannot travel without a visa on the Visa Waiver Program, nor can they travel on a visitor (type B) visa. Attempting to do so may result in a denial of admission to the U.S. by the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection officer at the port of entry. The list below describes situations when a visitor visa or the Visa Waiver Program can be used.

A visitor visa may be used if your purpose of travel is for the following activities:

• Attending a conference or meeting
• Media representatives traveling to the United States to attend conferences or meetings as a participant and who will not report about the meeting, either while in the U.S. or upon their return, can travel on a visitor visa. The distinction in immigration law is whether they will be “engaging in their vocation”.
• Guest speaking, lecturing or engaging in academic activity.
• Media representatives must hold a visitor visa when traveling to the United States for the purposes of guest speaking, lecturing, or engaging in other usual academic activity at a related or affiliated nonprofit entity, a nonprofit research organization, a governmental research organization, or at an institution of higher education from which the applicant will receive an honorarium. However, the speaking activity must last no longer than nine days at a single institution and the speaker cannot have received payment from more than five institutions or organizations for such activities in the last six months.
• A visitor visa can be used by employees of foreign media outlets to purchase U.S. media equipment or broadcast rights or to take orders for foreign media equipment or broadcast rights, since these activities fall within the scope of those executed by ordinary business visitors.
• A foreign media journalist can take vacation to the United States using a visitor visa and does not need a media visa, as long as he/she will not be reporting on newsworthy events.

Traveling with a temporary work visa:

While certain activities clearly qualify for the media visa because they are informational and news gathering in content, many do not. Each application is considered within the full context of its particular case. The consular officer focuses on whether the purpose of travel is essentially informational, and whether it is generally associated with the news gathering process, in order to determine if an applicant qualifies for a media visa. The list below describes situations when a temporary worker visa, such as types H, O, or P, are required instead of a type I journalist/media visa.

A temporary work visa may be used if your purpose of travel is for the following activities:

• Filming material for commercial entertainment or advertising purposes
• A media visa cannot be used by applicants whose purpose of travel to the United States is to film, or work on a film, intended primarily for commercial entertainment or advertising purposes. A temporary worker visa is required.
• Production support roles such as proofreaders, librarians and set designers
• People involved in associated activities such as proofreaders, librarians, set designers, etc., are not eligible for media visas and may qualify under another classification, such as H, O, or P visas.
• Stories that are staged events, television and quiz shows

1. Stories that involve contrived and staged events, even when unscripted, such as reality television shows and quiz shows, are not primarily informational and do not generally involve journalism. Similarly, documentaries involving staged recreations with actors are also not considered informational. Members of the team working on such productions will not qualify for media visa. Television, radio, and film production companies may wish to seek expert counsel from an immigration attorney who specializes in media work for specific advice tailored to the current project.

Producing artistic media content:

Media representatives who will travel to the United States in order to participate in the production of artistic media content (in which actors are used) will not qualify for a media visa. Television, radio, and film production companies may wish to seek expert counsel from an immigration attorney who specializes in media work for specific advice tailored to the current project.

Dependents: Spouses, including unmarried children under the age of 21, who wish to accompany or join the principal visa holder in the United States for the duration of his/her stay require derivative I visas. Spouses and/or children who do not intend to reside in the United States with the principal visa holder, but visit for vacations only, may be eligible to apply for visitor (B-2) visas.

Spouses and dependents may not work in the United States on a derivative I visa. If the spouse or dependent seeks employment, the appropriate work visa will be required.

Application items:

• A Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160) Form.  
• A passport valid for travel to the United States with a validity date at least six months beyond your intended period of stay in the United States. 
• One 5×5 cm photo taken within the last six months. 
• Proof of employment: Staff Journalist: A letter from your employer that gives your name, your position held within the company, and the purpose and length of your stay in the United States. Freelance Journalist under contract to a media organization: A copy of the contract with the media organization showing your name, your position held within the company, the duration of contract, and the purpose and length of your stay in the United States. Media Film Crew: A letter from your employer showing your name, your position held within company, the title and a brief description of the program being filmed, and the purpose and length of your stay in the United States. Independent Production Company under contract to media organization: A letter from the organization commissioning the work showing your name, the title and a brief description of the program being filmed, the duration of the contract, and the period of time required for filming in the United States.
• Interview booking appointment letter.

Supporting Documents:

Supporting documents are only one of many factors a consular officer will consider in your interview. Consular officers look at each application individually and consider professional, social, cultural and other factors during adjudication. Consular officers may look at your specific intentions, family situation, and your long-range plans and prospects within your country of residence. Each case is examined individually and is accorded every consideration under the law.

You should bring the following documents to your interview:

• Press card/credentials
• A letter from your employer indicating the purpose of your trip, the intended length of your stay, the number of years you have been with your employer and the number of years of journalism experience you have.

Supporting Documents for Dependents: If your spouse and/or child apply for a visa at a later date, a copy of your media visa must be presented with the application.

Visa Fees: 185 USD (paid in Egyptian Pounds according to the exchange rate decided by the U.S. embassy in Cairo) and 1500 EGP handling fees of Ta2shira.com, excluding costs of any extra services or translation of documents.

General Information:

The R visa type is for individuals seeking to enter the United States to work in a religious capacity on a temporary basis, as defined in The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) §101(a)(15)(R).

Qualifications:

Religious workers include persons authorized by a recognized entity to conduct religious worship and undertake other duties usually performed by authorized members of the clergy of that religion, and workers engaging in a religious vocation or occupation. You must meet the following criteria if you seek a religious worker visa:

• You must be a member of a religious denomination recognized as a bona fide nonprofit religious organization in the U.S.
• Your religious denomination and its affiliate, if applicable, must be either exempt from taxation or qualify for tax-exempt status.

You must have been:

(a) a member of your denomination for the two years immediately preceding your application for religious worker status.

(b) planning to work as a minister of your denomination, or in a religious occupation or vocation for a bona fide, nonprofit religious organization (or a tax-exempt affiliate of such an organization).

(c) residing and physically present outside the U.S. for the immediate prior year, if you have previously spent five years in this category.

There is no requirement that you have a residence abroad that you have no intention of abandoning. However, you must intend to depart the U.S. at the end of your lawful status, absent specific indications or evidence to the contrary.

Petitions:

Your prospective employer must file Form I-129 , Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker, with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). 

Note: Prospective employers should file the petition as soon as possible (but not more than 6 months before the proposed employment will begin) in order to provide adequate time for petition and subsequent visa processing.

Your petition, Form I-129, must be approved before you can apply for a visa at the Embassy or Consulate. When your petition is approved, your employer or agent will receive a Notice of Action, Form I-797, which serves as your petition’s approval notification. The consular officer will verify your petition approval through the Department of State’s Petition Information Management Service (PIMS) during your interview.

You must bring your I-129 petition receipt number to your interview at the Embassy or Consulate in order to verify your petition’s approval. Please note that approval of a petition does not guarantee issuance of a visa if you are found to be ineligible for a visa under U.S. immigration law.

If you apply for a religious worker visa, you must pay your application fee and submit the following:

• A Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160) Form.
• A passport valid for travel to the United States with a validity date at least six months beyond your intended period of stay in the United States.
• One 5×5 cm photograph taken within the last six months.
• The receipt number printed on your approved I-129 petition. Please note that Form I-797 is no longer required for the interview.
• Interview appointment booking letter.

Supporting Documents:

Supporting documents are only one of many factors a consular officer will consider in your interview. Consular officers look at each application individually and consider professional, social, cultural and other factors during adjudication. Consular officers may look at your specific intentions, family situation, and your long-range plans and prospects within your country of residence. Each case is examined individually and is accorded every consideration under the law. 

You should bring the following documents to your interview: 

• A letter from an authorized official of the specific unit of your employing organization certifying that if your religious membership was maintained outside the United States, in whole or in part, that the foreign and United States religious organizations belong to the same religious denomination and that, immediately prior to your application for an R visa, you have been a member of the religious denomination for the required two-year period.
• If you are a minister, that you are authorized to conduct religious worship for that denomination. The duties should be described in detail; or
• If you are a religious professional, that you have at least a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent, and that such a degree is required for entry into the religious profession; or
• If you are to work in a nonprofessional vocation or occupation, that you are qualified if the type of work to be done relates to a traditional religious function.
• The arrangements for remuneration, including the amount and source of salary, other types of compensation such as food and housing, and any other benefits to which a monetary value may be affixed, and a statement whether such remuneration shall be in exchange for services rendered.
• The name and location of the specific organizational unit of the religious denomination or affiliate for which you will provide services.
• If you will work for an organization that is affiliated with a religious denomination, a description of the nature of the relationship between the two organizations.
• Evidence of your religious organization’s assets and methods of operation.
• Your organization’s papers of incorporation under applicable state law.

Visa Fees: 205 USD (paid in Egyptian Pounds according to the exchange rate decided by the U.S. embassy in Cairo) and 1500 EGP handling fees of Ta2shira.com, excluding costs of any extra services or translation of documents.