How to Apply

Labor Certification – Some temporary worker visa categories require your prospective employer to obtain a labor certification or other approval from the Department of Labor on your behalf before filing the Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, Form I-129, with USCIS. Your prospective employer should review the Instructions for Form I-129 on the USCIS website to determine whether labor certification is required for you.

Petition Approval – Some temporary worker categories are limited in total number of petitions which can be approved on a yearly basis. Before you can apply for a temporary worker visa at the U.S. Embassy in the Kyrgyz Republic, a Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, Form I-129, must be filed on your behalf by a prospective employer and be approved by USCIS. For more information about the petition process, eligibility requirements by visa category, and numerical limits, if applicable, see Working in the U.S. and Temporary (Nonimmigrant) Workers on the USCIS website. Once the petition is approved, USCIS will send your prospective employer a Notice of Action, Form I-797.

  1. Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your intended stay in the United States (e.g. if you plan to go to the United States for one month in March, your passport must be valid at least through October).
  2. Your passport must have at least one blank visa page.
  • Fill out the DS-160 Electronic Application Form.

    All visa applicants must CAREFULLY check information entered on their DS-160 visa application form.  Minor errors may be corrected on the day of the appointment, but if you notice a major error or have an update to your application (recent marriage, change in travel plans), please complete a new DS-160 form and bring the updated confirmation page with you to your appointment.

    The Consular Section is not able to issue visas on the day of the interview. All applicants are encouraged to apply for visas well in advance of planned travel to the United States. The Consular Section strongly advises you to purchase tickets or book reservations only after you have received your nonimmigrant visa.

    Expedited appointments are offered on a limited basis for petition-based visa applicants.  All applicants who wish to have an expedited appointment are required first to fill out an electronic application form DS-160 and follow the directions for requesting an expedited appointment here.

Only a passport, DS-160 confirmation page, Appointment confirmation page, a 2 x 2 inch color photo not older than 6 months – with a light or white background ( if not uploaded in the electronic application), and all the supporting forms (including copies of I-129, I-797, etc.) are required for the visa interview. Additional documents may be requested, for example, contracts; diplomas; or other evidence to establish if you are qualified for your desired visa category.

To schedule an appointment for a non-immigrant visa (NIV) interview, please go to NIV Appointment System. Please, have your DS-160 Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application Form Confirmation Number handy. It is located on your DS-160 confirmation page, in bold print.

During your visa interview, a consular officer will determine whether you are qualified to receive a visa, and if so, which visa category is appropriate based on your purpose of travel. You will need to establish that you meet the requirements under U.S. law to receive the category of visa for which you are applying. Ink-free, digital fingerprint scans will be taken as part of your application process. They are usually taken during your interview.

On the day of your interview, please pay the appropriate nonrefundable visa application fees. All visa fees must be paid in U.S. dollars or Kyrgyz som based on the exchange rate established by the U.S. Embassy at the cash desk of the Consular section on the day of interview. Please note that this fee is non-refundable. Applicants should not pay this fee unless they are 100% confident that they want to apply for the U.S. visa.

NOTE: Payment for your interview is due at the time of service.  We request the exact payment amount for the interview, either in KGS or USD (crisp and unmarked), but not both. We do not accept credit cards for payment.  Applicants whose visas are approved may be required to pay an additional reciprocity fee.  Please check the Reciprocity Fee Schedule and plan accordingly for your visit.

If your visa is approved, you may also pay a visa issuance fee, depending on the type of visa issued. If you are issued an H, L, O, P, Q, and R visas, you will need to pay an additional fee. Please check the Reciprocity Fee Schedule and plan accordingly for your visit.

You will be informed of the time and date of that your may collect your passport at the time of the interview.  In general, passport pass-back takes place on Wednesdays and Fridays at 14:30. Passports may be collected from the Consular section entrance with your payment receipt.  Your designated representative may collect the passport on your behalf if you are unable to collect it yourself.