Non-Immigrant Visas
Frequently Asked Questions
This guide answers some of the most frequently asked questions about U.S. Visas. If you have other questions not answered here, you may contact the Consular Section. Please note that under U.S. law, specifically the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) 222(f), visa records are confidential. Therefore, only the applicant or the applicant’s attorney can inquire about the status of a visa application.
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Non-Immigrant Visa Inquiries: call +962 6 590 6952, Sunday through Thursday, 2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. or email ResponseAmman@state.gov.
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Immigrant Visa Inquiries: Amman-IV@state.gov.
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American Citizen Service Inquiries: call +962 6 590 6950, Sunday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. or email Amman-ACS@state.gov.
A. The fee is payable at the following branches of Cairo-Amman Bank (Jordan): Amman (Main Branch), Aqaba, Irbid, Jerash, Jordan University, Karak, Mecca Street, Salt, Shmeisani (Safeway Branch), Sweifieh, Wadi Saqra, and ZarkA. Application fees for non-immigrant visas will not be accepted at the Consular Section.
Q. How much is the application fee?
A. The application fee is currently $131 paid in Cairo Amman Bank. The fee is non-refundable if the applicant is refused. It is a processing fee and not an issuance fee.
Q. My child is one month old does [s]he need a visa? If yes, do I have to pay the fee for him/her even though he is on my passport?
A. Yes. A child must have a visa at the time of travel regardless of the child’s age or whether or not s/he is added on a parent’s passport. Also, the processing fee must be paid for each visa applicant.
Q. If I decide not to apply for the visa after I have paid the fee, may I receivea refund or give the receipt to someone else to use?
A. No, the receipt is non-refundable and non-transferable
Q. How long is the receipt valid?
A. The receipt is valid for one year.
Q. If I am not from Jordan, do I also pay the fee at the Cairo-Amman Bank?
A. All applicants of any nationality who intend to apply for a non-immigrant U.S. visa in Jordan must pay the fee at the Cairo-Amman Bank.
Q. If I have to pay an issuance fee for my visa, do I also pay this fee at the Cairo-Amman Bank?
A. No, the issuance fee (applicable for some third country nationals and temporary workers) is assessed after the interview and is paid in the Embassy's Consular Section.
Q. Are any applicants exempt from paying this application fee?
A. Persons traveling to perform official duties on behalf of their governments or employees of international organizations and their immediate family (A, G visas). Diplomatic passport holders are also exempt.
Q. Can Iraqi and other third-country nationals apply for visas in Jordan?
A. Yes. Applicants of all nationalities are welcome to apply at the American Embassy in
Q. How long before I travel should I apply for a visa?
A. Please apply at least 90 days in advance of your planned travel. While 80% of qualified applicants receive their visas within two to four business days, some visas must be submitted for further administrative processing which can take as long as several months to complete. This processing cannot be waived or expedited. For this reason we strongly suggest you apply for your visa well in advance of your planned date of travel.
Q. The EVAF has 40 questions. Do I have to answer them all at one time, or can I save my data and return to the website later to complete the form?
A. The EVAF website does not allow applicants to save their dat
A. Therefore, when you close the EVAF website, all your data is lost. This means that you must complete the entire form in one sitting and click on the “Continue” button at the end.
Q. How do I print out the form?
A. When you finish entering all the information on the form and press the “Continue” button at the bottom, your application is converted into a PDF file that you need to print out and bring to the visa interview. You should save this PDF file to your computer first, and then print it out. If you can, we recommend that you print out the form immediately. However, if you do not have a printer connected to your computer, you can print out the PDF file at a later date. The form must be printed in black ink on letter-size white paper with no holes or perforations. Colored paper and lightweight fax paper will not be accepted.
Q. Once i have printed the form, what should I do with it?
A. Please follow these steps:
- Please follow these steps:
Make sure that the rectangular barcode on page 3 is clear. If it is smeared or smudged in any way, please print out another copy. - Staple the 3 pages together in the upper left hand corner.
- Sign your name (in English or in your native language) in question 41.
- Place the form in a folder (or any other safe place) and make sure it remains in good condition until the day of your interview.
- If the form is folded or damaged in any way, it will not be accepted. Also, the third page of the EVAF, which contains the barcode, should be free of any smear or stain.
Q. Will the embassy contact me after I have completed my EVAF?
A. No. When you fill out your EVAF, the data is not submitted to us. In other words, we do not receive your information through the Internet. The only way for us to obtain your information is for you to bring the printout of your EVAF to us on the day of your interview. At that point, we will scan the barcode on page 3 to access your information. That is why it is important for the barcode to be clearly readable and free of any smudges or stains.
Q. Can I send the EVAF to you by fax or email?
A. No. Please do not e-mail or fax us your EVAF, as we will not review it in advance of your interview.
Q. How do I cancel or reschedule my non-immigrant visa appointment?
A. You may use the same online appointment system that you used to schedule the appointment. Please have your printed confirmation with your Confirmation ID. Visit https://evisaforms.state.gov/default.asp?postcode=AMM&appcode=3and click the "Change/Cancel Appointment" button.
Q. What if I need to reschedule my appointment and I do not have my printed confirmation?
A. Please e-mail ResponseAmman@state.gov with your name, passport number, and date and time of your original appointment and explain that you need to reschedule your appointment but do not have the confirmation ID available. After doing this you may schedule a new appointment via the online appointment system. Failure to notify us may result in both appointments being cancelled.
Q. How long should my passport be valid for?
A. Your passport should be valid for more than six months, if your passport validity is less than 6 months you will not be allowed into the embassy.
Q. I have a valid visa but my passport has expired. What should I do?
A. Generally, you may staple the expired passport that contains the valid visa to the new passport. If you do not wish to do so, then you must apply for a new visa
Q. I had several U.S. visas before. Why do I have to schedule an interview again?
A. Regulations now mandate that all applicants renewing or applying for U.S. visas appear for finger scans and an interview with a consular officer. Unless the applicant is under 14 years of age or over 80 years old, s/he must appear for an interview.
Q. I am an American citizen and I would like to appear with my elderly mother/ relative/ friend for his/her interview but the guards at the gate say they cannot let me, why?
A. No one may accompany a visa applicant to an interview unless the applicant is a minor incapable of communicating in any language spoken by the Embassy staff without the assistance of a certified interpreter, or in need of physical assistance for an obvious medical infirmity. By law, information from a third party is not germane to the determination of visa eligibility. Visa eligibility is determined by an American consular officer's evaluation of the individual applicant's personal situation with respect to his or her home country and his or her compelling reasons to return to that country after a short stay in the United States.
Q. My case was subject to special administrative processing. I followed the directions on your website after my application had been cleared. However, I received my passport 2 weeks later without a visa, why?
A. Usually this means that new information became available after you sent your passport to us requiring that we obtain a new clearance for you. It is not unusual for applicants to require a new administrative processing after an initial one. As soon as the response to the new administrative processing is obtained, your case number will be posted on the website under NIV Case Status.
Q. I’ve Been Refused! Why?
A. If you or someone you know has had a non-immigrant visa application refused by Embassy Amman, it is most likely that the consular officer found the applicant ineligible under Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). This is the most common type of refusal in non-immigrant cases and is frequently accompanied by the explanation that the applicant is “not qualified” for the visa.
Q. What constitutes "strong ties"?
A. Strong ties differ from country to country, city to city, individual to individual. Some examples of ties can be a job, a house, a family or other capital assets. "Ties" are the various aspects of your life that bind you to your country of residence: your possessions, employment, social and family relationships.
Q. Is a denial under section 214(b) permanent?
A. No. If you have new information that was not presented to the interviewing officer at the time of your first application or if your overall circumstances have changed significantly since your last application and you can now better establish convincing ties outside the United States, you may reapply. However, simply reapplying in the days or weeks following a 214(b) refusal will most often lead to another refusal. Presentation of additional documentation (such as land deeds, bank account statements, car registration, etc.) which only document the situation understood by the consular officer at the time of the initial refusal, will not improve the applicant's chance of success. Some applicants will not qualify for a non-immigrant visa, regardless of how many times they reapply, until their personal, professional, and financial circumstances change considerably.
Q. But it wasn't my fault. The person who completed my application didn't ask me the same questions that are on the application form. How do I know what was written on the application? Why should I be held responsible?
A. Each applicant is responsible for the accuracy and truthfulness of the information presented on his or her application. We caution applicants who use "visa assistants" in front of the embassy. These assistants are often not interested in the accuracy of your application, just the fee that you pay them.
Q. I have been accepted by a U.S. school which issued me an I-20. Why isn't that enough for issuance of a student visa?
A. The approved I-20 is just one piece of information the interviewing officer must consider when deciding whether a visa may be issued. Remember, under section 214(b) of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act, you still must prove that you will leave the United States after the purpose for which you entered the United States comes to an end. In student visa cases, the applicants may intend to stay in the United States for many months and even years pursuing a course of study. Consequently, we must consider your overall circumstances when deciding whether to approve a student visa. Student visas must be denied if it appears that the student cannot or will not complete a full course of study in the United States. The fact that a school has admitted a student to study and issued the student an I-20 is, therefore, only one factor we consider.
Q. Must applicants take tests such as the TOEFL, SAT, GRE, and GMAT, in order to obtain a student visa? Is any particular score on these exams needed to get a visa?
A. Applicants are generally not required to take any particular tests to qualify for a visa. However, we note that motivated and serious student visa applicants often take such tests when seeking admission to schools in the United States. The fact that a student has taken one or more of these tests may help show the seriousness of the applicant's study plans.
Q. Where can I report visa fraud?
A. If you have information regarding visa abuse and visa fraud, please let us know by sending us an email to ResponseAmman@state.gov.
Q. What can I do if I have a complaint about the application process or my case?
A. All visa applicants are entitled to courteous, efficient, and consistent treatment. If you feel you were treated improperly during the processing of your visa application, you should write to the consul general and describe the circumstances. Your concerns will be investigated and corrective action taken where justified. Please e-mail responseamman@state.gov or fax us at (962) 6 592-4102.
Q. How do I request an emergency visa appointment?
A. Click here for more information
Q. What if I have other questions about applying for a U.S. visa?
A. If you have other questions not answered here, you may wish to seek additional information at http://travel.state.gov/. If you are unable to find the information you require, you may also e-mail us at responseamman@state.gov. Alternatively, you may call the embassy's information line between 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. on work days at (962) 6 590-6952.