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How to apply for or renew a U.S. tourist visa

If you visit the U.S. for tourism or business, you may need a visitor visa, also known as a tourist visa. Learn how to get and renew this type of nonimmigrant visa.

To enter the U.S., you must bring a passport issued by your country of citizenship along with your visa. Officials at your port of entry into the U.S. will also issue you a Form I-94, which electronically records your arrival and departure dates. Learn more about Form I-94 and how to apply .

Find out if you need a visa to visit the U.S.

Check to see if your country participates in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP) . If it does, you can get a waiver and will not need a visa. If you do not see your country listed, you will need a visitor visa.

Visitor (tourist) visa

The visitor visa, also known as a tourist visa, is a type of nonimmigrant visa for people who wish to temporarily enter the U.S. There are two categories:

• B-1 for business travel
• B-2 for tourism and medical treatment

Learn about B-1 and B-2 visas , including:

• Reasons you would need each type of visitor visa
• How to apply
• What documents you will need
• Application fees
• How to prepare for your interview at your U.S. embassy or consulate

How to renew a visitor visa

You must renew your visitor visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad. Only diplomatic visa holders and their dependents can renew their visas within the U.S.

The process to renew a visitor visa is the same as getting one for the first time. Follow the process to apply for a visitor visa from the Department of State.

Find the contact information for your nearest U.S. embassy or consulate and contact them for visa renewal information.

LAST UPDATED: December 6, 2023

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Update April 12, 2024

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The DS-160, Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application form, is for temporary travel to the United States, and for K (fiancé(e)) visas. Form DS-160 is submitted electronically to the Department of State website via the Internet. Consular Officers use the information entered on the DS-160 to process the visa application and, combined with a personal interview, determine an applicant’s eligibility for a nonimmigrant visa.

Visa applicants must submit a completed DS-160, Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application for all nonimmigrant visa categories, including applicants applying for K visas. ( Note:   For K visa cases in process at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate prior to October 7, 2013, review the limited exceptions explained in the FAQs below.) 

Review the Frequently Asked Questions for instructions about using the DS-160.

Access the online DS-160 by clicking: Consular Electronic Application Center website .

Important Notice to Visa Applicants: After you have completed the DS-160, you must take these next steps below:

• Print and keep the DS-160 barcode page. (You will not need to print the full application.)
• You must schedule a visa interview appointment.  (The U.S. Embassy or Consulate does not schedule an appointment for you.) Visit the  U.S. Embassy or Consulate  website where you will be interviewed for country-specific instructions.;
• Pay the visa application processing fee . Review country-specific instructions on the  U.S. Embassy or Consulate  website.

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U.S. Travelers Will Soon Have to Pay to Enter the U.K.

By Sarah James

U.S. visitors—as well as visitors from Europe , Australia and Canada —will soon be required to apply for permission to enter the U.K. through a new scheme known as Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).

The U.K. government is in the process of fully digitizing U.K. borders by the end of 2025—and the ETA scheme will play its part, allowing “individuals, and carriers, with more assurance at an earlier point in time about their ability to travel to the U.K.,” the government said.

The scheme will be in place by the end of this year (2023), and visitors will be required to fill out an online application granting them permission to travel. There will be a small fee included in the application—similar to how the U.S.'s own ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) system works for U.K. travelers.

Here's everything we know.

Will I need a visa to enter the U.K.?

This isn't technically a visa—the ETA system will grant travelers permission to enter the country. You will need to apply for an ETA prior to arrival. If you haven't received permission to travel before arrival, you may get fined.

Travelers from the U.S. will soon need to apply for permission to enter the U.K.

How long will it take to get an ETA?

Travelers will be advised to apply for an ETA at least a few days before their journey. Approval should be granted within 72 hours of application.

How long will an ETA last?

After your ETA has been approved, visitors will be granted permission to stay in the U.K. for six months, whether for business or tourism reasons.

The U.K. government is yet to confirm how often visitors will need to apply for a new ETA, but it's likely to be valid for two years—meaning there's no need to apply for a new one every time you visit within the valid time period.

Visitors with valid ETAs can stay—and travel—in U.K. for up to six months.

How much will an ETA cost?

We don't know yet—but the government has said that the cost will be small. The EU implemented a similar system in 2022, which costs €7. A U.S. ESTA, meanwhile, costs $21.

Who will need to apply for an ETA?

The full list of nations included hasn't been announced yet. We do know that U.S. citizens who don't hold a visa will need to apply for an ETA, as will other visa-exempt nations such as Canada and Australia. European countries are likely to be included, too.  Those traveling from nationalities without a visa-free agreement with the UK will still need to apply for another applicable type of UK visa.

What will I need to apply for an ETA?

You'll need a valid passport , an email address to register with, and to supply the details of your travel, as well as a valid debit or credit card to pay any fees to apply.

To keep up to date with the latest information on the ETA scheme, check the official website for more details as they become available.

This article originally appeared on Condé Nast Traveller U.K.  

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US, UK and Schengen visas: What is the wait time?

By Condé Nast Traveller

Nearly years after the onset of the pandemic, embassies are struggling to provide visas to visitors and students on time. The wait time for US visas has gone up by over a year, which means you could get your US visa in March or April 2024. Some countries in the Schengen region have no slots available for appointments. The UK government has advised Indians to purchase a ticket only after they have received their visa. Here’s how long it could take you to get your visa.

Earlier in February when US visa slots opened up, the wait time for application for fresh US visas was till 2023. Now, the average wait time for a US visa in India has gone up to one-and-a-half years, according to the US State Department Website. This means if you apply now, you may receive your visa in March-April 2024.

When we checked on Thursday afternoon, the wait time for a visitor visa in New Delhi was 582 calendar days and 471 days for student visas. In Mumbai, it was 580 calendar days for a tourist visa and 12 days for a student visa. In Kolkata, the wait time for a visa appointment was 587 days and 2 days for a student visa, whereas in Chennai it was 513 calendar days and 8 days for a student visa. In Hyderabad, you will have to wait 510 calendar days for a visitor visa and 471 days for a student visa. 

According to the official UK website, visitor visas, including standard visitor visas are taking about 7 weeks to process. “We are working hard to process applications to get back to a 3-week standard,” states the website . However, the embassy is facing unprecedented delays on visas. Therefore visitors have been advised to buy their tickets only after they have received their visa. The UK is also receiving an unprecedented number of student visa applications this year. Britain's High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis said they are doing everything possible to ensure that these students get their visas on time. The UK High Commission in Delhi tweeted on Saturday that they have opened priority and super priority visas for students as well.

Schengen visa

Several Schengen countries currently do not have any slots available for appointments. When we checked on the VFS website on Thursday morning, Italy did not have any slots available in Mumbai or Bengaluru. The earliest slot available for the country is in Delhi on 29 August. Switzerland has slots open in September-end. Currently, Sweden has appointments as early as next week. For France, the earliest available date in Mumbai and Delhi is 28 September, whereas in Bengaluru no slots are available. Spain has appointments available in Mumbai as early as 24 August.

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Canada to introduce new rules around off-campus work hours for international students

From: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

News release

International students enrich Canada’s social, cultural and economic fabric. That is why, in recent months, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has introduced reforms to the International Students Program, to ensure system integrity while protecting students from fraud and financial vulnerability.

April 29, 2024—Ottawa— International students enrich Canada’s social, cultural and economic fabric. That is why, in recent months, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has introduced reforms to the International Student Program, to ensure system integrity while protecting students from fraud and financial vulnerability.

The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced today that the temporary policy allowing students to work more than 20 hours per week off campus will come to an end on April 30, 2024, and it will not be extended. This fall, we intend to change the number of hours students may work off campus per week to 24 hours.

Students who come to Canada must be here to study. As such, allowing students to work up to 24 hours per week will ensure they focus primarily on their studies, while having the option to work, if necessary.

As we head into the summer session, students who have a scheduled academic break can continue working unlimited hours.

In developing this change, we looked at the needs of students, policies in other countries, as well as research that has shown that academic outcomes suffer the more a student works while studying. It also strikes the appropriate balance so students have the option to work without compromising academic outcomes. More details will be shared in due course.

We also continue to develop the new Recognized Institutions Framework to reward post­secondary institutions that set high standards for selecting, supporting and retaining international students. We will continue to support and protect international students from financial vulnerability and keep protecting the integrity of the International Student Program.

“Working off campus helps international students gain work experience and offset some of their expenses. As international students arrive in Canada, we want them to be prepared for life here and have the support they need to succeed. However, first and foremost, people coming to Canada as students must be here to study, not work. We will continue working to protect the integrity of our student program.” – The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Quick facts

Recent studies conducted in the US and Canada have shown that there is a considerable decline in academic performance for students working more than 28 hours per week, and that working more than 24 hours per week increases the chances that a student will drop out of their program.

Most countries that welcome international students set limits on the number of hours they may work while they study. Australia recently changed its policy to allow a student to work 48 hours every 2 weeks. In the US, students must meet additional criteria before being permitted to work off campus at all.

In December 2023, the Government of Canada raised the cost-of-living threshold that students must meet to be approved for a study permit so they are financially prepared for life in Canada and are not as dependent on working.

International students who begin a college program delivered through a public-private curriculum licensing arrangement on or after May 15, 2024, will not be eligible for a post-graduation work permit when they graduate. Those who already started this type of program prior to May 15, 2024, will still be able to access a post-graduation work permit, provided they meet all other criteria .

The new letter of acceptance (LOA) verification process has been a success. Since its launch on December 1, 2023, through April 1, 2024, IRCC has

•  received almost 162,000 LOAs for verification
• confirmed nearly 142,000 LOAs as valid directly with designated learning institutions (DLIs)
• identified almost 9,000 LOAs that didn’t match any LOA issued by a DLI or that the DLI had already cancelled before the foreign national applied for a study permit

Associated links

• Statement: Minister Miller issues statement on international student allocations for provinces and territories
• Notice: Update on public-private college partnership programs for international students
• Notice: Additional information about International Student Program reforms
• News release: Canada to stabilize growth and decrease number of new study permits issued
• News release: Revised requirements to better protect international students
• News release: Changes to International Student Program aim to protect students
• Website: Work off campus as an international student

Aissa Diop Director of Communications Minister’s Office Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada [email protected]

Media Relations Communications Sector Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada 613-952-1650 [email protected]

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UK policy denying visas to children of care workers faces legal challenge

Exclusive: Action by organisation supporting migrants argues new rules are discriminatory

An organisation that supports migrant workers has launched a legal challenge against the government’s new policy to bar care workers from bringing children and partners to the UK, warning that it is “tearing families apart”.

According to Migrants at Work, care workers have to choose between family life with their children and partners or getting a job as a health or social carer in the UK – they can no longer do both.

The controversial policy , which took effect last month, has been introduced at a time when the vacancy rate in the adult social care workforce is at almost 10%.

The home secretary, James Cleverly, said the changes had been made to tighten up high levels of non-compliance as well as exploitation and abuse in the care sector.

A report from the Migration Advisory Committee estimated that 236,000 full-time care staff would be needed across the UK in the next 11 years.

A report to the Commons public accounts committee last month found there were 152,000 vacancies in the care sector – a 9.9% vacancy rate. The report said changes had been introduced at a time when “social care workforce shortages are of profound concern”.

The legal action argues that the policy is discriminatory on various grounds including sex, race and is in breach of the public sector equality duty. It claims the home secretary has failed to take into account the needs of care sector workers.

Aké Achi, the founding chief executive of Migrants at Work, said: “The Home Office’s changes to the health and social care visa will further exacerbate the staff shortages in the adult social care workforce.

“On top of this, carers who want to come to the UK are now facing an invidious choice: either they take up a job that will contribute to the delivery of social care at a time of crisis in the UK, or they continue living with their children and partners.

“The new rules will not allow them to do both. We have also seen cases where prospective care workers have been told they have to leave the UK since the new rules have come in, on the basis that their children are not permitted to stay in the UK as their dependants. The new rules are already tearing families apart and the impact on the wider care sector will be disastrous.”

Jeremy Bloom, a solicitor at Duncan Lewis, representing Migrants at Work, said the Home Office still had an opportunity to ditch the new rules and save on the expense of litigation.

He added: “We haven’t seen any evidence that the Home Office has properly considered the impact that this will have on people coming to the UK on health and social care visas, on the vulnerable individuals who need access to social care, or on the wider system of social care.”

He accused the home secretary of ignoring the impact this would have on staff shortages in the social care sector.

“The secretary of state is clear that a full impact assessment was not carried out prior to the introduction of the policy, which raises very serious concerns about whether he has complied with the public sector equality duty.”

A government spokesperson said: “Care workers make a vital contribution to society, but immigration is not the long-term answer to our social care needs. An estimated 120,000 dependants accompanied 100,000 care workers in the year ending September 2023. These numbers are unsustainable, which is why reforms are now in place restricting care workers from bringing dependants with them”.

• Immigration and asylum
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Local election results: Labour and Tories now think Khan has won in London, amid 'wild' rumours; Cooper says party 'needs to reflect' on Gaza after council election results

The Tories suffer historic losses in the local elections, while Labour admit the party's stance on Gaza was "obviously" a factor in its failure to do even better. Meanwhile, both main parties now think Sadiq Khan has won a narrow victory in the London mayoral race, despite "wild rumours".

Saturday 4 May 2024 02:11, UK

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• Labour and Tories now think Sadiq Khan to win narrowly in London - amid 'wild' rumours
• Labour shadow minister says 'we need to reflect' over Gaza stance 
• Labour wins mayoralty in PM's own backyard
• Relief for PM as Tory mayor clings on in key race
• But Sunak admits overall results are 'disappointing'
• Tories could be 'almost annihilated' at general election
• Starmer hails Labour wins - but admits Gaza cost him votes
• And party fears possible result to come in London mayoral contest
• Vote 2024: Council results in full  | Mayoral results as they happen  | Labour will fail to gain overall majority based on council election results - projection
• Live reporting by Katie Williams , Emily Mee , and (earlier) Andy Hayes and  Ben Bloch

The final election result for today has been declared - but there will be more to come on Saturday. 

Seven mayoral contests will be announced: London, West Midlands, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Liverpool City Region, South Yorkshire and Salford.

Fourteen London constituencies will also be announced, along with the London-wide top-up list that will elect another 11 assembly members.

Plus, four councils should be declared - North Tyneside, Stroud, Warrington and Epping Forest, where most of the results have already been announced.

A further eight police and crime commissioners will be revealed. 

Over the course of last night and today, Labour has gained nine police and crime commissioner (PCC) posts from the Conservatives. 

The party also held five posts, with another 10 to be declared over the weekend.

This means Labour holds 14 PCCs and the Conservatives 12, while Plaid Cymru has retained Dyfed-Powys.

While these elections get much less attention than those for mayors, councils and the London Assembly, they could be significant as they include many of the shires that traditionally lean towards the Conservatives.

We went into this set of local and mayoral elections with two big questions: Is Labour on course for a majority and how bad is it going to be for Rishi Sunak?

On the Sunak question, it's a very clear-cut story.

The Tories are having as bad a night as their worst nightmare.

There is a 19-point drop in the Conservative vote compared with the 2019 general election - one of its worst performances ever.

But it's not an all-out win for Labour, either.

Read more from our political editor Beth Rigby below...

The council is now under no overall control, with the Liberal Democrats, Labour and independents making gains. 

The Tories had held Gloucester for 20 years.

Boundary changes in the area have helped the Liberal Democrats and meant all seats were up for election this year.

It's been a bruising day for the Conservatives as the party looks on track for its worst local election result ever.

Labour has taken control of a string of Leave-voting councils, secured victory in the mayoral election in Rishi Sunak's back yard and won the Blackpool South by-election.

Our economics and data editor Ed Conway picks out the example of Rushmoor - a typically Tory-voting council which Labour has taken control of for the first time - as an example of a significant Labour win.

"Even in the late Tony Blair period... the Labour share was always low and it's just climbed up in the last few elections," he says.

"We're seeing here unprecedented results, that's underlining the national swing."

Despite Labour's success, however, there are "other stories going on", Ed notes, with the party's vote in areas with larger Muslim areas falling, potentially as a result of its stance on Gaza.

It's a huge moment for the Lib Dems as they gain Dorset Council from the Conservatives.

The party took 13 seats from the Tories to secure an overall count of 42.

If you're just catching up, our political correspondent Serena Barker-Singh can get you up to speed in the space of a minute.

There's just a handful more council results set to be declared in what has been a bumper day of local elections.

We've had a few more through this evening - including a gain for the Lib Dems from no overall control in Tunbridge Wells.

The party won eight seats there, while the Tories lost three and Labour lost one.

The Lib Dems have also held Woking council after gaining four seats.

Elsewhere, Labour has held West Lancashire , while Elmbridge , Bristol and Cherwell remain under no overall control.

In the days running up to the elections, Number 10 was verging on the unsubtle.

Senior Downing Street figures were conceding that should Ben Houchen lose the mayoralty of the Tees Valley Combined Authority to Labour, there would be a challenge to Rishi Sunak. At that point they would be unable to stem the tide of letters sufficient to trigger a vote of no confidence.

In turn, this might have triggered an unwanted and catastrophic early election.

This is unusual behaviour - for the prime minister's closest allies to be openly speculating on his survivability - yet it is a sign of the turbulence of politics of the moment.

There was method in their madness.

Read more from our deputy political editor Sam Coates below...

People in Grimsby - one of Sky News's general election Target Towns - have been offering their views on the current state of politics in the country.

Bex Wright, who owns a barbershop in the town, tells our news correspondent Tom Parmenter that people don't "have trust in the government", while customer Matt Tucker says voters are "fed up" after being promised big changes in 2019.

You can watch the full clip below, and read all of our Target Towns coverage here .

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• Entering and staying in the UK
• Visas and entry clearance
• Monthly entry clearance visa applications
• Home Office

Monthly monitoring of entry clearance visa applications

Published 30 April 2024

© Crown copyright 2024

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected] .

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/monthly-entry-clearance-visa-applications/monthly-monitoring-of-entry-clearance-visa-applications

Next update due: June 2024

On 4 December 2023, the Home Office announced future changes to visa rules intended to reduce immigration and published further details on 21 December.

These changes have now come into force, following 2 sets of Immigration Rules changes released on 19 February 2024 and 14 March 2024 as follows:

• the baseline general salary to be sponsored for a ‘Skilled Worker’ visa has increased from £26,200 to £38,700, while the ‘going rate’ minimum salary specific to each job has also gone up significantly
• a list of jobs for which it is possible to sponsor someone for a ‘Skilled Worker’ visa at a reduced minimum salary has been made shorter and renamed the Immigration Salary List
• the minimum income normally required to sponsor someone for a spouse/partner visa has risen from £18,600 to £29,000
• social care workers arriving from overseas are no longer allowed to bring dependants (that is, partners and children) on their visa

The ‘Graduate’ visa, a 2-year unsponsored work permit for overseas graduates of British universities, will also be reviewed by the Migration Advisory Committee.

For more information please see: Changes to legal migration rules for family and work visas in 2024 - House of Commons Library (parliament.uk) .

The provisional data below provides an indication of the number of people who have an intention to enter the UK for work and study reasons. Finalised statistics on the numbers of visas will be published quarterly in the Immigration system statistics release.

Policy changes are one of a number of factors that may have impacted visa application volumes. This release provides the latest statistics but does not comment on the drivers of the trend. A comprehensive overview of visa trends can be found in the Summary of latest statistics published in the quarterly Immigration system statistics release.

Figure 1: Monthly applications for ‘Skilled Worker’ and ‘Skilled Worker: Health and Care’ visas, January 2022 to March 2024

Figure 2: monthly applications for ‘sponsored study’ visas, january 2022 to march 2024.

It will be necessary to await the peak in student applications for the next academic year (which usually comes in August/September) before we can see the full effect of recent policy changes and any other impacts.

Table 1: Monthly applications for ‘Skilled Worker’, ‘Skilled Worker: Health and Care’ and ‘Sponsored study’ visas, from January 2022 to March 2024

• Figures are provisional management information from live operational systems drawn on the date of reporting and are subject to change.
• All figures are rounded to the nearest 100, and individual figures may not add up to totals due to rounding.
• These statistics will be updated on a monthly basis until the end of 2024. After which we will review the user need for monthly updates. The quarterly Immigration system statistics provide detailed information on visa applications and outcomes.

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