How to apply for the US G visa?

Video description.

US Department of State website to get the Form DS-160 

The link to Form DS-1648.

US embassies and consulaets website.

What are the G visa requirements?

The following are eligible for the US G visa:

• Members of a recognized government who have a permanent mission in an international company and their family members must apply for a G-1 visa.
• Agents of a recognized government going temporarily to the US to participate in conferences of an international organization and their family members must apply for a G-2 visa.
• Agents of a government not officially recognized by the US and their qualified families must apply for a G-3 visa.
• People who have been selected for a place at an international organization in the US, such as the United Nations, and their qualified family members must apply for a G-4 visa.
• G-5: Personal workers or domestic employees of G-1 to G-4 visa holders can apply for a G-5 visa.

To find out more about the list of organizations that are eligible for the US G visa, go to the official website of the US Department of States.

The visa issued to NATO employees is divided into seven categories. The visa covers national representatives, international employees, and their qualified family members, and the NATO-7 permission is defined for personal employees of NATO-1 to 6 visa holders. In some cases, Army and NATO forces are exempt from passports and visa requirements. If a person enters the US with visa-exempt status, he or she must present an official military identification card and NATO travel orders. Their family members do not include visas and passports exemptions.

How to apply for the G visa?

To obtain a G or NATO visa, applicants must first fill out an online application form called Form DS-160. After completing this form, a confirmation page will be issued that must be saved for later.  To re-apply for the visa, G-1 – 4 or NATO-1 – 6 visa holders must submit  Form DS-1648.  While completing the form, a photo that is in the defined format must be uploaded. Other required documents for the US G visa include:

• A passport that is valid for at least six months more than your stay (unless there are exemptions under country-specific agreements). If more than one person is recorded in the passport, each person who requires a visa must apply for a separate application.
• A diplomatic note must be written by the international organization or NATO of your official mission for entering the US. This note must include the following information:

• The name of the international organization
• Employee’s name
• Date of birth,
• His or her post,
• The aim of travel,
• A brief explanation of the responsibilities
• Time of travel, an
• The expected period of stay in the US.
• Information about any dependents who will be joining the employee (such as the names, relationships, and dates of birth) must be mentioned in the note.

• A copy of the visa of a family member applying separately from the principal applicant and Form I-94 is required.

Interviewing is a part of the pre-visa process, but applicants for a US G visa or NATO visa will not be interviewed. However, a consular officer can demand an interview in some cases. Personal employees of G-1 – 4 and NATO-1 – 6 visa holders are not exempt from conducting interviews.

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How much does it cost to petition for the G visa?

Individuals eligible to get a G and NATO visa are exempt from paying any fees.

Who are the immediate family members of the G and NATO visa holders?

• The spouse of the principal applicant
• Unmarried legal children of the principal applicant, who will regularly live in the home of the principal applicant, provided they are under the age of 21 or a child under the age of 23 who is studying full-time at post-secondary institutions.

How can personal employees of NATO or the US G visa holders come to the US?

Personal employees, private workers, or servants of people who have a valid G-1 to G-4 or NATO-1 to NATO-6 visa may obtain a G-5 or NATO-7 permission. During the pre-visa process, the applicant must be interviewed at the embassy or consulate in the country where he/she is physically present. A valid contract must be presented to the consular officer. This contract determines the employer will give the minimum salary and provide working conditions appropriate to US law. Besides, the applicant for the US G visa needs to prove that he/she will do the contracted responsibilities. The consular officer will assess the eligibility of the applicant. Application requests for G-5 or NATO-7 visas must be applied outside the United States.

The contract must be in English and must be signed by the employer and the employee. The mentioned contract should include the following items:

• The contract must explain the duties of workers and also clarify that they will work only for the employer who signed the contract.
• The contract must define the hours of the working and the number of hours weekly.  Domestic workers generally work 35-40 hours per week. The domestic worker has a minimum of one full day off per week. The number of sick days and vacation days should be mentioned in the contract.
• The minimum wage must be defined in the contract. The rate must be higher than the minimum wage based on US Federal.
• Working more than the regular working hours of the week is overtime work and must be paid by US local laws.
• The worker should be supported in terms of transportation to and from the US.
• The worker needs to comply with all US federal laws.
• The visa and passport will be in the sole possession of the worker. The employer will also retain a copy of the contract and the personal belongings of the worker.
•  The presence of a worker in the employer’s residence is required only during working hours. The worker must also commit that he/she will not accept any other job offer while working for the employer.

Complete the online form, photo, and a passport, are other requirements that the worker needs to apply.

How to renew the G visa or NATO visa?

Visa holders of G-1 – 4, and NATO-1 – 6 can apply for a visa extension within the United States. But G-5 and NATO-7 visa holders must apply for renewal at the embassy outside the United States.

Documents required for a visa extension are:

• A valid passport that is authoritative for at least six months more than the probable period of your stay in the US (unless there are exemptions under country-specific agreements). The passport containing the most recent visa must be attached if you have received a new passport.
• Form I-94 or Arrival-Departure Record Card
• Form DS-1648: After filling out this form, a confirmation page will be sent that you must save.
• A photo: that must have been taken within the past six months.

Let’s sum up…

In this article, an overview of the US G visa and NATO visa issued in the US was provided. On the Visa Library website, you can learn about other US visas as well as ways to immigrate to other countries. In case you have some experience, please write it down in the comment section. Your comments let the readers choose better and avoid mistakes. Conveying your experiences in comments is a great help for applicants.