New Tourist Visa Procedures to USA

[calmissile]

It appears that the process to apply for a tourist visa to the US changed in September 2012.
From what I read on the government web site, it appears that worldwide, the US now has established a system that allows only ONLINE applications for tourist visas.

The new system involves an interactive form that must be filled out.  There was no way to download the form to see what was involved, however I did find a sample example form.  It is pretty straightforward.  It seems that only the applying party has access to the form and information and you can fill it out paritally and then go back into the website and add to the form.

The government instructions are a little vague as to being able to know for certain what are the 'correct' answers to get a visa approved and exactly what documentation is required.  It appears that there are two primary paths to follow to apply for a tourist visa.   One path is where the applicant is simply on vacation and funding the trip by themselves.  The requirements are very vague about how you prove you have the finances to make the trip.

The other path is for those applying for a tourist visa that have a sponsor in the US and the sponsor is paying everything for the trip.  It is interesting to note that in this case the sponsor has to complete the 'affidavit of support' forms similar to what is required on the K type immigration visas.  This requires tax returns and all kinds of personal info of the sponsor.

I also found another web site that is very helpful in going into detail about what is required, the questions that are asked at the interview, and the most common 10 mistakes that cause denial of the visas.  I'll post links to both the government site as well as the other site I found very informative.

http://www.path2usa.com/visitor-visa-guide

http://ceac.state.gov/GENNIV/Default.aspx

http://ukraine.usembassy.gov/visa-forms.html#p   (click on DS-160)