Non-Immigrant Visas
Tourist and Business Visas
According to U.S. immigration law, all applicants for tourist and business visas must prove that they are eligible for a visa. During your interview with a consular officer, you must demonstrate that you will return to Senegal at the end of your trip and that you will not engage in prohibited activities during your trip. You should be prepared to discuss your reasons for travel, previous international trips, and your social, economic, professional, and financial ties to Senegal. Submitting all required documents does not automatically make you eligible for a tourist and business visa.
Consular officers can consider visa eligibility only during the visa interview. Therefore, you should bring to the interview any additional information which may help to establish your eligibility, such as medical statements, employment letters, financial information, business documents and previous passports. Any documents sent directly to the Embassy will be destroyed.
For all requiered documents, please click here.
Examples of supporting documents :
- Previous passport(s)
- Employment letter or company documents
- Financial documents, including bank statements, pay stubs, or proof of property ownership
Frequently Asked Questions About Visitor and Business Visas
My relative or business contact in the U. S. sent me an invitation. Does that make a difference? If you have a letter of invitation, it is a supporting document, and you should bring it to the visa interview. However, you are not required to have an invitation letter. Please do not send it to the consular section by post, fax or e-mail.
What activities are permitted on a visitor’s visa? Eligible applicants will receive a B1/B2-class visa, which allows temporary visits for business or pleasure. Authorized activities include tourism, family visits, personal shopping, buying merchandise, taking orders for shipment, and business meetings with potential partners and clients.
What activities are not allowed on a visitor’s visa? According to American law, visitors with B1/B2 - class visas may not engage in certain activities, including working (whether formally or informally), producing artwork, selling items, and performing. For these activities, applicants need an American sponsor to file a petition for them in the U.S., and a different type of visa (not a B1/B2) is necessary. Violation of visitor status may result in ineligibility for future visas.
What happens after the interview? Qualified applicants will be issued visas. In most cases, visas will be ready the next day at 3 p.m. In some cases, administrative processing may be required. This processing may take several weeks; so plan your travel and apply for a visa well in advance. If you are not eligible, you will be given a letter explaining the reasons for the refusal.
How long will my B1/B2 visa be valid? In most cases, eligible Senegalese applicants are issued multiple entry visas valid for ten years. A visa only allows a person to travel to a U. S. port of entry (airport, seaport or land border crossing), where an immigration officer will decide whether to admit the traveler. If admitted, the immigration officer will also authorize the length of stay in the U. S. Therefore, a 10-year multiple entry visa does not allow a 10-year stay in the U. S.
May I wear a scarf in my visa photograph? If you normally wear a headcovering for religious or cultural reasons, you do not need to remove it for a visa photograph, provided the photograph meets all other photo requirements and clearly identifies you.
Do you have any advice for applicants? If you are not eligible for a visa now, you maybecome eligible if your situation changes. However, if you present false information during a visa interview, you can be found permanently ineligible. Therefore, you should always be honest and provide accurate information during the interview and your application forms.
