[US H4 dependent visa] What I had to do to get the US H4 VISA

This is just a qucik not for myself, but I just applied to the US visa “H4”.

here are the things I needed to do in order to get my H4 visa.

1. prepare all necessary documents
2. Take VISA specific picture
3. Complete DS-160 form online
4. Pay my application fee
5. schedule appointment
6. go visit the US embassy and have an interview
7. wait for my passport to arrive with the visa

Very simplified, but all I had to go through are those 7 steps.

This is what exactly it says on the official visa application website from the US homeland security.

Anyways, for a reference, I am writing about my experience.

But please note that everyone has his/her own situation, and thus for all people, the process will be more-or-less the same, but the required documents / supporting documents may differ.

My situation

I am living in 3rd country with immigrant visa (that is,,, I am Japanese, but I am currently living in South Korea) and I am applying for my visa in the 3rd country.

My husband is already in the US working on H1B visa.

I am now trying to get my H4 (H1B worker’s spouse) visa.

Basically, that is my situation.

It may have been a lot easier to get my H4 when my husband applied for his H1B, but back then, I was going to stay here in Korea and did not see a need to get my H4.

But now, we have a little situation and I,,, at this point, decided to move to the US.

So,,, here are what I did for getting my H4.

Prepare Documents

First thing I had to do was to ask my husband to prepare a few items such as

• copy of I-797
• copy of his passport
• copy of his latest visa
• copy of paystubs for the entire period of H1
• employement history (letter from HR)
• copy of tax return form for the entire period of H1

Just in case, we had all those documents ready.

We read a lot of stories on internet and found out that getting H4 is not that difficult.

However, you never know what might happen, so we wanted to make sure to be well prepared.

Also from my side, (as an applicant) I prepared the followings.

• Proof of marriage (got this in Korea)
• Birth certificate (got this in my country – Japan)
• Alien registration ID card (to prove that I legally live here in the 3rd country)
• VISA picture
• DS-160 submission confirmation

After I knew I had all the documents ready, I proceeded with the DS-160 form that everyone needs to complete online.

Taking visa specific picture

Usually, if you visit a photo studio where they take your ID pictures, they know exatcly what they need to do for the US visa picture.

But just in case, you should read the instruction very carefully too!

AND be sure to read the most updated info on the official website!!

For example, “glasses are no longer allowed” etc. those major change can also happen at any time!

Completing DS-160

This step was pretty simple as I just had to follow all the instructions indicated on the application form.

A few notes on a couple of items…

• Previous trips to the US
• Previously issued US visa

For me, every other questions are pretty simple, but those 2 items, I actually needed to look into my past passport etc.

Previous trips to the US

I did not remember all the past trip dates etc. of course…

Also, I did not have my past passport to check my records… but at the end, I found out that you can check your past trip dates by going into the electronic I-94 system.

Travel Record for US Visitors – the Customs and Border Protection 

Here, if you click on the “get most recent I-94”, you will be able to see the entry / exit history for your past US trips.

There, I found my trips to the US and I printed out the history just in case for my record for the interview.

Previously issued US visa

My university was in the US so I was once living in the US on F-1 visa status. (common student visa)

So I had to input information about my previously issued visa…

However, my old F-1 visa is on the expired passport which I did not have.

More specifically, your DS-160 will ask you the visa issuance date etc. even for your old visa… which I cannot remember anymore.

So I asked my lawyer and he told me that I can give the best estimate for those old visa detes and info.

Of course, telling a lie will result in serious situations, but my country (Japan) does not really require to keep all my expired passport with me.

So it does not sound weird even if I confess that I do not have my long-expired passport with me…

Though, after consulting with my lawyer, I was still a little bit scared to input “guesstimated” date, but I just had to.

And ,,, guess what… it was okay – as long as you are not telling a lie. (In case if your interviewer asks for more details, you may need to explain your situation more into details, of course)

Anyways, completing DS-160 form was quite simple.

It asks you the same thing for multiple times. (I don’t rmember how many times I had to enter my address / phone number etc.)

Paying application fee

Paying a fee, I had 2 options in Korea – online cash transfer and paying at Citibank branch.

For my H4, I chose to do online cash transfer and  it was USD 190.

It is quite expensive, but oh well!

You will be given 1 account per applicant, so if you are applying for your visa with your family (i.e. your kids), you need to transfer your money to different account for each person.

This step is also quite simple!

But be sure to printout the payment comfirmation.

Schedule the appointment

Basically, if you complete DS-160 form and pay the application fee, anyone can schedule an appointment.

In my case, I applied in Seoul and it was pretty easy to get my spot at the US embassy in Korea.

But in depending on your situation, your wait time can be longer and there is even seasonality when it becomes harder to get a spot.

In any case, be sure to print out the appointment confirmation.

Visiting the US embassy for the interview

First of all, here are what to bring to the interview:

• Appointment Confirmation
• Valid Passport
• DS-160 submission confirmation
• All other supporting documents mentioned in #2
• (VISA picture) — case by case

At the embassy, I had to go through the followings.

• Pre-screening at the gate
• Security check
• Document screening
• Interview

So, when I arrived at the embassy, I had to firstly show my appointment confirmation and the passport.

After that, I can proceed to the security check.

I only brough my docs and nothing else, so my security check was really quick!

Then the real process starts.

Shortly after arriving at the hall, I was called to one of the window, and had a document screening.

Here, basically they checked if I had all the necessary documents for me to proceed to the interview.

In other words, if I can prove that I should be getting my H4 visa with my supporting documents.

Also if the picture quality is good enough, etc.

After this document screening process, I was given a numbered ticket and I had to wait again until my number got called at one of the windows again.

The last step : Interview!!

In my case, it was quire simple.

Here are the questions I was asked:

• Where does your husband work at?
• Why did you not apply when he got his H1B and applying now?

THAT’S ALL…

After those 2 questions, my interviewer told me “you are all good, and your passport will arrive within a few days” ,,,,

YAY!

Things I did not need

So I went through all the steps to get my H4 visa and a lot of internet stories told me to be well prepared.

But actually, my interviewers never asked my for my husband’s tax return / paystubs / letter from HR etc. at all.

I did not even need my ID picture (I just had to attach on my DS-160 form online).

But at the end, it all depends on the situation, and it is better to be well prepared than missing something here and there, for sure!!