The DS-160 Online Form for Nonimmigrant Visa (NIV) Application

According to the State Department, currently, twelve posts (including some Mexican and Canadian posts, Dublin, Hamilton, Hong Kong, and Tripoli) are requiring use of the DS-160 by their applicants. These posts' applicant volume makes up about a tenth of the worldwide NIV applicant workload. The State Department will be expanding DS-160 use to two additional posts in Mexico, as well as Mission Australia, this summer. The form is currently available in English and Spanish, but translations into Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Serbian, and French are being developed. The State Department hopes to have it available to all posts (and in the above languages) by the end of Calendar Year 2009.

1.  Summary:  Twelve posts currently require applicants to use the DS-160, the new and fully web-based nonimmigrant visa (NIV) application form.  A few more posts will begin using the form this summer, but CA/VO will not approve any additional posts until server capacity is increased to ensure that system responsiveness for current users remains high.  CA/CST plans to add additional servers in the next few months. In the meantime, CA/VO has posted information on the DS-160 on its Intranet website.  End Summary.

2.  It is CA/VO's priority to automate the visa process as much as possible.  One major initiative is the DS- 160, a fully web-based NIV application form.  The 160 incorporates all of the current NIV forms (DS-156, 157, 158, 156K, 3032, and parts of the E visa application) into one interactive format.  It also allows applicants to upload a photo.  The 160 is accessible to post and Washington through the Consular Consolidated Database (CCD).  The form is hosted on the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC), which will also eventually host online IV and passport applications, online fee payment, possible queuing systems and an online appointment system.

3.  The DS-160 is a valuable tool for posts and applicants.  When an applicant fills out the form, he or she has the option of uploading a digital photo. [redacted] The applicant submits the form and receives a confirmation page with a one-dimensional barcode.  That page allows consular officers to locate an applicant's case in the CCD and load it into the NIV system.  Once a case is loaded into the NIV system, the DS-160 is permanently linked through the CCD.

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