DS 160 Tutorial Guide 4 of 12

Form DS 160
Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 4  Part 5  Part 6 
Part 7  Part 8  Part 9  Part 10  Part 11  Part 12

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We hope you enjoy this comprehensive DS 160 guide. If you have any questions or concerns whatseover please do not hesitate to contact us for specific advice and direction.

Part 4 – Form DS-160 Guide – Address and Phone Information 

Welcome to Part 4 in this series of our DS-160 Guide

In this section you will be required to enter information about your present address and contact information and then we’ll move on to your travel plans. Many clients ask whether they should use their UK address or their American address, if they have one. The best advice is to always put your UK (foreign address) address, unless you have been living in the US for some years (perhaps on a work visa or previous E2 visa and now no longer have a UK address). If you have recently moved from your UK address because you had to sell your home to raise money for your E2 business, and are now currently staying with family or friends, then you can use their address as your home address for the purposes of this application.

Another reason why you should enter your home address is because the Embassy where you will be making your application need to be sure you have a residential connection with that country in addition to your UK citizenship. For example, if you have no UK citizenship and no residential connection, then the Embassy may well decline jurisdiction over your case and refer you to the Embassy or Consulate that is more applicable based on your citizenship and residency. Some Consulates will accept jurisdiction if you have residency in that particular country, but not citizenship in that country.

Please note that at the end of each page there is a “Save” button or icon.  Make sure that you save every page as you make progress. We cannot stress this enough. The DS-160 software will “time out” every so often – perhaps every 10-20 mins. So, it’s very important that you save your work as you go, otherwise you could complete 5 or more pages and then hit the save button, only to discover that the system may have already timed out and all of your data would have been lost and you’ll have to start over.

Passport Information

Again, complete your passport information as illustrated below. This information should be copied directly from your passport.

Have You Ever Lost Your Passport?

Whether you have lost your passport or not is very important because some people destroy their passport and apply for a new one if they have something to hide. For example, an alien may have travelled extensively to countries that are closely being monitored by the US Government. An alien applying for any visa who had travelled extensively to the Middle East or certain parts of India or Pakistan would probably have their applications looked at more closely. If the travel is benign in nature then there should be no problem. Bringing supporting documentation of that travel with you at the interview would be helpful. As your attorneys we’d obviously provide additional support in such cases.

Another situation that often arises in a ‘lost passport’ situation might be where the alien, on a previous entry to the US, may have had something noted in their passport by the Immigration officer at the border or the alien may have previously overstayed their approved period of stay. Perhaps the alien failed to turn in their I-94 Arrival/Departure card. Some aliens mistakenly believe that by destroying their passport and then applying for a new one it will erase their past.  So, if you have lost your passport you will need to declare it here and provide an explanation as to the circumstances surrounding its loss. The more information you can provide including any supporting documentation the better for you.

Below is an illustration as how to deal with this issue.

Lost Passport  – Answer ‘No’:

Lost Passport  – Answer ‘Yes’:

Travel Information

In this case, the purpose of the trip is an E2 visa. But it could be any visa at all. See in the example below how this purpose is answered from the drop down options.

Length of Stay

If the business is quite large and well established, then the Embassy may give you a 5-year E2 visa, but the most common time period is 3 years whether you ask for a 3 or 5-year term of stay. The Immigration officer will determine whether to give you 3 or 5 years regardless as to what you may have selected as an option in this box.

Where will you stay?

The Embassy will need an address, in case of an emergency, where they might be able to reach you. Therefore, enter the address you feel would be most reliable. Even a hotel address would be acceptable, since it’s where you might be staying until you find somewhere more suitable long term.

Travel Companion Information

If you are travelling with someone, make sure they are included in this section. Space is automatically provided for one travelling companion, but at the very bottom of this section there is an “Add Another” button that will enable you to add more, e.g., spouse and children.

Previous U.S. Travel Information

This is a big one. Some of our clients have travelled in and out of the US many times and they’ve practically lost count as to when, where and how long. This is one of those sections where one can get a little panicked. The best thing to do here is to flick through your passport(s), and try if you can at least identify the times where you were stamped in. Then work out, as best as you can, the length of each stay. If you’re not sure just make a good faith guess. If at the Embassy the issue is ever brought up, then simply confirm that you answered the question to the very best of your recollection. What US Immigration is really looking for is, any periods of lengthy stays that could give rise to a suspicion of the alien seeking to live in the US without proper authorization. For example, some aliens try and use the 90-day Visa Waiver Program like a revolving door, where they stay for 90-days and then leave for a week, then come in again for another 90-days and so on. Then finally they get stopped and are forced to apply for a visa. Well, this is section of the form where this behavior would come to light. Some aliens may have overstayed their permitted time in the US, and again, this information would come to light at this point. Best advice is to be honest and give a good account of all of your trips.

Previous Visa Issues

If you’ve had a visa before, then this information should be in your current or previous passport. ‘Have you been ten-printed’ means have you ever had all of your fingers, finger printed, instead of just the index finger and/or thumb.

If you have ever had a visa refused or revoked this can be a serious issue. If this has not previously been discussed with this law firm then you should raise it as soon as possible and discuss it with Counsel, so that documentation can be prepared to explain the circumstances as to what happened and possibly why it happened.

Similarly, if you applied for permission to travel under the Visa Waiver Program through ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) and you were denied, please discuss this with Counsel so that the reasons for such a denial can be fully explored and documented.

In truth, most of our clients find completing this form very straight forward until they get to the E-Visa section. However, through the DS-160 process they may have many minor questions here and there that they may have trouble with, and this series of guides can make all the difference in helping them glide through their DS-160 form.  Again – saving every page as you make progress is critically important, so please don’t forget.

In the next presentation, we’ll cover US Point of Contact information, Family and your Work History.

Immigration Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram

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US Immigration Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram
Chris M. Ingram LL.M., ESQ – Immigration Attorney
Admitted in New York.
Practice Specializing in US Immigration Law
401 Wilshire Boulevard, 12th Floor,
[Cross Streets 4th and Wilshire]
Santa Monica,
California 90401
Tel: 310 496 4292

Specializing in the E2 Visa, EB1 Green Card, L-1A Visa and O1 Visa and K1 Visa Marriage-Based Immigration. Attorney Chris M. Ingram is dedicated to providing the very best in US Immigration legal representation. Enjoy our website.

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