Non-Immigrant Visas

Frequently asked Questions

1. Can I request an earlier interview date?

2. How do I schedule an appointment for a visa interview?

3. Do minor children have to appear in person for a visa interview?

4. Do I need to schedule a separate interview appointment for each member of my household who wishes to apply for a visa?

5. How far in advance may I schedule my appointment for a visa interview?

6. If I cannot attend my visa interview on the date assigned to me, can I change the date?

7. What documents should I present at my interview?

8. Can I bring a friend, family member, attorney or sponsoring American Citizen to my interview?

9. What if my visa is denied?

10. What categories of employers are eligible to bring their domestic employees with them on a trip to the United States?

11. As a domestic employee, what type of visa do I need?

12. Can my employer accompany me to the interview?

13. Are there specific documentation requirements for the B-1 domestic employee visa?

14. What do I do if I lose my passport that has a valid or expired U.S. visa in it?

15. What should I do if the Consular Officer requires that I submit fingerprints?

16. I am not Ecuadorian but I am visiting Ecuador. Can I apply for a visa at the Consulate?

17. I am not Ecuadorian but I am a resident of Ecuador. Can I apply for a visa at the Consulate?

18. If my visa is issued where do I get my passport?

19. I need to go to the US for medical treatment. What additional documents should present at the time of my interview?

20. I forgot to return my I-94 at my departure of the United States. What should I do?

21. I was detained/interrogated when entering the United States. Where sould I report this incident? I would like to know why the incident occurred and whether it will happen again in the future?

1. Can I request an earlier interview date? Early interview appointment dates are granted under the following circumstances:
1. Need to receive or continue urgent medical treatment in the U.S.
2. Urgent business trips.
3. Students, workers.
if your case is one of the above mentioned, please contact the Visa Information Service at 1-800-01-145 in Ecuador, or the 1-800-919-5290 in the U.S. and explain your request for an expedited appointment. For more information on the Visa Information Service, please click here.
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2. How do I schedule an appointment for a visa interview?
The American Consulate in Guayaquil no longer provides general visa information directly, nor do we change or advance visa appointments.
For visa information or to schedule or re-schedule an appointment, please contact our Visa Information Service (VIS).

From within Ecuador:
• You may purchase a PIN at any Bank of Guayaquil Branch for the cost of US$12. Once you have purchased a PIN, you can contact the call center at the toll free number 1-800-010-145 using a landline phone.
• You can also pay for the US$12 PIN using a Visa or MasterCard by contacting the call center at the toll free number 1-800-010-145 using a landline phone and then entering your credit card information.
• You may also make a direct international call to the call center by dialing 0054-11-5077-1720 from any telephone using a Visa or MasterCard credit card. The cost for this call is US$9 plus the cost of the long distance toll charge for the call.
From the United States:

• You may purchase a US$12 PIN using your Visa or MasterCard by calling toll free 1-800-919-5290.
• You may also make a direct international call to the call center by dialing 0054-11-5077-1720 from any telephone using a Visa or MasterCard credit card. The cost for this call is US$9 plus the cost of the long distance toll charge for the call.

The Visa Information Service is available from Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. to schedule your interview appointment (except on Ecuadorian holidays).

Once your payment and/or PIN have been verified or processed, you will be directed to the call center operators who will provide you with visa information and schedule an appointment for you. You will be provided with the date and time of your interview. Should you miss your scheduled appointment, you will need to repeat the process.
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3. Do minor children have to appear in person for a visa interview?
Yes. Also please note that minor children must be accompained by their parents or legal guardian.
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4. Do I need to schedule a separate interview appointment for each member of my housesold who wishes to apply for a visa?
Parents and their children should come together to their interview. Every member of the family needs to schedule an appointment, including minors.  You may schedule appointments for up to five direct family members living in the same household with one PIN.

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5. How far in advance may I schedule my appointment for a visa interview?
At least from six to eight weeks.
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6. If I cannot attend my visa interview on the date assigned to me, can I change the date?
Yes. You will have to scedule a new appointment for a visa interview by contacting the Visa Information Service at 1-800-010-145 in Ecuador, or at:   1-800-919-5290 in the United States. For more information on the Visa Information Service, please click here.
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7. What documents should I present at my interview?

We encourage visa applicants to bring documents to the interview that may help demonstrate their qualifications for a visa. Applicants should be aware, however, that supporting documents do not by themselves provide a basis for visa issuance. A consular officer may determine an applicant's visa eligibility based on information provided during the interview and on the application forms, without referring to the supporting documents.

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8. Can I bring a friend, family member, attorney or sponsoring American Citizen to my interview?
If you need someone to assit you physically or to translate for you (other than Spanish or English) you may bring that person with you to the Consulate; however, the interview must be conducted with the applicant(s) for the visa alone.
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9. What if my visa is denied?
If you are denied a nonimmigrant visa because you were not able to convince the consular officer that you do not plan to stay in the United States (Section 214(b)) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), you may reapply for a visa whenever you desire; however, it is generally better to wait that your case is strong enough to prove your intention to return from the United States after a brief visit before you reapply. Generally speaking, it may be better to wait until there is a significant change in circumstances before reapplying for a non-immigrant visa.
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10. What categories of employers are eligible to bring their domestic employees with them on a trip to the United States?
The only individuals that may bring a domestic employee to the United States with them are: 1) American citizens who live abroad full-time and are visiting the United States for a short period of time. Also, American citizens who live abroad as a condition of their work, but who have been assigned temporarily to the United States and will be transferred abroad again within four years; 2) Nonimmigrant visa holders (B,E,F,H,J,L,O and P) who are already in the United States or plan to apply for admission in the future.
IMPORTANT NOTE: LEGAL PERMAMENT RESIDENTS ("GREEN CARD" HOLDERS) MAY NOT BRING DOMESTIC EMPLOYEES HOLDING NONIMMIGRANT VISAS TO THE UNITED STATES TO WORK FOR THEM. NEITHER CAN GREEN CARD HOLDERS EMPLOY THESE DOMESTIC EMPLOYEES ONCE THE NONIMMIGRANT HAS ARRIVED IN THE UNITED STATES.
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11. As a domestic employee, what type of visa do I need?

Domestic employees who wish to travel to the United States with their employers must qualify for a special type of B-1 (business) visa. Any B-1 visa issued to a domestic employee will be annotated with the name of the employer. The employer named on the visa is the ONLY person authorized to employ the visa holder during his/her time in the United States, and the employee must depart the United States before or with the employer. Every non-immigrant visa applicant, including domestic employees, must qualify on his or her own for a non-immigrant visa, demonstrating strong ties to a country outside of the United States and a residence that they do not intend to abandon.

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12. Can my employer accompany me to the interview?

The domestic employee must come in person to the interview. The employer does not need to accompany them. In some cases, however, the consular official may request to speak with the employer personally.

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13. Are there specific documentation requierements for the B-1 domestic employee visa?

Yes. Each domestic employee should 1) Demonstrate that they have at least one year of experience working as a domestic employee; 2) Prove that they were employed by the current employer prior to applying for the visa; 3) Present a work contract signed by both the employer and the employee, which guarantees that the employee will receive the minimum or prevailing wage for domestic employee services in the United States during their time working in the United States. Minimum wage laws are posted online for your reference at:

http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/wages/minimumwage.htm.

For more information on B1 visas please click here

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14. What do I do if I lose my passport that has a valid or expired U.S. visa in it?
If your passport with a U.S. visa is stolen or lost, please report the theft immediately to the Consulate by sending a copy of the police report, a signed statement certifying the loss, a copy of your ID (cedula) and a telephone number in case we need to contact you:
Attention: Non-Immigrant Visa Section
Fax: 2320-904
OR
E-mail: nivguayaquil@state.gov

For more information please click here
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15. What should I do if the Consular Officer requieres that I submit fingerprints?
You may come from Monday through Thursday pay the fee and a Consular Officer will take your fingerprints.
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16. I am not Ecuadorian but I am visiting Ecuador. Can I apply for a visa at the Consulate?
You should apply for a non-immigrant visa in the country in which you reside.
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17. I am not Ecuadorian but I am a resident of Ecuador. Can I apply for a visa at the Consulate?
Yes, you should apply for a nonimmigrant visa in the country where you reside regardless of your nationality. Remember that you must be able to show your strong ties to a country outside of the United States in order to receive a nonimmigrant visa.
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18. If my visa is issued where do I get my passport?
If the visa is approved, the passport will be ready between six or eight business days from the day of the interview. DHL will send your passport to your home or office or an approved DHL express center near you. A DHL representative serving visa recipients is located inside the MOVISTAR-INDUSUR office in the INDUAUTO building at the corner of Quito and 9 de Octubre Avenues, in Guayaquil (two blocks east of the Consulate). The DHL representative in the INDUAUTO building will only accept cash payments.
For questions regarding delivery of the passports please contact DHL at 04-2598-600 in Guayaquil. Return to top.
19. I need to go to the US for medical treatment. What additional documents should I present at the time of my interview?
The visa applicant should provide a fomal letter from a medical doctor in Ecuador, describing the condition and explaining in detail why treatment is not available in Ecuador. This letter should contain a contact telephone number, local address and an email address for the doctor.
In addition, please present a letter from the treating doctor in the United States that explains how the doctor became involved in the case, confirms the diagnosis of the patient, outlines what procedures will be completed, and provides an estimate of the cost of the procedure, including all related treatment. This letter should also identify the length of recovery time in the United States and any special care that the patient may require before and after surgery, as well as any expenses that may result from the special care.
The applicant should provide evidence that they can cover all expenses related to the medical treatment.
Medical Visa information
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20. I forgot to return my I-94 form at my departure of the United States. What should I do?
If you returned home with your Customs and Border Protection (CBP) departure record Form I-94 (white) or Form I-94W (green) in your passport, it means that your departure was not recorded properly. It is your responsibility to correct this record.
You must provide the (CBP) sufficient information so we can record your timely departure from the United States. This will close out your earlier record of arrival to this country.
If you do not validate a timely departure from the United States, or if you cannot reasonably prove otherwise when you next apply for admission to the United States, the CBP may conclude you remained in the United States beyond your authorized stay. If this happens, the next time you apply to enter the United States, your visa may be subject to cancellation or you may be returned immediately to your foreign port of origin.
In particular, visitors who remain beyond their permitted stay in the United States under the Visa Waiver program cannot reenter the United States in the future without obtaining a visa from a United States Consulate. If this occurs and you arrive at a United States port-of-entry seeking admission under the Visa Waiver Program without a visa, United States immigration officers may order your immediate return to a foreign point of origin.
To validate departure, CBP will consider a variety of information, including, but not limited. To learn more about this regulation please click here.

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21. I was detained/interrogated when entering the United States. Where should I report this incident? I would like to know why the incident occurred and whether it will happen again in the future?
Travelers can request an audit of their case by completing and signing the redress request located at http://www.dhs.gov/trip and following the website instructions for submitting it to DHS.

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