Ask the Consul is a collection of questions from the public answered by the Consular Section that cover a variety of subjects of interest for those who want to visit or live in the United States and for U. S. citizens in Poland.
If you have a general consular question, please send it to us by e-mail. Then check this page every week; we select one question per week and post the answer in the space below.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Other than the one question per week that we select to answer, we DO NOT respond to or comment on questions relating to specific visa cases or refusals sent to Ask the Consul. If you have a question regarding a specific visa application, or if you need an urgent answer to your question, please send your question to publicwrw@state.gov for a response. Questions sent to Ask the Consul should be general in nature.
- I am a lawful permanent resident (“green card” holder) of the United States but I returned to Poland more than a year ago and I am still here. Can I go back to the United States as a lawful permanent resident?
- I have a sister and brother in the USA illegally. What are my chances of receiving a tourist visa? Would it be better if I didn’t write about them on the visa application?
- Is an invitation to visit the USA necessary to obtain a tourist visa? I have someone to visit who has a green card and has been in the USA for 10 years. Best wishes and thank you for the advice?
- I am a Pole living and working in Belfast, United Kingdom. May I apply for a non-immigrant visa at the U.S. Consulate in Belfast?
- I am planning a short business trip to Houston, TX early next year (February 2006) and have just noticed that my B1/B2 visa will expire on July 22, 2006. Should I apply for a new U.S .visa before then as the gap between my planned trip and the visa expiration date is less than 6 months?
- My grandmother was born in the U.S. and was a U.S. citizen. Might I be able to claim U.S. citizenship through her?
- I have a visitor’s visa that is still valid for 4 years. If the passport which has the visa has expired, do I need a new visa in my new passport or can I travel to the U.S. with both my old and new passports?
- I am presently in US based on a tourist visa and I got engaged here to a US citizen. We are planning to get married in Poland. After the wedding we are going to hand in required documents to US embassy in Warsaw for my immigration visa. I was informed that this would take 2-3 months to process the issue of that visa in Warsaw. Will I be able to go back to US with my husband before obtaining that immigration visa?
2) Do I need to have all the required vaccinations done to be able to apply for that visa?
- Should documents such as a birth certificate, a marriage certificate or a police certificate be translated into English by a sworn translator for the purpose of an immigrant visa application?
- I was issued a 10-year validity B1/B2 visitor’s visa in 2001. I went to the U.S. in March 2002 and stayed until November 2004. I did not obtain an approved extension of stay. Can I return to the U.S. with the same visa?
- I am a Polish citizen. I want to go to the United States and serve in the U.S. army. Is it possible?
- I would like to apply for a training/internship relating to my course of studies. What type of a visa is required? I have a visitor visa. Does being granted a visa for training/internship mean that my visitor visa will be annulled? I appreciate your response.
- My father who does not speak English would like to apply for a visa to visit the U.S. Is it essential for him to either speak English or bring an interpreter with him to the interview? Is it possible for him to do his interview in Polish?
- If I have a currently valid visa but I’ve recently been married and changed my name, do I need to apply for a new visa in my new name?
- If I am issued a visa at a U.S. Embassy, is this a guarantee that I will be able to enter the U.S.?
- I have a tourist visa valid for 10 years, but the passport it is glued into has since expired. I would like to renew my passport and would like to know what procedure I must follow to get my visa into the new passport.
- In the summer, I would like to visit my aunt who lives in New York, and while there I would like to work for 3 months. I currently study in Poland. What type of visa should I obtain?
- I will be visiting friends in the USA next summer on a tourist visa. While in the US I plan to apply at schools so I can study in America. If I am accepted at a school, do I need to return to Poland to apply for the student visa, or is it possible to do that in the US?
- I was 11 years old when I went to the United States on a tourist visa; we stayed there for 4 years, living in the United States illegally. Despite this, because I was a child at the time, and had no part in the decision to remain in the United States, will I have any problem obtaining a visa now that I am 24 years old?
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