Hammond &
Associates
Attorneys at Law
"Serving
the Global Immigration Needs of Business"
RENEWING A PASSPORT
VISA STAMP IN THE UNITED STATES
In order for a foreign national
to renew his/her passport's visa stamp within the United States,
(s)he must have an appropriate passport; namely:
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
- It must already have a U.S.
State Department "H", "L", "O"
or "P" visa stamp in his/her passport.
- The current visa stamp must
be valid for no more than sixty (60) days or have not been expired
for more than one year.
- The passport must be valid for
at least six months.
- The passport must have a blank
page in it.
INFORMATION REQUIRED
TO COMPLETE FORM OF-156

- Complete name (first, middle,
last) of each person seeking renewal.
- The relationship between each
person seeking renewal.
- Any other names listed by each
person seeking renewal (including maiden) in his/her passport.
- Each persons marital status.
- The complete U.S. home address,
U.S. business address and foreign home address of each person
seeking renewal.
- The date (month/day/year) and
place of birth (city/country) of each person seeking renewal.
- The nationality of each person
seeking renewal.
- The color of hair, color of
eyes, complexion, height, and marks of identification for each
person seeking renewal.
- Whether each person seeking
renewal has ever applied for a U.S. visa before (either immigrant
or nonimmigrant). If yes, give the type of visa sought, where
and when it was sought and whether it was approved or denied.
- Whether each person seeking
renewal has ever had his/her U.S. visa canceled. If yes, list
when and where it was canceled, and by whom.
- List all places each person
seeking renewal has lived for the past five years (city/country/dates).
- List all times (month/year)
each person seeking renewal has been in the United States.
- List whether each person seeking
renewal has: (a) ever indicated to the INS or a consular officer
that he/she wants to immigrate to the U.S.; (b) filed an immigrant
visa petition; or (c) filed a labor certification application.
| WARNING: Foreign nationals on an H1B or H4 visa are allowed
to want to immigrate to the United States. Therefore, answering "yes"
to any or all of the above questions will not effect whether your State
Department visa gets revalidated. Individuals on other visas, however,
cannot have an intent to immigrate to the U.S. so please speak with an
immigration lawyer before completing this section of the OF-156 Form. |
- For each person seeking renewal,
list whether any of the following people live in the United States,
and each persons' immigrant status: (a) husband/wife; (b) father/mother;
(c) son/daughter; (d) brother/sister; or (e) fiancee.
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED
TO REVALIDATE A PASSPORT VISA STAMP WITHIN THE UNITED STATES
- Each persons original
passport and Form I-94.
- Each persons original
INS Approval Notice (Form I-797).
- For each person, a full face,
passport-sized photograph.
- A letter from your employer
(on letterhead) stating the type of business conducted by your
employer; your position and detailed job description; and why
you need the visa (e.g., to continue working for the duration
of your H1B visa).
- For E-2 Treaty Investors, copies of the operation's most recent
financial statement, latest U.S. income tax returns, and W-2
forms for investors with ten (10) employees or less. If the E2
visa holder is the sole company representative in the
United States, then copies of the FICA and IRS tax documents
for the company must be included in the submission to the Visa
Office. EVIDENCIARY DOCUMENTATION FOR "E" CASES
IS NOT RETURNED, SO DO NOT SEND ORIGINALS.
- An application fee of $45.00
for each person seeking renewal. This payment must be paid by
certified check or money order (cash and personal checks are
not acceptable), and must be made payable to "U.S. Department
of State". Please note that everyones application
fee can be included in one check.
- Foreign nationals from certain
countries must also pay a "reciprocity fee". This fee
is based on the home country of each foreign national and how
long each foreign national is seeking to revalidate his/her visa
for. This fee will, therefore, be determined by Hammond &
Associates for each foreign national seeking renewal once the
above information is received.
All visa renewals are handled
either by U.S. mail or commercial courier (e.g., Federal
Express). Using a commercial carrier will speed up the process
so long as you include a return envelope and shipping label. Application
packages must be mailed to:
CA/VO/P/D - VISA SERVICES
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
2401 'E' STREET, NW (SA-1 L-703)
WASHINGTON, DC 20522-0106
|
To send information to Hammond &
Associates for renewing a visa stamp in your passport within
the United States, click
here. |

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