Visa & More: Frequently Asked Questions

Below, you will find a selection of visa questions we have been asked by our customers over the last few days. Please note that none of the answers below is an actual substitute for individual consulting and can only touch on the real issues. We would like to point out that we do not take responsibility for the correctness of this information.

If you need fats and individual information, our service team is there for you on the phones from Tuesday to Friday between 10am and 5pm. Find the phone number on our homepage and get our experts' advice on everything visa as quickly and as conveniently as possible. Please note that our phone number has changed due to legal requirements!

Any questions can also be submitted via our homepage at any time.

And as usual, for all questions concerning the green card lottery just call our service team.

YOUR QUESTION: I have been previously convicted fro assault. My fiancé has bought tickets for my son and me to visit his family in the US next week. Do I need a visa or can I travel under the Visa Waiver Program and how are my chances of getting a visa with my criminal record?

OUR ANSWER: You will definitely need a visa. Assault is one the offenses that will generally ban you from entering the US. However, you will not be able to obtain a visa on such short notice, since this will take at least ten days, including the time it will take until you get your passport back. We cannot recommend trying to go without a visa, even if the US authorities probably don't know about your criminal record. If it is alter discovered that you lied to the border officials, this can have severe consequences if you should ever try to apply for a visa again, including an entry ban of several years.

YOUR QUESTION: Is there an age limit for the H-2B visa?

OUR ANSWER: There are no age limits in immigration law (in contrast to, for example, Canada or Australia). It is possible, however, that depending on the field of work, doubts may arise whether the applicant is suitable for the job at his or her age, with regard to the required evidence that no American could be hired. In general, no visa may be denied because of the applicant's age, unless there are health issues that make the applicant ineligible. Those are usually only serious illnesses that can be a threat to the American public.

YOUR QUESTION: On January 17, 2007, I will go on a short trip (5 days) to New York. I was on a short trip to the United Arab Emirates (Dubai) in June 2006, and now I have an Arabic stamp in my passport.

Can you please tell me whether I might get in trouble being admitted into the US in New York?

OUR ANSWER: No, we believe that to be impossible. First off, the US have a good relationship with the United Arab Emirates that are not comparable with countries such as Syria or the Iran. In addition, only long-term stays are relevant, mostly more than six months, and that only if the country is on the US State Department's list of terrorist countries. As far as we know, the United Arab Emirates are not on that list.

YOUR QUESTION: I would like to go Las Vegas in January, I will be working at an event organized by Audi for 3 weeks. I only have a preliminary passport, though. Do I need a visa to go to the US?

OUR ANSWER: Yes, you will need a visa in case you have the old (green) not machine-readable passport. Those are no longer valid for admission onto the US.

YOUR QUESTION: I am an American citizen and my husband is a German with very good language skills. He is a tattoo artist and would like to work in the US for 1-3 months to receive additional training. What would you recommend.

OUR ANSWER: A green card application would certainly not make sense, since this can take up to one year. It would only make sense anyway if you were planning to immigrate to the US. A temporary work permit, however, would also take some time, since without a green card the employer would have to prove that no American could be found for the position. The process usually also takes up to three months and requires a good deal of effort from the US employer. In general, due to the complex visa processes, the US are not a suitable country for short temporary employment.