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 fast 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!

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

YOUR QUESTION: I am planning to go on a three-week trip to the US next Easter and will be six months pregnant by then. Now my question: will I have difficulties being admitted into the US? I've heard that after a certain number of weeks into the pregnancy, you are no longer allowed to travel to the US.

OUR ANSWER: It will mostly depend on the airline whether you are allowed to fly to the US at all. If they agree, you should also be admitted into the US. A decisive factor will be how obvious the pregnancy already is, because it could be assumed that you are planning to give birth in the US, because you are hoping to obtain permanent residence through your child (which, by the way, is not possible). If you are stating at the border that you will only be staying for a short time - at most something under three months - this will probably not be assumed and you shouldn't have any problems being admitted into the country (even though there is no guarantee for this).

YOUR QUESTION: I am currently holding the H-1B visa, valid until March 2007. Since I do not agree with my employer's working conditions, I would like to know whether it is possible to switch employers. Other employers are interested in hiring me due to my qualifications, but they would like to know how the visa process works.

OUR ANSWER: You may switch employers. This is possible under the so-called "portability provision" of US immigration law. It allows switching employers, provided the new position also requires H-1B qualifications and thus has to be comparable to the previous position. Your own eligibility has already been determined with the H-1B process. The new employer may initially hire you without undergoing a separate application process, but he has to legitimize you quickly by submitting an application to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (this was not possible in the past). It is important for your ex-employer to notify USCIS about the switch. If you are leaving the US, you should apply for a new visa before re-entry, the new employer has to be stated under "annotation."

YOUR QUESTION: I want to travel through the Rocky Mountains by bike for 6 months. What visa application do I need and do I have to apply myself and if so, where?

OUR ANSWER: You will need a so-called B-2 visa ("Visa for pleasure"). Fir this, you need a non-immigrant visa application (DS-156) and, in case you're not older than 45, the additional form DS-157. Depending on what German state you live in, you will have to schedule an interview at the US Embassy for one of the two US consulates (Berlin or Frankfurt). There you should provide evidence for your ties to Germany and documentation about your bike trip and the route you are planning to take as well as income documentation/sufficient financial means for your trip.

YOUR QUESTION: I have met a man in the US and would now like to go there for three months to see whether our relationship is long-term so that we can get married. However, I will also have to earn money during that time and would like to work while I'm there.

OUR ANSWER: You can travel to the US for a maximum of 90 days under the Visa Waiver Program, but you will not be allowed to work. You will not be issued a work visa for such a short time, because the effort is too great for any US company that would hire you and it is very unlikely that US Citizenship and Immigration Services would approve. The US authorities generally don't issue work permits just for "jobbing," because the demand for regular work contracts is already quite strenuous for the US labor market. You might consider extending your stay in the US and do an internship there. For this, you will need the support of a certified exchange organization that will issue you the DS-2019 necessary for the J-1 Visa.

YOUR QUESTION: I am currently in training as a tourism assistant and my training will be done in 1.5 years. My biggest wish, at the moment, however, is to work for Disney after my training, more specifically in the special program at Epcot, but I don't know whether that is possible at all? Because you need the J-1 Visa for that. Can I still participate in this program, even though I have already been to the US an au pair?

OUR ANSWER: You can still obtain another J-1 Visa irrespective of your previous au pair job under the J-1 Visa, since this time you will work in another sector. J-1 Visas have different sub-categories (e.g. high school, trainee etc). Your application will only be denied if you apply for the same category twice. You will, however, probably need an exchange organization again, which will organize this stay for you.