U.S. Business Visa Facilitation Program
What is the U.S. Business Visa Facilitation Program?
Due to an agreement between the American Chamber of Commerce in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the U.S. Consulate Erbil, AmCham Kurdistan provides an exclusive service to direct employees of its Regular member companies and their accompanying family members - facilitation in U.S. B1/B2 Non-Immigrant Visa Obtaining.
AmCham Kurdistan U.S. Business Visa Facilitation Program provides its members with expedited U.S. Business Visa interviews only. As our Membership expands, so will our Visa Facilitation Program services.
Who may apply?
The program applies only to direct employees of AmCham Regular Member Companies who have already obtained the U.S. B1/B2 Non-immigrant Visa within the last 12 months (as well as their family members - a legal spouse and children - if they accompany them on the trip)
Additional Technical Requirements for an Applicant
- previously obtained U.S. Visa must not be more than 12 months following the expiration date;
- an applicant must have had ten finger-scan biometrics collected at a U.S. Embassy in that provides visa services or be exempt from the biometric collection requirement;
- an applicant must reside in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq
What is a B1/B2 Non-Immigrant Visa?
B visa is a category of visas issued by the United States government to foreign citizens seeking entry for a temporary period. The two types of B visa are the B-1 visa, issued to those seeking entry for business purposes, and the B-2 visa issued to those seeking entry for tourism or other non-business purposes. In practice, the two visa categories are usually combined and issued as a "B-1/B-2 visa" valid for a temporary visit for either business or pleasure or a combination of both. B-1/B-2 visa has a one-year validity period (for KRG), allowing for either one or multiple entries into the U.S., and elicits a period of stay (maximum six months, as decided by the Consulate Visa Section due to the amount of time needed to accomplish the purpose of the visit).
How do we assist?
This exclusive service to direct AmCham Regular Member Companies employees includes: (Our service will expand as our Membership expands. At this time, it is limited to expedited Visa interviews only.)
- comprehensive support and consultations in the process of preparation of necessary documents;
- simplified visa application process WITHOUT the requirement to attend an interview/appointment at the U.S. Consulate Erbil (with certain exceptions) for an applicant;
- submission of a letter of support to the U.S. Consulate Erbil together with an applicant's documents by AmCham Visa Specialist (so that an applicant does not have to visit the Consulate personally).
Regarding the applicant’s children, the document list also includes a copy of a birth certificate or national identity card.
Necessary Documents
- Visa photo 5x5 cm (with white background) - please visit https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/photos.htmlfor the specific photo requirements;
- Printed confirmation page of completion of the visa application form (DS-160) at: https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/
- Printed confirmation page of payment of the non-refundable application fee at: https://ais.usvisa-info.com/
- Certificate of employment;
- International Passport.
Additional Regulations
To take advantage of AmCham U.S. B-1/B-2 Non-Immigrant Visa Facilitation Program, an applicant has to submit the above documents to the AmCham office by 2 p.m. on Monday. The U.S. Consulate schedules appointments for AmCham Visa Specialist each Tuesday;
- Following five working days, an applicant receives an e-mail notification confirming his/her passport(s) have arrived at the pickup location.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us: