Where to apply for US visa?

Question

I am a 28 y/o physician with dual nationality, UK and Iran. Currently I am staying in the US under visa waiver program and am planning to apply for a US visa. Considering my second nationality which is "Iranian" I have the following questions:

1) How long will it take for me to get a US visa?

2) Is it better for me to apply for a US visa through the US embassy located in UK or in Canada?

3) While I am waiting to get my visa can I reenter the US under visa waiver program?

4) Is it possible to leave the US at the end of my 90 days eligibility period and reenter the US through a land border?

Answer 1

I'm assuming that you intend to apply for a B1/B2 visitors visa for your UK passport. While you could certainly apply for one in your Iranian passport, assuming you have one, it wouldn't help much as the maximum validity for Iranians is one entry, 3 months, whereas you could get a ten year validity visa as a citizen of the UK. It's difficult to say how long it would actually take to get the visa as it depends on a variety of factors. It would probably be better to apply back home in the UK, as if there are any delays for any reason, at least you're at home and not living in a hotel out of pocket. Plus, it's usually easier to establish your ties in your home country, in this case, the UK. It's unlikely that the visa would take so long that you would want to go on another vacation under Visa Waiver. However, if you're spending more time in the US while on vacation than you are back home, you may be denied entry at some point and perhaps you should be applying for a different type of visa. I strongly advise against question 4. You give the appearance of trying to abuse your Visa Waiver privileges by using it to live in the US. If you are denied entry, which is a serious possibility, you will never be able to use Visa Waiver again.

Answer 2

You can apply at an embassy.

My father applied for a visa last April in Australia. He is married to an American, has a social security number, and used to have greencard...it's not easy! The situation is that you cannot be in the US on any other form of visa, so you will not be able to reenter. The best advice i can think would be to apply from outside the country. There is a whole lot of post that gets sent backwards and forward, so Canada would be the best spot to stay.

My father is just at the end of the process, about to have his interview. My advice, if you want to shorten the process, is have EVERYTHING that they need before you start. birth/marriage certificates, police reports (you will need one from every place you've ever lived), military papers if you've served, you will need to have everything together...this should help you speed the process considerably.

good luck