There is no denying that the United States immigration process is extremely complicated. Filling out the application will take many hours, as will gathering all of the required supporting documentation (bank statements, letters of recommendation, etc.). You may find that during the application process, a lot of time is spent rifling through your paperwork to find a specific paper. This is especially the case if you have hired any sort of legal assistance, and they need to verify your documents. This is the exact reason for our next tip: Keep all documents separated and organized. Keep your bank statements all in one place, keep your marriage certificate and property papers all together, and keep all documents together that show you still have ties to your current country, so that the U.S. Government doesn’t see you as trying to abandon your home country. It may seem like a silly thing to say, but getting a small file box or one of those accordion file folders is a great way to keep things organized. You can separate documents by what part of the application they are required for, and yet still have everything in one small place. If you are curious what papers are recommended, doing a quick internet search for U.S. Visa checklist will tell you all you need to know. Once you have everything together and have filed your application, you are likely to soon receive a summons for an immigration interview at the U.S. Embassy. This is where many people make mistakes, since they get themselves all worked up beforehand, and during, they think that they need to go out of their way to prove something to the interviewer. If all your documentation is in order, then just relax and be yourself, and things will go well. For this interview, being calm and collected is the name of the game. You will be asked a large number of very specific questions. Try not to brag to the visa interview officer, or talk continuously. The interviewer’s job is to make sure that you will not be any sort of liability to the United States Government, and excessive nervousness on your part can send up warning flags to your interviewer. When asked a question, calmly and concisely provide an answer, and if you have any supporting documentation, make sure you show it or point it out to the interviewer. They will be closely monitoring not only the words of your response, but how you respond as well. Make sure that you are dressed normally (clean and as nicely dressed as you would be for a job interview), clean and well-groomed. As a final tip, make sure that you are on top of all the changes to immigration laws. Rules for obtaining visas change on a fairly regular basis, so you want to make sure you don’t get caught unprepared. You can usually find all the information you need either at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services website (uscis.gov) or through your local embassy’s website. There should be specific sections on both of those websites dedicated to questions related to visas. If you take all of the outlined tips to heart, then your visa application should be successful, and you may find yourself stepping onto U.S. soil before you know it.