Intended length of stay in US - DS160 question

[karthik3186]

Hi,

I was going through my DS160 form (already submitted and appointment taken) and realized that I have answered the question 'Intended length of stay in US' as 3 years under the assumption that my petition is valid for 3 years. However, I am not sure if this was the right thing to do as I heard later that the visa itself is given for 2 years after which an extension is required.

Is this something that I can explain to the VO at the time of the interview (if asked) or is this a more serious mistake ?

Thanks,
Karthik

[shervin143]

The intended duration of stay should be calculated based on the expiry date on the petition. If the petition was approved only for 2 year, then you should mention only 2 year or it would give a wrong impression. Check your petition to see if it is approved for 3 years. If YES, then you don't need to worry. Otherwise, you need to try and explain it to the VO when you go for the visa interview. You can also try and talk to the VFS helpdesk to see if it can be corrected on your DS-160.

[karthik3186]

Thanks for the reply. I verified the petition. It says the validity is from 26th October 2010 to 30th September 2013. I filled the DS160 form only this month. So, legally I can't stay beyond 34 months in US without an extension (if my visa is issued this month). Given this, do I need to correct the DS160 form to say the precise figure of 34 months or 3 years good enough ?

[shervin143]

That is good enough. You will anyhow get the visa only till the petition expiry date. If you are still concerned, talk to the VFS helpdesk.