B1/B2 Tourist and Visitor Visa for Ukrainians in 2026: DS-160, Interview, 214(b) Refusal

Yes, a visa is needed. Ukraine is not part of the Visa Waiver Program, so Ukrainians need a B1/B2 visa for tourism or visits.

The Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program with humanitarian parole is closed to new applicants, so for a short trip to see relatives or for vacation, the main path is a tourist or visitor visa. B1 is for business trips (negotiations, conferences), B2 is for tourism, visits, and medical treatment. Usually a combined B1/B2 is issued.

The government consular fee (MRV fee) for a B1/B2 visa is $185. You pay it before booking the interview, and it is not refunded if you are refused.

• The $250 Visa Integrity Fee was created by H.R.1 (P.L. 119-21) for nonimmigrant visas. As of October 15, 2026 there is no official start date or collection procedure, and the information is contradictory. If the fee takes effect, it will be paid when the visa is issued, and in theory it may be refunded to people who followed the visa terms.
• Filling out the DS-160 on the official website is free.
• Separate costs: travel to the interview location, lodging, and, if you want, assistance services.

Americanization assistance costs $299, $499, or $999 depending on the package.

All fees and extra costs: how much a US visa costs.

It depends on the consular officer’s decision. Under the reciprocity table, which the State Department changed back in 2014, the maximum for citizens of Ukraine is up to 10 years (120 months) with multiple entries.

The officer may also issue a visa for a shorter period. It is important to understand the difference: the visa’s validity shows until what date you can enter, not how long you can stay in the U.S. The length of stay for each entry is set by the border officer and recorded in the I-94. Check the current reciprocity table on travel.state.gov, because it can change.

Yes, if the visa itself is still valid and has not been canceled. You can use a valid visa in an expired passport together with your new passport: show both at the border.

Conditions: the visa is not damaged, and the name and details in both passports match (if you changed your last name, you may need documents). The visa is automatically canceled if you stayed in the U.S. longer than allowed. Then you need a new visa for your next trip. If you lost the old passport together with the visa, report the loss and apply for a new visa.

1. Check your international passport: its validity must cover the trip.
2. Fill out the DS-160 form in English on the official State Department website and save the confirmation page with the barcode.
3. Create a profile on the official appointment portal for the country where you will interview and pay the $185 fee.
4. Book the interview (and, if needed, a biometrics appointment).
5. Gather documents about the purpose of the trip, your finances, and your ties to home.
6. Go to the interview: the officer decides on the spot.
7. Get your passport with the visa.

Americanization guides clients through all of these steps, from the form to the passport with the visa.

The DS-160 is filled out online in English on the State Department website (Consular Electronic Application Center). There is no paper version.

• Write your name exactly as in your international passport.
• Give your real trip purpose, job, income, previous trips to the U.S., and refusals. The officer sees your previous forms.
• The form asks about your social media accounts for recent years; list all of them.
• Add a photo that meets U.S. visa photo requirements.
• Save your Application ID: you can reopen an unfinished form.

The biggest danger is contradictions between the form and what you say at the interview. You cannot fix a mistake after submitting; you have to fill out a new form.

Since September 6, 2025 the State Department requires nonimmigrant visa interviews to take place in the country of citizenship or permanent residence. For countries where regular nonimmigrant visas are not issued, specific embassies have been designated.

• According to legal websites, for citizens of Ukraine this is the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw and the Consulate General in Kraków.
• Based on available information, the embassy in Kyiv provides nonimmigrant visa services only in a limited way or not at all. We could not officially confirm the current situation as of October 15, 2026: the embassy website would not open.
• If you legally live in another country (for example, you have a residence permit in Poland, Germany, or Canada), you can apply there.

Before booking, check the current rules on ua.usembassy.gov and pl.usembassy.gov.

From Poland – yes: based on available information, Warsaw and Kraków accept citizens of Ukraine. From other countries, including Canada – only if you legally live there.

The 2025 rule removed the option to “shop around” for the fastest line in any country. A tourist stay in a third country is usually not considered residence. If you have a residence permit, bring it to the interview. Check the requirements on the specific embassy’s website before paying, because the rules change.

It depends on the embassy and the season. The State Department publishes the current interview wait time for each consulate on travel.state.gov (the Visa Appointment Wait Times section).

The officer usually announces the decision right at the interview. After approval, the passport with the visa is returned by courier, usually within a few days or weeks. Sometimes the case is sent for additional administrative processing (often with a 221(g) form), and then the wait can stretch to weeks or months. Buy tickets only once the visa is in your passport.

Don’t panic: a cancellation by the embassy usually does not “burn” the fee you paid.

1. Check your email and your profile on the appointment portal: there should be a notice and an option to choose a new date.
2. Book the nearest available date at the same embassy or another permitted one.
3. Keep the fee payment receipt: it is usually valid for a certain time after payment.
4. If you have an urgent reason (medical treatment, a funeral), you can request an expedited interview through the same portal.

Book only through official portals. Third-party sites that “sell slots” break the rules and can harm your case.

Most often the officer asks why you are going, for how long, who is paying, and what brings you back home.

• Trip purpose: where, to whom, for how many days.
• Work: where you work, in what position, how much you earn, whether you got time off.
• Family: whether you are married, whether you have children, who stays at home.
• Finances: who pays for the trip.
• Previous trips: where you have been, whether you have been to the U.S., whether you had refusals.
• Relatives in the U.S.: who they are and what status they have.

Answer briefly, truthfully, and the same way as in your DS-160. The interview lasts a few minutes, and the officer decides mostly based on your answers. Preparation for these questions is included in all Americanization assistance packages.

Required: your international passport (and old ones with visas), the DS-160 confirmation page, and confirmation of your appointment and fee payment.

The officer may not ask for documents about your ties to home, but it is worth having them:

• a letter from your employer with your position, salary, and confirmation of your time off, or documents about your business;
• a bank statement;
• property documents or a lease;
• marriage certificate and birth certificates of children who stay at home;
• a letter from your school for students;
• previous visas and stamps showing you returned on time.

What matters is not the amount of paper, but that your story is logical and true.

There is no official minimum: neither the embassy nor the State Department sets a required bank balance.

The consular officer looks at whether you can pay for the trip and whether you have reasons to return home. So it is the overall picture that matters, not one number:

• a stable income or job that shows where the money comes from;
• enough to cover tickets, lodging and expenses for the whole trip (or a sponsor who pays for them);
• ties to home: job, business, family, property, studies.

A large deposit made a week before the interview with no clear source is more likely to raise questions. Bring your statements, but show them only if asked.

A 214(b) refusal means the officer was not convinced you will return home: the law requires the applicant to prove they do not intend to immigrate.

• Typical reasons: no stable job or income, weak ties to Ukraine, contradictory or confused answers, relatives in the U.S. with no clear return plan.
• There is no official appeal, but you can reapply at any time: a new DS-160, a new $185 fee, a new interview.
• Reapplying with no changes in your situation (a new job, family circumstances, a different purpose, a better explanation) almost always means the same answer.

A 214(b) refusal does not ban you from entering forever, but you must honestly list it on every future form.

The U.S. has no separate ban for Ukrainian men: the officer reviews their applications under the same 214(b) rules.

The main obstacle is Ukrainian law on men of military age leaving the country under martial law: to get to Warsaw or Kraków, you need a legal basis for crossing the border. This is a question of Ukrainian rules, not of the U.S. embassy. If you are already legally abroad, you can apply in your country of residence. Do not put false information on the form about why you left.

Your parents apply for a B1/B2 themselves, like regular tourists. The U.S. has no special “invitation from a parolee.”

• An invitation letter from you is not required, but it can explain the purpose of the trip. There is no official invitation form.
• The officer looks specifically at your parents’ ties to Ukraine: housing, pension, other children or grandchildren at home, previous trips.
• Your temporary status (parole, TPS) may raise the question of whether your parents will stay with you. Honestly explain the length of the trip and the return plan.

You can pay for the trip, but it is better to also show your parents’ own money and property.

You may. A stay under U4U is not a bar by itself, but the officer will look closely at your history.

• If you left before your parole ended and did not break its terms, this is more of a neutral or positive fact.
• If you stayed after your parole ended without filing for an extension, you may have built up unlawful presence. More than 180 days brings a 3-year entry ban, more than a year – a 10-year ban.
• The officer may doubt that you will return if you have already lived in the U.S.

Always list previous trips honestly on the DS-160. If you had unlawful presence, first talk to a licensed immigration attorney.

As long as the border officer allowed at entry and recorded in the I-94, usually up to 6 months per entry.

• The I-94 date and the visa validity are different things. A 10-year visa does not give you the right to live in the U.S. for 10 years.
• You can check your date at i94.cbp.dhs.gov (the Get Most Recent I-94 section).
• Frequent long visits with short breaks may raise questions at the border about whether you actually live in the U.S.

Leave before the date in your I-94 or file for an extension on time.

No. A B1/B2 visa does not give permission to work in the U.S., neither officially nor “for cash.”

• B1 allows business activities without pay from U.S. sources: negotiations, conferences, signing contracts.
• Working without authorization is a status violation. It is grounds for canceling the visa, future refusals, and problems with any immigration applications.
• If you plan any work during the trip, even remote work, discuss it with an immigration attorney in advance.

To work, you need a work visa or another status that allows work.

With Form I-539 to USCIS, while your I-94 is still valid. USCIS recommends filing at least 45 days before your authorized stay ends.

• The I-539 fee as of October 15, 2026: $470 for paper filing, $420 online (G-1055 fee schedule).
• You need a strong reason (for example, medical treatment) and proof of funds for your stay.
• The I-539 is also used to apply for a change of status, for example to F-1 student status.

Be careful with the 90-day rule: if within 90 days after entry you do something that contradicts your stated purpose (file for a change of status or a green card, start working), the consulate and USCIS may decide you misled them when getting the visa. Before such a filing, talk to an immigration attorney.

The consequences are serious, and they happen automatically.

• The visa is canceled from the first day after the date in your I-94, and you will have to get a new one in your country of citizenship.
• Staying unlawfully for more than 180 days and then leaving – a 3-year entry ban; more than a year – a 10-year ban.
• Risk of detention and deportation. Since October 14, 2026 a final rule is in effect on fines for people who did not leave after a removal order or within the voluntary departure period.

If you have already overstayed or are at risk, contact a licensed immigration attorney or an accredited representative (DOJ-accredited) before taking any action.

Now almost never. Since September 2, 2025 an in-person interview is required for practically all nonimmigrant visa applicants, including children under 14 and people 79 and older.

According to law firms, an exception remains for renewing a full-validity B1/B2 visa if:

• the previous visa expired no more than 12 months ago;
• you were 18 or older at that time;
• you had no refusals;
• you apply in your country of citizenship or residence.

Even then the officer may call you in for an interview. Check the final conditions on the embassy website.