Fictional example · DS-160 · Specialty-occupation worker

H-1B DS-160 Sample for a Worker Renewing in India

See how a fictional software engineer living in Texas answered the DS-160 to renew his H-1B in India, including his petition number, his employer, his U.S. degree and his earlier visa. Know what the form asks before you start your own.

20sections229responses~45 minto fillH-1B & work visas
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This is a fictional example for educational purposes, not an official or pre-approved application. Your DS-160 answers must reflect your own circumstances. Do not copy the sample answers unless they are independently true for you.

Is this example similar to your situation?

  • H-1B specialty-occupation visa, applying in Hyderabad
  • A backend engineer already living and working in Texas
  • Renewing: his earlier visa was an H-1B too, issued at a different post
  • Studied for a master's degree in the U.S. before his H-1B
  • His employer has filed an immigrant petition (I-140) for him
  • Married, travelling with his wife and their daughter, who apply for H-4 visas

Different situation? Browse other completed DS-160 examplesSkip to the full sample

Before you start: information you'll want ready

The form will ask for

  • Your passport
  • Your H-1B approval notice (I-797), for the receipt number
  • Your earlier H-1B visa, with its number and date of issue
  • Your U.S. Social Security number
  • Your wife's full name, date and place of birth
  • Your universities and past jobs, with dates, and a supervisor's name for each job

Helpful to have nearby

  • Your degree certificates or transcripts, for the dates you attended
  • The details of any I-140 your employer filed, such as its category
  • Your U.S. driver's licence
  • A recent photo that meets the U.S. visa photo rules

Questions applicants commonly get stuck on

How this fictional applicant answered, why, and what to check for your own form. Answer for your own situation, which may differ.

  1. Sample answer

    Purpose of Visit

    Petition Number or Application Receipt Number

    The receipt number is a 13-character alphanumeric identifier and follows this format: XXX-YY-ZZZ-NNNNN

    Why
    Choosing Specialty Occupation (H1B) opens a box for the petition's receipt number, so Arjun enters LIN2490037215 from his I-797 approval notice.
    For your application
    Choose the visa you are applying for today, then copy the receipt number from your latest I-797. The same number comes up again on the temporary work page.

  2. Sample answer

    Where Do You Intend to Work?
    Why
    Lonestar Cloud Systems Inc filed his petition and is also where he works, so the petitioner and the employer are the same, with his Austin office and his monthly pay in dollars.
    For your application
    Give the petitioner's name as your I-797 shows it, and the address where you will actually work. If the petitioner and your place of work differ, give each as it is.

  3. Sample answer

    Present Work/Education/Training Information
    Present Employer or School Information
    Present Employer or School Address
    NA Does not apply
    NA Does not apply
    Start Daterequired
    21 DEC 2023
    NA Does not apply
    Why
    Arjun works in Austin for Lonestar Cloud Systems, so that is his present job. He lives in the U.S., so his monthly income is in U.S. dollars.
    For your application
    Give the job you hold today. If you already work in the U.S., your local currency is the U.S. dollar.

  4. Sample answer

    Have you ever been issued a U.S. Visa?required
    Previous U.S. Visa
    Date Last Visa Was Issuedrequired
    19 NOV 2023

    Visa Number

    Enter the 8-digit number that is displayed in red on the lower right hand side of your visa. If your previous visa was a Border Crossing Card enter the last 12-digit number of the first line of the machine readable zone.

    NA Do not know
    Are you applying for the same type of visa?required
    Are you applying in the same country or location where the visa above was issued, and is this country or location your place of principal of residence?required

    Ten-printed

    Ten-printed means that you have provided fingerprints for all your fingers, as opposed to having provided only two fingerprints.

    Have you been ten-printed?required
    Has your U.S. Visa ever been lost or stolen?required
    Has your U.S. Visa ever been cancelled or revoked?required
    Why
    His last visa was also an H-1B, so he answers Yes to the same type. He now lives in Texas, so India is not his place of residence and the same-country answer is No.
    For your application
    Find your last visa's number and issue date on the visa in your passport. Answer the same-country question Yes only if you apply where that visa was issued and you live there.

  5. Sample answer

    Has anyone ever filed an immigrant petition on your behalf with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services?required
    Why
    His employer has filed an I-140 for him in the EB-3 category, so he answers Yes and names the form and the category in one line.
    For your application
    The question covers any immigrant petition ever filed for you, approved or not. Your employer can tell you the I-140's category if you do not have the notice.

  6. Sample answer

    NA Does Not Apply
    NA Does Not Apply
    Why
    He has a Social Security number from working in the U.S., and it is also the number he files his taxes with, so he enters it in both boxes.
    For your application
    Your SSN is on your Social Security card. An ITIN is a separate taxpayer number for people without an SSN, so check which one you were given.

  7. Sample answer

    Level of Education

    You must answer Yes to this question if you have ever attended, for any length of time, a high school/secondary school (or its equivalent in your country) or college, university, graduate school, a doctoral program, or a vocational program.

    Have you attended any educational institutions at a secondary level or above?required
    Provide the following information on the educational institution(s) you have attended.
    Address
    NA Does not apply
    NA Does not apply
    Date of Attendance Fromrequired
    26 DEC 2018
    Date of Attendance Torequired
    14 SEP 2020
    Address
    NA Does not apply
    NA Does not apply
    Date of Attendance Fromrequired
    07 DEC 2010
    Date of Attendance Torequired
    05 SEP 2014
    Why
    He studied computer science at Arizona State University in Tempe before his H-1B, so he lists it along with his earlier degree in Hyderabad.
    For your application
    List schools in any country, the U.S. included. Your transcripts or degree certificates have the exact dates of attendance.

  8. Sample answer

    Traveling with Others

    You should answer Yes to this question if you are traveling with family, as part of an organized tour, or as part of a performing group or athletic team. You do not need to list individuals who are traveling with you for the purposes of employment with the same employer.

    Are there other persons traveling with you?required
    Are you traveling as part of a group or organization?required
    Provide the following information for each person traveling with you:
    Why
    His wife, Priya, and their daughter, Anika, travel with him and apply for H-4 visas at the same time, so he lists both as companions. Each of them has their own DS-160.
    For your application
    List everyone travelling with you. A spouse or child applying for an H-4 needs their own DS-160.

    See the DS-160 for Priya: H-4 DS-160 (India)

Common questions about this example

Do I need a new DS-160 to renew my H-1B visa?

Yes. Every visa application needs its own DS-160, a renewal included. Your earlier H-1B goes in the previous U.S. travel section, as Arjun's does.

Official source
Does my wife need her own DS-160 for her H-4?

Yes. Priya fills in her own DS-160 and gives Arjun as the principal applicant, with the same receipt number he uses. He lists her as a travel companion and on his spouse page.

Official source
Do I mention an I-140 that is not approved yet?

Yes. The question asks whether anyone has ever filed an immigrant petition for you, so a pending I-140 counts as well as an approved one. The H-1B allows you to seek a green card at the same time.

Do I list the university I attended in the U.S.?

Yes. The education question covers schools in any country. Arjun lists Arizona State University as well as his university in Hyderabad.

The completed DS-160, question by question

§1

Personal Information - Part 1

11 responses

Surnames

Enter all surnames as listed in your passport. If only one name is listed in your passport, enter that Surname.

Given Names

If your passport does not include a given name, please enter 'FNU' in Given Names.

Full Name in Native Alphabet

If your passport does not include a given name, please enter 'FNU' in Given Names.

NA Does Not Apply/Technology Not Available

Other Names

Other names used include your maiden name, religious name, professional name, or any other names which you are known by or have been known by in the past.

Have you ever used other names (i.e., maiden, religious, professional, alias, etc.)?required

Telecode

Telecodes are 4 digit code numbers that represent characters in some non-Roman alphabet names.

Do you have a telecode that represents your name?required

Sex

Please select MALE or FEMALE

Date of Birth

If day or month is unknown, enter as shown in passport.

Date of Birthrequired
22 OCT 1992
NA Does Not Apply

Country/Region

Select the name that is currently in use for the place where you were born.

§2

Personal Information - Part 2

6 responses
Do you hold or have you held any nationality other than the one indicated above on nationality?required

Permanent Resident

Permanent resident means any individual who has been legally granted by a country/region permission to live and work without time limitation in that country/region.

Are you a permanent resident of a country/region other than your country/region of origin (nationality) indicated above?required

Identification Numbers

Your National ID Number is a unique number that your government provides. The U.S. Government provides unique numbers to those who seek employment (Social Security Number) or pay taxes (Taxpayer ID).

NA Does Not Apply
NA Does Not Apply
NA Does Not Apply
§3

Purpose of Visa

17 responses
Purpose of Visit

Petition Number or Application Receipt Number

The receipt number is a 13-character alphanumeric identifier and follows this format: XXX-YY-ZZZ-NNNNN

Have you made specific travel plans?required
Provide a complete itinerary for your travel to the U.S.

Travel Plans

If you are unsure of your Date of Arrival in U.S. or Date of Departure from U.S., please provide an estimate.

Arrival Daterequired
11 FEB 2027
Departure Daterequired
28 APR 2027
Locations you plan to visit in the USA:
Address where you will stay in the U.S.
§4

Travel Companions

8 responses

Traveling with Others

You should answer Yes to this question if you are traveling with family, as part of an organized tour, or as part of a performing group or athletic team. You do not need to list individuals who are traveling with you for the purposes of employment with the same employer.

Are there other persons traveling with you?required
Are you traveling as part of a group or organization?required
Provide the following information for each person traveling with you:
§5

Previous U.S. Travel History

22 responses
Have you ever been in the U.S.?required

Previous U.S. Visits

If you are unsure about when you visited the U.S., please provide a best estimate.

Details on your visit
Provide information on your last U.S. visit:
Date Arrivedrequired
17 DEC 2023
Date Arrivedrequired
24 DEC 2020
Do you or did you ever hold a U.S. Driver's License?required
Provide information on your U.S. Driver's Licenses:
NA Do not know
Have you ever been issued a U.S. Visa?required
Previous U.S. Visa
Date Last Visa Was Issuedrequired
19 NOV 2023

Visa Number

Enter the 8-digit number that is displayed in red on the lower right hand side of your visa. If your previous visa was a Border Crossing Card enter the last 12-digit number of the first line of the machine readable zone.

NA Do not know
Are you applying for the same type of visa?required
Are you applying in the same country or location where the visa above was issued, and is this country or location your place of principal of residence?required

Ten-printed

Ten-printed means that you have provided fingerprints for all your fingers, as opposed to having provided only two fingerprints.

Have you been ten-printed?required
Has your U.S. Visa ever been lost or stolen?required
Has your U.S. Visa ever been cancelled or revoked?required
Have you ever been refused a U.S. Visa, or been refused admission to the United States, or withdrawn your application for admission at the port of entry?required
Have you ever been denied travel authorization by the Department of Homeland Security through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA)?required
Has anyone ever filed an immigrant petition on your behalf with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services?required
§6

Address and Phone Details

17 responses
Home Address
NA Does not apply
NA Does not apply

Mailing Address

If your mailing address is different from your home address, please provide your mailing address.

Is your Mailing Address the same as your Home Address?required

Phone

You must provide a primary phone number. The primary phone number should be the phone number at which you are most likely to be reached; this could be a land line or a cellular/mobile number. If you have an additional land line or a cellular/mobile number please list that as your secondary phone number.

Phone
NA Does not apply
NA Does not apply
Have you used any other phone numbers in the last five years?required

Email Address

You must provide an email address. The email address you provide will be used for correspondence purposes. Provide an email address that is secure and to which you have reasonable access.

Have you used any other email addresses in the last five years?required
Social Media
Do you wish to provide information about your presence on any other websites or applications you have used within the last five years to create or share content (photos, videos, status updates, etc.)?required
§7

Passport Information

10 responses

Passport/Travel Document Number

Enter the information on the travel document you will be using when traveling to the U.S. Your travel document should be a valid, unexpired passport or other valid, unexpired documentation that is sufficient to establish your identity and nationality.

Passport Book Number

The Passport Book Number is commonly called the inventory control number. You may or may not have a Passport Book Number on your passport. The location of the Passport Book Number on your passport may vary depending on the country that issued your passport. Please contact your passport issuing authority if you are unable to determine whether or not your passport contains a Passport Book Number.

NA Does not apply
Where was the Passport/Travel Document Issued?
Issuance Daterequired
16 JUN 2020

Expiration Date

In most cases your passport/Travel Document must have at least six months of validity beyond the date of your visa application and/or your arrival in the United States.

Expiration Daterequired
16 JUN 2030
NA No expiration
Have you ever lost a passport or had one stolen?required
§8

US Contact Information

11 responses

Contact Person or Organization in the United States

Your U.S. Point of Contact can be any individual in the U.S. who knows you and can verify, if necessary, your identity. If you do not personally know anyone in the U.S., you may enter the name of the store, company, or organization you plan to visit during your trip.

Contact Person or Organization in the United States

Contact Person

Do Not Know

Organization Name

Do Not Know
Address and Phone Number of Point of Contact
NA Does not apply
§9

Family Information

17 responses
Father's Full Name and Date of Birth
NA Do not know
NA Do not know
Date of Birthrequired
08 JUL 1963
NA Do not know
Is your father in the U.S.?required
Mother's Full Name and Date of Birth
NA Do not know
NA Do not know
Date of Birthrequired
02 FEB 1967
NA Do not know
Is your mother in the U.S.?required

Immediate Relatives

Means fiancé/fiancée, spouse (husband/wife), child (son/daughter), or sibling (brother/sister).

Do you have any immediate relatives, not including parents, in the United States?required
Provide the following information:
§10

Spouse Information

7 responses
Spouse's Date of Birthrequired
05 SEP 1994
Spouse's Place of Birth
NA Do not know
§11

Current Occupation

12 responses
Present Work/Education/Training Information
Present Employer or School Information
Present Employer or School Address
NA Does not apply
NA Does not apply
Start Daterequired
21 DEC 2023
NA Does not apply
§12

Previous Occupation

36 responses
Were you previously employed?required
Employer/Employment Information:
Employer Address
NA Does not apply
NA Does not apply
NA Do not know
NA Do not know
Employment Date Fromrequired
11 NOV 2014
Employment Date Torequired
06 DEC 2018

Level of Education

You must answer Yes to this question if you have ever attended, for any length of time, a high school/secondary school (or its equivalent in your country) or college, university, graduate school, a doctoral program, or a vocational program.

Have you attended any educational institutions at a secondary level or above?required
Provide the following information on the educational institution(s) you have attended.
Address
NA Does not apply
NA Does not apply
Date of Attendance Fromrequired
26 DEC 2018
Date of Attendance Torequired
14 SEP 2020
Address
NA Does not apply
NA Does not apply
Date of Attendance Fromrequired
07 DEC 2010
Date of Attendance Torequired
05 SEP 2014
§13

Additional Occupation Details

12 responses
Do you belong to a clan or tribe?required
Provide a List of Languages You Speak

Enter only one language per field. To add more languages, use the Add Another button below — do not list several languages in the same field.

Have you traveled to any countries/regions within the last five years?required
Provide a List of Countries/Regions Visited
Have you belonged to, contributed to, or worked for any professional, social, or charitable organization?required
Do you have any specialized skills or training, such as firearms, explosives, nuclear, biological, or chemical experience?required
Have you ever served in the military?required
Have you ever served in, been a member of, or been involved with a paramilitary unit, vigilante unit, rebel group, guerrilla group, or insurgent organization?required
§14

Security Background - Part 1

3 responses
Do you have a communicable disease of public health significance? (Communicable diseases of public significance include chancroid, gonorrhea, granuloma inguinale, infectious leprosy, lymphogranuloma venereum, infectious stage syphilis, active tuberculosis, and other diseases as determined by the Department of Health and Human Services.)required
Do you have a mental or physical disorder that poses or is likely to pose a threat to the safety or welfare of yourself or others?required
Are you or have you ever been a drug abuser or addict?required
§15

Security Background - Part 2

7 responses
Have you ever been arrested or convicted for any offense or crime, even though subject of a pardon, amnesty, or other similar action?required
Have you ever violated, or engaged in a conspiracy to violate, any law relating to controlled substances?required
Are you coming to the United States to engage in prostitution or unlawful commercialized vice or have you been engaged in prostitution or procuring prostitutes within the past 10 years?required
Have you ever been involved in, or do you seek to engage in, money laundering?required
Have you ever committed or conspired to commit a human trafficking offense in the United States or outside the United States?required
Have you ever knowingly aided, abetted, assisted or colluded with an individual who has committed, or conspired to commit a severe human trafficking offense in the United States or outside the United States?required
Are you the spouse, son, or daughter of an individual who has committed or conspired to commit a human trafficking offense in the United States or outside the United States and have you within the last five years, knowingly benefited from the trafficking activities?required
§16

Security Background - Part 3

12 responses
Do you seek to engage in espionage, sabotage, export control violations, or any other illegal activity while in the United States?required
Do you seek to engage in terrorist activities while in the United States or have you ever engaged in terrorist activities?required
Have you ever or do you intend to provide financial assistance or other support to terrorists or terrorist organizations?required
Are you a member or representative of a terrorist organization?required
Are you the spouse, son, or daughter of an individual who has engaged in terrorist activity, including providing financial assistance or other support to terrorists or terrorist organizations, in the last five years?required
Have you ever ordered, incited, committed, assisted, or otherwise participated in genocide?required
Have you ever committed, ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in torture?required
Have you committed, ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in extrajudicial killings, political killings, or other acts of violence?required
Have you ever engaged in the recruitment or the use of child soldiers?required
Have you, while serving as a government official, been responsible for or directly carried out, at any time, particularly severe violations of religious freedom?required
Have you ever been directly involved in the establishment or enforcement of population controls forcing a woman to undergo an abortion against her free choice or a man or a woman to undergo sterilization against his or her free will?required
Have you ever been directly involved in the coercive transplantation of human organs or bodily tissue?required
§17

Security Background - Part 4

5 responses
Have you ever been the subject of a removal or deportation hearing?required
Have you ever sought to obtain or assist others to obtain a visa, entry into the United States, or any other United States immigration benefit by fraud or willful misrepresentation or other unlawful means?required
Have you failed to attend a hearing on removability or inadmissibility within the last five years?required
Have you ever been unlawfully present, overstayed the amount of time granted by an immigration official or otherwise violated the terms of a U.S. visa?required
Have you ever been removed or deported from any country?required
§18

Security Background - Part 5

5 responses
Have you ever withheld custody of a U.S. citizen child outside the United States from a person granted legal custody by a U.S. court?required
Have you voted in the United States in violation of any law or regulation?required
Have you ever renounced United States citizenship for the purposes of avoiding taxation?required
Are you a former exchange visitor (J) who has not yet fulfilled the two-year foreign residence requirement?required
Have you attended a public elementary school on student (F) status or a public secondary school after November 30, 1996 without reimbursing the school?required
§19

Temporary Visa Information

10 responses
Where Do You Intend to Work?
§20

Preparer of Application

1 responses

Preparer of Application

If someone other than you completed this application, provide their details here. You must still electronically sign the application yourself.

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