Primary occupation for DS-160 Form (US visa) for a self-employed person
I am a software engineer. I am re-applying for a B1/B2 US visa (expired 4 months ago). I left my regular job 5 months ago and I'm working on my own startup (not registered yet). What should I write in the DS-160 form's primary occupation field, as there is no option for self-employed? If I choose computer science as my choice of primary occupation, then what employer details should I provide?
Best Answer
The primary occupation options (as far as I remember/could find, feel free to edit if I missed any) are the following broad catagories:
- Retired
- Agriculture
- Business
- Communications
- Computer Science
- Culinary/FoodServices
- Education
- Engineering
- Government
- Homemaker
- Legal Profession
- Medical/Health
- Military
- NaturalScience
- Physical Sciences
- Religious Vocation
- Research
- Social Science
- Student
- Not Employed
- Other
If you choose 'Other' you will have to provide an explanation, but in your case i.e. software engineer it will not make a material difference if you select Computer Science or Engineering.
You can mention your Present Employer as self-employed and if you work out of your home or a specific location mention that address. The details of what you do as being self-employed, you can mention in the 'Briefly describe your duties' section.
A suggestion: should you consider registering your business before this application and how will this period (working while business isn't registered) be reflected on the employment history for future visa purposes, consult an attorney on that.
Pictures about "Primary occupation for DS-160 Form (US visa) for a self-employed person"
What do I put in primary occupation DS 160?
If I have the right form, the DS-160 asks for \u201cPrimary Occupation\u201d followed by \u201cPresent Employer\u201d. For \u201cPrimary Occupation\u201d I would definitely put \u201cStudent\u201d.What do I put for primary occupation?
Your primary occupation means the job you have experience in (within the last ten years) and want to base your immigration application on, if you are invited to apply.What address should I put in DS 160?
Your complete home address including apartment number, street, city, taluk or district, state or province, postal code, and country. The address to be mentioned should be the one where you have been residing for the last six months. It can differ from your permanent address mentioned in your passport.Were you previously employed in DS 160?
Were you previously employed? - Here you must give details of your previous jobs over the past 5 years. For those of you who are full time students and have not held a fulltime job, it is fine for you to enter any part time jobs that you have held. You can enter a maximum of 2 previous jobs.How to Fill Out Form DS- 160: USA Visa Application 2021 (STEP BY STEP)
More answers regarding primary occupation for DS-160 Form (US visa) for a self-employed person
Answer 2
You’re still a software engineer and you’re working out of your house. It has an address? Therein lies your answer.
Answer 3
It is difficult to lie especially for this kind of visa application. I think one of the best move is that you register your business to prove that it is legal and true. Statements without proof could be difficult to attest.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Klaus Nielsen, Klaus Nielsen, Quang Nguyen Vinh, Julia M Cameron