Can I apply for US Visitor Visa (B) and use it for Transit?

Question

I'm really frustrated that I need to go through all the trouble of getting a visa just to layover 3 hours in Miami. But since I'm going through all this pain, I don't get it why would anyone get the Transit visa when the Visitor Visa is the same price - $160 - and apparently I need to fill the same DS-160 (Although I guess the Interview at the Embassy would be different). But the advantage would be that I could visit US in the near future, instead of having to once again apply for a Visitor Visa.

Just to clarify, I hold a Brazilian passport but live in the UK (not a citizen though). Brazil apparently isn't in the ESTA scheme.

Questions:

1. Would I be able to apply for the Visitor Visa even though my imminent reason for applying is for Transit?

2. Why is there a Transit visa for the same price?

Answer 1

Yes, you can apply for a visitor visa and use it to transit. As noted in the other answer, you should not lie on your visa application, but you can certainly plan a trip to the US and then apply for a visitor (B) visa, mentioning both trips. You can even apply for a B visa for your transit and explain that the reason you're asking for a B visa is that you want to visit the US in the future even though you don't have definite plans yet. The second approach may be less likely to succeed, but it's probably not doomed to definite failure.

By default, Brazilians get a 10-year B visa or a 5-year C visa (see https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/fees/reciprocity-by-country.html). It would be a shame to pay the application fee for a 5-year C visa and then have to pay it again for a B visa when you want to visit the US.

As to the price of the application, if I remember correctly, it is supposed to reflect the cost of processing the application, which is similar for visit and transit. From the consumer's point of view, it seems to make little sense, since you're getting much less in one case for the same price, but it doesn't seem that the US had that in mind when setting the fees.

Answer 2

Would I be able to apply for the Visitor Visa even though my imminent reason for applying is for Transit?

No

Why is there a Transit visa for the same price?

Because you should not lie on your visa application form. If you want to transit, you must say so. Also, it is possible -- but there is no source for this so take this as the lunatic raving of a random stranger -- they will grant a transit visa easier than a visitor visa.