This is a step-by-step guide on how to register a limited company in Kenya. However, those interested in registering a business name should check out this article.
The process of company registration is now online. This implies that all the processes starting from name search to printing of the final certificate are accomplished online.
No more visiting Sheria House for registration. The only time you visit Sheria House is when applying for a certified copy or a duplicate copy. And at that time, you only go there to pick up your document.
This is a major improvement in service delivery as it usually takes a much shorter time and resources. Follow these simple steps to register your company name in Kenya.
Your basic details such as ID number, names, email, phone number, and postal address.
Limited Company Registration in Kenya
Types of Entities You Can Register on eCitizen
Business Name Registration
This is the simplest business form under which one can operate a business. The Business Name is not a legal entity. It simply refers to a person who owns the business and is personally responsible for its debts.
Private Limited Company
A company is limited by shares if the liability of its members is limited by the memorandum to the amount, if any, unpaid on the shares respectively held by them. The name must end with the expression “Limited” or the abbreviation “LTD”. However, the applicant may make an application to dispense with the word “limited”.
Public Limited Company
Its articles allow its members the right to transfer their shares in the company and its articles do not prohibit invitations to the public to subscribe for shares or debentures of the company. The name must end with the expression “Public Limited Company” or the abbreviation “PLC”.
Company Limited By Guarantee
It’s an alternative type of corporation used mainly for non-profit organizations that require legal personality. Directors and members undergo vetting before the company is registered.
Limited Liability Partnership
These are registered under the Limited Liability Partnerships Act, 2011. Limited liability partnerships commonly referred to as LLPs are unique forms of business association that combine elements of a company with those of a partnership. The name must end with the expression “Limited Liability Partnership” or the abbreviation “LLP”.
Foreign Company
This is an existing company that is registered to do business in a state or jurisdiction other than where it was originally incorporated.
Steps on How to Register a Limited Company in Kenya
Private Limited Company Registration
The procedure below is for the registration of a limited company in Kenya. The other registrations will be more or less the same.
Log into your eCitizen account and click on theBusiness Registration Service link.
Under “My Businesses Option”, click on make application.
Start filling the five required stages.
Private Limited Company Registration
Stage One of Company Registration – Proposed Names
This is where you provide the company name you wish to register. You can provide up to five names but the minimum is three. Start with the name with the highest priority. The first available name will automatically be assigned to the company. Click save and continue.
Enter Proposed Company Names
Stage Two of Company Registration – Articles of Association
In this stage, you will state your capacity, address, and postal code. Indicate if you will use the provided model of articles of association, if you will adopt some of them, or if you have prepared your own. Here you can simply adopt the ones provided.
Indicate if the company is regulated or not. Provide nature and primary business activity. Give the accounting period end month, number of employees at start and estimated turnover.
Stage Three of Company Registration – Registered Office Address
This stage requires your business address. This is information like County, District, Locality, Name of the Building, Street, Postal Address, Mobile Number, and Email Address. Do not use any email registered on iTax.
Stage Four of Company Registration – Share Information
Indicate the share category, the number of shares and the value of each share. This is by using the add button provide.
Stage Five of Company Registration – Ownership Information
Add the company ownership information. This is information like Director, Director Shareholder, or Shareholder. Note that you can register a company as an individual.
If you are registering for a single person, use the option Director Shareholder. Previously, a company was registered with a minimum of two directors. Provide all the requested information. Attach a photo of the individual.
Adding Director
Stage Six of Company Registration – Beneficial Owners
Skip this step as the owner(s) have already been captured on stage five.
Stage Seven of Company Registration – Application Documents
You are almost there. Download the CR1, CR2, CR8, BO, and Statement of Nominal Capital forms. Print them, sign all the necessary areas, scan, and upload them in their respective areas.
Pay the Company
Registration Fees
The final stage when you register a company in Kenya is to pay the registration fee. At the moment it is Kshs 10,750. Wait for the payment to go through which will take a day or two.
If there are any errors, you will be notified via the eCitizen portal. Make the necessary corrections. If no corrections, download and print your Company Registration Certificate.
The computer motherboardis the main printed circuit board (PCB) where most computer components are connected. It provides connectivity between the computer hardware components, for instance, the processor(CPU), memory (RAM), hard drive, and video card.
The motherboardis also known as System Board, Mainboard, Mobo, Main Circuit Board, Planar Board, Logic Board, and Printed Wired Board (PWB) among other names.
It is located at the bottom or on the side of the computer chassis depending on the type of desktop computer you have. The motherboard has many printed wires that carry power and data signals between one component and the other.
It connects directly or indirectly to every part of the Personal Computer. The type of motherboard installed in a PC has a great effect on system speed and future expansion capabilities.
What Is a Computer Motherboard Made Of?
A
motherboard is mainly composed of two materials:
Layers of fibreglass for insulation.
Copper that forms conductive pathways.
A Labelled Computer Motherboard
Computer Motherboard Components
The motherboard holds all the major components of the computer. These motherboard components include:
The processor (CPU)
CPU socket
Main Memory (RAM)
Memory slot
Math Co-Processor
BIOS
CMOS memory
CMOS Battery
Expansion slots
Cache memory
CPU Clock
I/O ports
Hard disk controllers
SATA connector
Super I/O chip
Central Processing Unit or the CPU
Also known as the microprocessor, the CPU is the brain of the computer. It fetches, decodes and executes program instructions as well as performs mathematical and logical calculations. The processor is one of the most crucial computer motherboard components.
The CPU chip is identified by the processor type and the manufacturer. This information is usually inscribed on the processor chip, for instance, Intel 386, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) 386, Cyrix 486, Pentium MMX, Intel Core 2Duo, and Intel Core i7, among others. The processor fits into the processor socket.
Intel Core i7 Processor
Processor Socket
A CPU or processor socket is a connection that allows a computer microprocessor to be inserted into the motherboard. There are various types of processor sockets depending on the CPU being inserted. You can identify the processor socket as socket 1 to Socket 8, LGA 775, Socket A, and Socket F, among others.
Main Memory (RAM)
The Main Memory, Primary Memory, System Memory or Random Access Memory (RAM), refers to the physical memory of the computer. The word main is used to distinguish it from external mass storage devices such as disk drives.
Memory is the working place of a computer. It is a hardware device that stores data for easy retrieval. It is volatile meaning it holds data as long as there is power. Once the power goes off or the computer is turned off, all the contents in RAM are lost.
The computer can manipulate only data that is in the main memory. Therefore, every program you execute and every file you access must be copied from a storage device into the main memory. The amount of main memory on a computer is crucial. This is because it determines how many programs can be executed at once and how much data can be readily available to a program.
DDR4 SDRAM Module
Types of RAM
There are two broad categories of RAM. These are SRAM and DRAM.
Memory Slot
It is also known as amemory socket or RAM slot. This is the slot or connection point where RAM modules are inserted into the motherboard. There may be two or four RAM slots depending on the motherboard in use.
Math Coprocessor
The Math coprocessor is a type of microprocessor that is optimized to execute complex mathematical calculations for instance irrational numbers and arrays. It was an optional add-on for earlier Intel processors such as 8086, 80386 and 80486.
This allowed computers to perform mathematical calculations faster. It is also referred to as a numeric coprocessor or a floating-point coprocessor. Modern computer processors come with an integrated math coprocessor.
The 486DX processor was the first processor to include an in-built math co-processor (inside the CPU). The earlier processors 8088, 8086, 80286, 80386SX & DX, and 486SX had their math co-processors on the motherboard.
BIOS is a term that stands for basic input/output system. It consists of low-level software that controls the system hardware and acts as an interface between the operating system and the hardware. The microprocessor uses BIOS to get the computer started after it is turned on.
All motherboards include a small block of Read–Only Memory (ROM) which is separate from the main system memory used for loading and running software. On PCs, the BIOS contains all the code required to control the keyboard, display screen, disk drives, serial communications, and several miscellaneous functions.
BIOS is Stored in a ROM Chip
The BIOS is stored on a ROM chip because ROM retains information even when no power is being supplied to the computer. The downside of storing data in an older computer’s ROM is that the chip has to be removed to update information. Many modern PCs have flash BIOS, which means that the BIOS has been recorded on a flash memory chip, which can be updated if necessary.
The BIOS is typically placed in a ROM chip that comes with the computer (it is often called a ROM BIOS). This ensures that the BIOS will always be available and will not be damaged by disk failures.
It also makes it possible for a computer to boot itself. Because RAM is faster than ROM, though, many computer manufacturers design systems so that the BIOS is copied from ROM to RAM each time the computer is booted. This is known as shadowing.
The PC BIOS is fairly standardized, so all PCs
are similar at this level (although there are different BIOS versions).
Some Bios Hardware Configuration Options That Can Be Changed
Change the Boot Order
Load BIOS Setup Defaults
Remove a BIOS Password
Create a BIOS Password
You can change the Date and Time
Change Floppy Drive Settings – nowadays obsolete
To change Hard Drive Settings
Changing CD/DVD/BD Drive Settings
View Amount of Memory Installed
Change the Boot Up NumLock Status
Enable or Disable the Computer Logo
Enable or Disable the Quick Power-On Self-Test (POST)
Unified Extensible Firmware Interface
(UEFI)
This
is a specification for a software program that connects a computer’s firmware
to its operating system. It is expected to replace BIOS.
UEFI is installed at the time of manufacturing and just like BIOS; it is the first program that runs when a computer is powered on. UEFI checks for the hardware components installed on the computer.
It wakes up the available devices and hands them over to the operating system. It is programmable and hence developers can add applications and drivers. This makes UEFI function as a lightweight operating system. It is managed by a group of chipset, system, hardware, firmware, and operating system vendors called the UEFI Forum.
Advantages
of UEFI
It comes with a user–friendly, graphical user interface.
It recognizes large storage drives over two terabytes.
UEFI can support remote diagnostics and repair of computers, even with no operating system installed.
You can use a mouse in the interface
It comes with a secure boot feature
What’s the difference between BIOS, CMOS, and UEFI ?
Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor – CMOS
Motherboards also include a small separate block of memory made from CMOS RAM chips. Other names of the CMOS are RTC (real-time clock), NVRAM (non-volatile RAM) or CMOS RAM.
It stores information about the BIOS settings. The CMOS RAM is kept alive by the CMOS battery even when the PC’s power is off. This prevents reconfiguration when the PC is powered on. CMOS devices require very little power to operate.
The CMOS RAM Stores
The CMOS Ram stores basic information about the PC’s configuration. This is for instance;
Floppy disk and hard disk drive types
CPU
RAM size
Date and time
Serial and parallel port information
Plug and Play information
Power Saving settings
The other important data kept in CMOS memory is the time and date, which is updated by a Real–Time Clock (RTC).
Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor
Cache Memory
It is a small block of high-speed memory (RAM) that enhances PC performance by pre-loading information from the main memory (relatively slow) and passing it to the processor on demand.
Most CPUs have an internal cache (in-built into the processor) which is referred to as Level-I cache memory or primary cache memory. This can be supplemented by external cache memory fitted on the motherboard. This is the Level-2 Cache memory or secondary cache. Even though Level-2 cache is optional, it results in a major improvement in system performance.
Expansion
Buses
An expansion bus is an assortment of wires that allows for computer expansion with the use of an expansion board. Expansion buses give rise to expansion slots.
Expansion boards are inserted into an expansion slot on the motherboard or backplane that provides additional features to a computer system. Buses carry signals, such as data; memory addresses, power, and control signals from component to component.
Expansion buses enhance the PC’s capabilities by allowing users to add missing features to their computers in the form of adapter cards that are slotted in expansion slots. The different types of buses include PCI, ISA, EISA, and Input/Output (I/O) buses among others.
Example of a PCI digital I/O expansion card – Source:
Expansion Slots
Alternatively referred to as a bus slot or expansion port, an expansion slot is a connection or port located on the motherboard. It is where an expansion card is inserted.
A chipset is a group of small
circuits that coordinates the flow of data and instructions between
the central processing unit (CPU) or microprocessor and external devices. This
includes the CPU itself, the main memory, the secondary cache and any devices
situated on the buses. The chipset also controls data flow to and from hard
disks, and other devices connected to the IDE channels.
Chipset manufacturers include Intel, UMC, SIS, VIA, ALI, OPTI, etc. The chipset originally was made up of a large number of electronic chips, hence the name. A chipset generally has two components:
The NorthBridge (also called the memory controller) is in charge of controlling transfers between the processor and the RAM. That is why it is located physically near the processor. It is sometimes called the GMCH, for Graphic and Memory Controller Hub.
The SouthBridge (also called the input/output controller or expansion controller) handles communications between peripheral devices. It is also called the ICH (I/O Controller Hub). The term bridge is generally used todesignate a component which connects two buses.
CPU Clock
The CPU clock is an internal timing device that breathes life into the microprocessor by feeding it a constant flow of pulses. For example, a 400 MHz CPU receives 400 million pulses per second from the clock. A 2 GHz CPU gets two billion pulses per second.
The clock synchronizes the operation of all parts of the computer and provides the basic timing signal for the CPU. Similarly, in a communications device, a clock may be used to synchronize the data pulses between sender and receiver.
Switches
DIP (Dual In-line Package) switches are small electronic switches found on the circuit board that can be turned on or off just like a normal switch. They are very small and so are usually flipped with a pointed object such as a screwdriver, bent paper clip or pen top.
Care should be taken when cleaning near DIP switches as some solvents may destroy them. They are usually used to make or break a connection within a circuit.
Jumper Pins
Jumper pins are small pins on the board with plastic or metal devices that go over the pins. This device is called a bridge or jumper cap. When the bridge is connected to any two pins via a shorting link, it completes the circuit and a certain configuration is achieved.
Circuit Board Jumper Caps/ Shunts
A jumper cap is a metal connector that closes an electrical circuit. Typically, a jumper cap consists of a metal connector encased with a plastic covering. They are designed to fit over a pair of protruding pins (jumper pin). Jumpers are sometimes used to configure expansion boards. By placing a jumper plug over a different set of pins, you can change a board’s parameters.
Circuit Board Jumper Caps / Shunts
3-Pin Case Fan Connectors
These pins are for connecting the case fan also known as the system fan. The system fan is used to bring in cool air and blow out hot air from the system unit. This helps cool the computer motherboard components.
Heat Sink
A heat sink is a device made of an aluminium finned radiator used to absorb excessive or unwanted heat from some computer motherboard components. There are two types of heat sinks, active and passive heat sinks.
Passive heat sinks have no mechanical components, just aluminium-finned radiator material. On the other hand, active heat sinks utilize the computer’s power and may come with a fan mounted on top.
A passive heat sink
24-Pin ATX Power Supply Connector
This is where you connect the ATX power supply to the motherboard. The corresponding connector has a small clip on the top that snaps to hold the connector in place. The connector is keyed to ensure it connects in one direction.
ATX power connector
SATA Connectors
This is the connection point for mass storage devices such as hard disk drives, optical drives, and solid-state drives. Serial ATA succeeded the earlier IDE connectors that used Parallel ATA (PATA) standard to become the predominant interface for storage devices.
SATA Connector
Super IO Chip
This type of controller is an integrated circuit found on the computer motherboard. It handles the slower and less prominent input/output devices such as floppy disk controller, game port, parallel port, real-time clock, and serial port UART among others.
Components Of The Motherboard
Well,
those are just some of the computer motherboard components. You will find
others not discussed here because we have different types of motherboard
designs.
Different types of computer ports and their functions are explained here in detail. This article describes the types of computer ports found at the back or front of the computer.
Computer Portsat the front and back of the PC
A port is a connection point or an interface where you plug in an external device such as a printer, scanner, keyboard, and mouse, among others.
This allows instructions and data to flow between the computer and the attached device. Many computer connectors are polarized to ensure they are plugged in the right way.
Note that some of the types of computer ports you are going to encounter here are obsolete. It is well understood that technology keeps changing now and then. It is always important to know what kind of technology was there before the current one.
AT Keyboard Port – Among the Types of Computer Ports that Have Been Phased Out
This is a full DIN or 5-pin DIN keyboard connector. It is for connecting older AT keyboard types. Also referred to as the Model F keyboard, the AT keyboard is a US standard keyboard introduced in 1986 by IBM.
It was subsequently replaced with the smaller 6-pin Mini-DIN connector on the IBM PS/2 in 1987. The 6-pin Mini-DIN was first used on laptops
A Five-pin male DIN connector
PS/2 Port
This is a 6-pin DIN type of port that is an IEEE 1284-compliant Centronics port. A PS/2 port, sometimes called a mouse port, was developed by IBM for their model PS/2 computers.
It is used to connect a computer mouse or keyboard. Earlier computers came with two PS/2 ports. The PS2 connectors are colour-coded. The purple connector is for the keyboard while the green one is for the mouse.
To plug in a keyboard or mouse cable, first match the cable notches to the connector. Rotate the cable until the connector keys match up. Then push the cable into the connector. These ports are rarely used nowadays as they have been replaced by USB ports.
PS/2 Port on the left and PS/2 Mouse Connector
Parallel Port
A parallel port is used to connect external devices such as scanners and printers. The older type was Centronics 36 Pin Port before being replaced by the DB-25 port with a parallel interface.
The 25-pin port is sometimes referred to as a printer port. It’s also known by another name, IEEE 1284-compliant Centronics port. These ports have been replaced by the USB port.
Parallel computer printer port
Serial Port
It is an asynchronous port on the computer used to connect a serial device to the computer and is capable of transmitting one bit at a time. It is identified on IBM-compatible computers as COM (communications) ports.
A serial port is used to connect external modems or an older computer mouse to the computer. It comes in two versions a 9-pin version or a 25-pin model.
The 9-pin was found on newer computers before becoming obsolete. There are two types of serial ports that are commonly found on a computer, DB-25 and DB-9.
A male D-subminiature connector was used for a serial port on an IBM PC-compatible computer along with the serial port symbol.
Game Port
Originally, this port was introduced on the Game Control Adapter. It was then used on earlier IBM PC compatible and other computer systems.
It is a connector for joystick input and is also sometimes used with MIDI devices. This port is now replaced by a USB port.
Game Port
SCSI
Ports
Short for Small Computer System Interface, SCSI is an interface for storage devices, scanners and other peripheral devices of a computer.
The SCSI standard is no longer common in modern-day consumer hardware devices. You will find the standard in some business and enterprise server environments.
Onboard SCSI is no longer used but has been replaced by popular standards like FireWire and USB to connect external devices to computers.
SCSI Connectors
Here are some of the SCSI interfaces that have existed:
Fast SCSI: 10 MBps; connects eight devices
Fast Wide SCSI:20 MBps; connects 16 devices
Ultra-Wide SCSI: 40 MBps; connects 16 devices
Ultra3 SCSI: 160 MBps; connects 16 devices
Ultra-640 SCSI: 640 MBps; connects 16 devices
More Types of Computer Ports and Their Functions
Universal Serial Bus (or USB) Port
Among the different types of Computer Ports, USB ports are the most common. The universal serial bus port, introduced around 1997, is very successful.
It was designed to standardize the connection of peripherals to personal computers. It’s used to connect all kinds of external devices, such as external hard drives, printers, mice, keyboards, cameras, scanners and many more.
The port is found on computers of all kinds, including desktops, tablets, laptops, netbooks, and also on computer-like devices.
USB-A 3.1 Gen 1 (3.0, Also later renamed USB 3.2 Gen 1) ports
USB Port Versions
There have been three major USB standards
USB 3.1: This is the newest standard, also called Superspeed+, USB 3.1 compliant devices can transfer data at 10 Gbps (10,240 Mbps).
USB 3.0: Its other name SuperSpeed USB, USB 3.0 compliant hardware can reach a maximum transmission rate of 5 Gbps (5,120 Mbps).
The USB 2.0: Called High-Speed USB, USB 2.0 compliant devices can reach a maximum transmission rate of 480 Mbps.
USB 1.1: Called Full Speed USB, USB 1.1 devices can reach a maximum transmission rate of 12 Mbps.
Most USB devices and cables today adhere to USB 2.0, and a growing number are adopting USB 3.0.
IEEE 1394 or Firewire
Port
This port is used to transfer large amounts of data fast. Usually, camcorders and other video equipment use this port to get data to a computer.
Data can move across the port at up to 400 megabits per second. Apple invented this technology and branded it FireWire. It was adopted as an industry standard named IEEE 1394 on non-Apple computers.
Other companies call it i.link and Lynx. Creative Labs which incorporated it into their SoundBlaster Audigy Platinium products call it SB 1394. IEEE 1394 connectors can be used to connect up to 63 external devices to a machine.
Firewire IEEE-1394 DV Cable 6 to 4 pin PC to DV Out
Features of Firewire
Port
FireWire supports plug-and-play. This means an operating system automatically finds the device when it’s plugged in. It then prompts to install a driver if needed to make it work.
IEEE 1394 is also hot-swappable. This means you do not have to shut down the device or the computer when connecting or reconnecting a FireWire device.
VGA Connector
A Video Graphics Array (VGA) connector is a three-row 15-pin DE-15 connector. It is found on many computer monitors, video cards, laptops, projectors, and high-definition television sets.
The VGA standard has been replaced by SVGA but the name has stuck and is thus still referred to as VGA.A mini-VGA port was sometimes used on laptops or other small devices, instead of the full-sized VGA connector.
Some devices are still using VGA connectors, although it is being phased out by DVI as well as the newer and more compact HDMI and Display Port interface connectors.
The VGA Connector and Associated Cable
Digital Video Interface (DVI)
This is a high-speed digital interface between the computer’s display controller and video output device like a monitor or projector.
This video interface was developed to enable the lossless transmission of digital video signals and to replace analogue VGA technology.
There are three types of DVI connectors. They are based on the signals they can carry. DVI-I, DVI-D and DVI-A. DVI-I is a DVI port with integrated analogue and digital signals.
DVI-D supports only digital signals and DVI-A supports only analogue signals.
Digital Visual Interface
HDMI Port
High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is a digital interface that connects High Definition and Ultra High Definition devices.
These are such as computer monitors, HDTVs, Blu-Ray players, gaming consoles, and High Definition Cameras among others.
It can carry uncompressed video and compressed or uncompressed audio signals. It is a proprietary interface.
HDMI Port
Display Port
Display Port is a digital display interface with optional multiple channel audio and other forms of data. It was developed by a consortium of computer and chip manufacturers.
These are Lattice, Maxell, Sony, and Philips. It was then standardized by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA). Display Port is developed to replace VGA and DVI ports as the main interface between a computer and a monitor.
Apart from video, it can also carry audio, USB, and other forms of data. It is backwards compatible with other interfaces, such as HDMI and DVI and this is by using either active or passive adapters. The latest version of Display Port 1.3 can handle a resolution of up to 7680 X 4320.
A Mini Display Port receptacle (centre)
Ethernet or Network Port or RJ45 Port
This is a type of computer port used to connect the network cable to a computer. Cable plugged into this port can lead either to a network hub, cable modem, DSL modem or an Internet gateway.
Most computers come with an Ethernet port. If the built-in port is damaged, it can be replaced using an add-in adapter card.
An Ethernet Connection
eSATAp Port – Among the Latest Types of Computer Ports
eSATAp, which is also known as Power over eSATA, Power eSATA, eSATA/USB Combo, eSATA USB Hybrid Port/EUHP) is a combination connection for external storage devices.
This is among the latest types of computer ports. An eSATA or USB device can be plugged into an eSATAp port.
The socket has keyed cutouts for both types of devices to ensure that a connector can only be plugged in the right way.
eSATAp Port
There are several devices you can connect. eSATA external devices are external storage devices, such as Optical Disc Drives (ODD, DVD), Hard Disk Drives (HDD), HDD Arrays and HDD Docks.
Additionally, Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices can also have eSATA ports for expansion using additional storage devices.
In Conclusion
Those are some of the types of Computer Ports that you can expect to find either on a laptop or desktop computer. Remember to share to help others.
This is a step by step guide on how to apply for a USA Visitor visa. There are various types of visas that you can apply for depending on what you want to achieve. To be able to visit or live in the U.S, many residents of different countries need a visa.
Statue of Liberty – one of the top-rated tourist attractions in the USA
What Is a Visa?
Visas are stamps in your passport that give you the right to
travel to various countries.
When You Apply for USA Visitor Visa
Fill out your application
Verify your application information
Pay for the services and fees
Schedule your visa appointment
Go for your visa interview
There Are Two Types of American Visas
Nonimmigrant Visas
Immigrant Visas
U.S. Nonimmigrant Visa Categories
The United States legal system defines a non-immigrant USA visa as a temporary stay in the country.
This means that you will visit the U.S for a short time, for reasons such as tourism, business, and others, but will not stay there permanently. You should go back to your country before the expiry.
(B) Visitor: Business, Tourism, Medical Treatment. The Visitor Visa is a nonimmigrant visa for persons desiring to enter the United States temporarily for business (B1), including attending professional meetings or conferences; for pleasure, including vacation or visiting family or medical treatment (B2), or a combination of both (B1/B2) purposes for up to six months.
(C) Transiting in the U.S.
Study Visa Categories – (F/M) Academic or Language Student / Vocational or Nonacademic Student, and (J) Exchange Visitor.
Work Visa Categories – (D) Crew Member, (I) Media and Journalists, among others
Immigrant Visas to the United States of America
These are Visas for immigration and long stays in the US. Immigrant visas give their holder the right to stay in the U.S permanently. This visa does not expire. It allows you to live, work, and study in the U.S or engage in any activity you like.
You can travel in and out of the U.S anytime you want and not have your visa in danger of being revoked or cancelled as long as you have a valid Re-entry Permit.
If you live in the U.S for a specified period without any violations, you can apply for citizenship and if approved, you will become a U.S citizen. There are various immigrant visa categories.
Step by Step Guide on How to Apply for USA Visitor Visa
The first step when you want to apply for USA Visitor Visa is to fill out the DS 160 application form. The form is found online on the website of the US consulate from which you are applying.
DS 160 Visa Application Starting Point
What You Require to Apply for Us Visitor Visa B1/B2
Your passport travel document. It must be valid for 6 months and must have some empty pages. If you are a Kenyan and do not have one, you can learn how to apply for an ePassport here.
A recent 2 x 2 passport photo with a clear background and you should not wear glasses. You can check for photo specifications or visit a photo studio. Most of them are aware of the photo requirements for various embassies.
Money to pay for the visa.
Invitation letter from the person or organization you are visiting or;
Hotel booking details.
Proof of financial capability. This is a current bank statement from your bank or;
Financial documents from the person or entity inviting you, if they are the ones covering the cost.
Other personal documents such as logbook, and title deed if you have a property in your country of residence.
Plan ahead (a month or more) to ensure there is enough time before your expected travel date to allow for scheduling interviews and visa processing.
Click on the DS-160, Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application link.
To get started, select the location you will be applying for your visa and type the given code.
Click start application and create your online nonimmigrant visa application account.
Record your application ID in a safe and secure place. You will require it to retrieve your application if need be. This could be because of power failure or session time out.
Select a security question and provide the answer and click continue.
DS 160 Visa Application
Ds-160, Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application Sections
Personal Information 1
The information you fill in here is your personal information. This is information such as your names, gender, marital status, date and place of birth, city, and country. This information must match what is on your passport.
Personal Information 2
Fill in your nationality and national identification number.
Travel Information
The data recorded here concerns your travel plans. Select the purpose of the trip. In this article, we are applying for Temp. Business Pleasure Visitor (B), and then select the subcategory.
The ones available are Business and Tourism (Temporary Visitor (B1/B2), Business/Conference (B1), And Tourism/Medical Treatment (B2).
Select one that best fits your travel purpose. Enter the intended date of arrival in the US and where you will stay. Also, indicate who will be paying for your trip.
Travel Companions
Information
If persons are travelling with you, indicate their required details.
Previous U.S. Travel
Information
In this section, record any previous US travel information
you might have. Remember to provide complete and
accurate information.
Address and Phone
Information
Enter your home address which includes the street address, city, state or province, postal code, country, phone, and email. If you are on any social media, provide it too.
Passport Information
This stage includes your travel document type, passport
number, country and the city where it was issued and then the issuance and
expiry date. If you have ever lost a passport, indicate it.
U.S. Point of Contact
Information
In this section, you enter the information of the person or
organization in the USA where you are visiting.
Family Information
This section requires your parent’s details and also relatives you might be having in the USA. In the next section, you enter your spouse’s data.
Present Work/Education/Training
Information
Enter your present and previous work situation; provide your
education and training details available.
Security and
Background
Reply to all security and background questions in the five
sections that follow.
Upload Photo
Have your photo ready by scanning and saving it on your computer. You can also save it directly from a camera, USB Flash Drive, smartphone, or any other source.
Click browse and select your photo. Click on continue if your photo meets the required standards. Proceed to review the information you have provided.
Sign and Submit Your
DS 160 Form
The final stage when applying for USA Visitor Visa is to sign and submit your DS 160 form. Your signature is your passport or travel document number.
You will get a confirmation page which you will print and present during the interview day. It is also important to print the application form as it contains all the information you have filed.
Use the form to prepare yourself for the interview. Note that you should fill out the DS 160 form for each individual you are travelling with.
How to Apply For USA Visitor Visa B1/B2
How to Pay for the US Visa Fees
1. To pay the visa fees, access the Official U.S. VISA information and appointment serviceswebsite. Click on the link for Global Support Services (GSS) to access your country-specific website. Click on the nonimmigrant visa option. Find the location you are applying from then choose your language.
2. Once the country-specific website opens, click on apply to create an account. This account will enable you to pay for your visa and schedule an interview.
3. Select the option ‘I have completed the U.S. Nonimmigrant Visa Application (DS-160) form and I need to apply for a visa’.
4. Fill in all the required information to create an account. Note down the password you use because you will access this account from time to time. To activate your account, follow the instructions provided in your email.
5. From your email, click on the provided link to activate your account.
6. After activation, enter all the required information including the DS number. This is the number you obtained when filing the DS 160 form.
7. Finish creating your account and if there are other applicants, click on the add option.
8. Next is to select a Document Delivery Location. The courier service is used to send and receive documents to and from the U.S. Consular Section. It is the location you will get your passport together with the visa if it is approved.
9. Pay for your visa fee by selecting the appropriate method for you. In Kenya, it is much faster and more convenient to use Mpesa services.
10. Wait for your payment to be approved, it may take a day or two. You will get an email once your transaction has been approved.
Official U.S. Visa Information and Appointment Services
How to Schedule US Visa Appointment
The US visa appointment available dates vary from country to country and location to location. What is important is to make early preparations whenever possible.
You can schedule a US visa appointment anywhere in the world. In most cases, you schedule your appointment in the same location as in your DS-160 form.
Official U.S. Department of State Visa Appointment Service
On the top right-hand side, click on the sign-in option. Log in using the email and password you created.
Your form will be reading, ‘schedule appointment’ click on continue.
Select the schedule appointment option.
Open the calendar which is under the ‘Date of Appointment’.
Select the appropriate date and time for your interview.
Proceed and print the interview form. You will present this form and the DS 160 at the consular during your interview.
How to Schedule US Visa Appointment
Note that you can reschedule your interview up to a maximum of three times. Remember to carry all your necessary documents during interview time.
Well, that is the step by step guide on how to apply for a USA visitor visa. All the best as you seek for US visa. Check here below for questions you might expect on your interview day.
What Questions Do They Ask In US Visa Interview?
Where are you going?
Why are you going there? Or why do you want to go to the USA?
How many years has the person you are visiting stayed in the USA?
There are different types of computers depending on the number of users they can support and their processing power. A computeris an electronic device that accepts data, processes it, stores and produces an output of the information.
There are Four Different Types of Computers
Microcomputers
Minicomputers
Mainframe
Computers
Supercomputers
The Supercomputers
Supercomputers are very expensive, very fast, and the most powerful computers in the world. They are very large and can be accommodated in large air-conditioned rooms. These computers are task-specific and specialized mainly used by large organizations.
The performance of a supercomputer is measured in floating-point operations per second (FLOPS) instead of million instructions per second (MIPS). A good example is China’s new supercomputer-the Sunway TaihuLight which performs 100 quadrillion calculations per second.
Tianhe-2 MilkyWay-2, a Chinese Supercomputer
Uses of Super Computers
Scientific
research
Space
exploration
Weather
forecasting
Graphics animation
Fluid dynamic calculations
Nuclear energy research
Weapons simulations
Submarine tracking
Pattern matching (in the biosciences)
Graph analyses
Cryptology
Petroleum exploration
A list of the 10 Fastest Supercomputers in the World
K Computer – Sparc64 (Japan):
705,024 cores, 10,510 TFlops/s
China’s new supercomputer-the Sunway TaihuLight
Mainframe Computers -the Second The Different Types of Computers
This is a very large and expensive computer capable of supporting hundreds, or even thousands, of users simultaneously. There are second in the hierarchy after supercomputers.
These computers process and store large amounts of data. Such information could be data about customers or students’ information depending on the firm. They are used by government organizations and large firms to run their operations.
Mainframe computers are housed in large air-conditioned rooms because of their size. The term mainframe has fallen out of use in favour of enterprise servers.
IBM z13 Mainframe Computer
Minicomputers – the Third Different Types of Computers
Minicomputers are mid-sized computers. In terms of size and power, they are ranked below mainframes. A minicomputer is a multiprocessing system capable of supporting numerous users simultaneously.
But in general, a minicomputer is a multiprocessing and multitasking system capable of supporting numerous users simultaneously. They are resilient to high workloads.
NB; Users connect to the mainframe or minicomputers using a dumb terminal – using a keyboard and monitor.- A display monitor that has no processing capabilities.
A dumb terminal is simply an output device that accepts data from the CPU. In contrast, a smart terminal is a monitor that has its processor for special features, such as bold and blinking characters.
Dumb terminals are not as fast as smart terminals, and they do not support as many display features, but they are adequate for most applications.
K-202 Minicomputer
Microcomputers or the Personal Computers
Lastly, when looking at different types of computers, we look at the less powerful of all. This is the microcomputer or personal computer.
The term microcomputer is generally synonymous with a personal computer (PC), or a computer that depends on a microprocessor. Microcomputers are designed to be used by individuals and they come in the form of PCs, workstations or notebook computers.
A microcomputer contains a central processing unit (CPU), a memory system (typically read-only memory and random access memory), a bus system and input-output ports. All these components are housed on the motherboard.
Microcomputers can be further classified as either;
Desktop
Computers and,
Portable
computers.
Desktop Computers
Desktop computers are not built to be mobile. They are designed to be used in a fixed place with a readily available power source. When moving to a new location, the power supply must be disconnected.
Desktop computers are large and heavy in comparison to portables. The monitor, keyboard, and mouse are all separate items on a desktop. Desktop computer components and devices are quite resilient to movement while active. They are not made to be constantly moved more so when they are operational.
A Personal Computer
Portable or Mobile Computers
Portable or mobile computers are designed specifically to be portable.
Characteristics of Portable Computers
They are small, compact and light in weight.
Mobile computers can be accommodated in a carry case.
They come in a variety of sizes.
They consume less power as opposed to desktops.
Galaxy Tab S5e
Examples of portable computers are; PDAs, Palmtops, Laptops, Tablets and Smart Phones.
