Every year millions of people cross the border of the USA. Most of them need a visa to stay legally in this country. There are approximately 185 types of visas in the USA. Two main visa categories are immigrant and nonimmigrant visas.
Nonimmigrant visas, e.g., student, tourist, or work visas, are issued to those who plan to stay in the US temporarily.
Immigrant visas are held by people who settled down in this country and want to live and work there permanently.
Nonimmigrant visas are directed to foreign travelers who want to enter the United States for a temporary time. The exact visa type is related to the travel purpose. These may be tourism, work, business, or medical treatment-related reasons.
Immigration law defines different types of visas that are granted depending on the purpose of travel. An applicant turns directly to the U.S. embassy or consulate to obtain a tourist visa (B-2) or business visa (B-1). Those who want to study or work in the U.S. must often provide additional documents before they apply for a visa.
All types and requirements are available on the USCIS or U.S. Department of State websites.
Please note that a visa does not guarantee that you will be allowed into the country, only that you are authorized to enter the country. The final approval will be given at the airport where you arrive.
Here are the main nonimmigrant visa categories:
An immigrant visa (Green Card) is addressed to foreign nationals who intend to permanently live and work in the USA. Thus he wants to apply for a lawful permanent resident (LPR) status. Newcomers usually have sponsors who apply on their behalf. For example, experts or investors can submit an immigrant visa application on their own. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) are responsible for verifying applications.
A person becomes an immigrant and acquires the right to a permanent stay when the visa application is verified and accepted by the CBP Officer.
Below you can find precise visa categories and requirements on the USCIS or Department of State websites.
Besides the numerous visa types addressed to people of different professions, religions, experiences, and nationalities, the government of the United States implemented the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). This program allows eligible travelers to enter the USA for tourism or business-related reasons and stay there for up to 90 days without a visa.
Before travel, eligible visitors must obtain the ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) approval and meet all requirements. They may still apply for a visitor visa if they prefer possessing a paper visa.
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Legal Disclaimer: Evisa Express operates with no affiliation with any US governmental agencies or departments. Our consulting service fees do NOT include any government applications, medical examinations, filling, or biometric charges. Since Evisa Express is not a law firm and our customer service representatives are not lawyers, we do not provide legal advice. We operate as a private internet-based travel and immigration consultancy agency providing help to individuals traveling to the United States. Visa applications can be made directly at travel.state.gov or at uscis.gov.
Evisa Express is affiliated with the Canada law firm VisaPlace which provides legal services on immigration matters. Only licensed immigration professionals can provide advice, explanation, opinion, or recommendation about possible legal rights, remedies, defenses, options, selection of forms or strategies. The entity managing the website www.evisa.express is the company INTERNATIONAL VISA SERVICE limited liability limited partnership (LLC LLP), with its registered office in Katowice, ul. Graniczna 29, 40-017 Katowice, Poland, EU. NIP: 9542766476, REGON: 364718356. It is registered with the Katowice-Wschód District Court in Katowice, 8th Commercial Division, under the number KRS 0000623079.
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