All Types of US Visas
The United States of America has a handful of visas for both immigrants and nonimmigrants.
In fact, the United States has nothing less than 20 types of visas with each having different requirements and driven by different purposes.
As a result of this, these visas are majorly categorised into two, broadly named the immigrant visas and nonimmigrant visas.
And, like I said above, your purpose of entering the US will determine what type of visa you're eligible to apply for.
I'm sure you might have heard of popular ones such as visitors/visit visa, study/students' visa and the almighty green card.
Yes, you should but I'm telling you, there's more US visas you SHOULD know today.
If I were you, I would not skip this article in order not to just just follow the crowd or YouTube excerpts blindly.
This article will list and explain all the types of US visa in existence as of today, who needs it, why you need the visa, who can apply and some other vital informations you may be missing.
I will suggest you bookmark this page for you before going ahead to read full article for easy access against next time you want to re-read. And pay attention to the details.
Starting from the basics... Let me briefly ask
What is a US Visa?
I know the majority don't need this question because they already know what a visa is, but I'm sure not everyone knows.
So, what is this US Visa of a thing?
The US Visa is like a ticket, or permit for you to enter the United States. If you don't get that, let me put it this way.
A US Visa is the official permission given to you (as a non-citizen of America), must first obtain to show you're legally allowed to travel into the US.
Although, not everyone must have visa. Yes! Some calibre of international travelers MAY be eligible to travel to the United States without a visa IF they meet the requirements for visa-free travel.
Most times, your visa is placed in the your international passport. Your international passport a travel document issued by your country of citizenship.
Not to bore you with too much on basics, let's check out each United States visa, their usefulness and eligibility.
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| United States Visas |
Types of U.S. Visas
United States visas is divided two (2) major sections: the non-immigrant visa and the visa for the immigrants.
Non-immigrant visas are those types of visas that are available for foreigners that don't have the intention of relocating to the US permanently.
While the immigrant visas are for the people with the main motive of living indefinitely or permanently relocating to the US. Mind you, the number of immigrant visas available each year is quite limited.
Are you with me?
Hope I'm not confusing you?
Let move forward...
These two (2) major categories is now sub-divided into some other sub-categories which we will be discussing next.
Taking them one after the other.
1. Tourism, Business and Visit Visas
The US tourism or visit visas is specifically for nonimmigrants traveling to the US with sole purpose of tourism or visitation.
It is officially known as the B-2 or combined B1/B2 visa.
Let me rephrase that for better understanding. 😂
The temporary visa for business is called the B-1 visa, and the other for tourism is called the B-2 visa. And for a combination of both purposes (B-1/B-2 visa).
You can easily read a complete article dedicated to Tourism and Visit Visa, I've put together everything you should know over there.
This visa comes with a short duration. Usually for vacation, seeing family and friends, or medical treatment.
Also, you should be aware that you cannot be employed or receive any income from U.S. sources while on this visa.
Both B-1 and B-2 visa holders are typically admitted for up to six months, but extensions may be granted in some cases.
To apply for a B-1 or B-2 visa, you'll need to provide documents like a valid passport, proof of funds to cover expenses during your stay, evidence of residence and ties to your home country (to show you don't intend to immigrate), and any relevant supporting documents related to your planned activities.
During the visa interview, you'll need to convince the consular officer that your visit is genuinely temporary and that you have sufficient funds and ties to your home country to ensure you'll depart the U.S. as planned.
2. Students Visa
Another visa type for nonimmigrants is the F visa which is for international students solely for educational purpose.
It is for people who wishes to pursue full-time academic or language studies at an accredited U.S. college, university, high school, private elementary school, seminary, conservatory, or other academic institution.
Please, don't miss that "FULL TIME".
Even though, your choice of course and the type of school you plan to attend determine whether you need an F visa or an M visa.
Also, be aware that you may not study after entering on a visitor (B) visa, unless you are eligible for and have obtained a change of status from USCIS, or through the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), except to undertake recreational (non-credit) study as part of a tourist visit.
Meanwhile, for you to be eligible, you must first be accepted by a Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVIP)-approved school and provide evidence of sufficient funds to cover tuition, living expenses, and other costs.
You'll also need to demonstrate English proficiency and maintain a full-time course load while in the U.S.
In addition to the standard visa application documents, you'll need to provide your Form I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status) from the school you plan to attend, proof of financial support, and any necessary academic transcripts or test scores.
F-1 students are generally allowed to work on-campus for up to 20 hours per week during the academic year, and may be eligible for post-completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) to gain work experience in their field of study after graduating.
For more information regarding students visa, please check my article on Everything To Know About Student Visa.
That is where I mention everything you must know and understand about this type of visa and how you can go about it.
3. Exchange Visitor Visas
There's another type of non-immigrants visa called the Exchange visitor (J) visa.
These visas are for individuals that are approved to participate in exchange visitor programs in the United States.
The purpose of this J-1 visa is to facilitate educational and cultural exchange programs between the United States and other countries. Which, in turn allows foreigners to participate in approved programs like au pair, government visitor, specialist, camp counselor, trainee, teacher, research scholar, physician, or secondary student exchange.
For your information, each exchange visitor category has specific requirements, such as age limits, English proficiency, insurance coverage, and funding sources.
For example, au pairs must be between 18-26 years old, have a qualifying education, and be placed with a host family approved by the program sponsor.
To apply for this visa, you'll need to be accepted into an approved Exchange Visitor Program and receive a Form DS-2019 (Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status) from your program sponsor. Supporting documents like proof of funds, academic transcripts, and medical records may also be required.
During your program, J-1 visitors must maintain the appropriate insurance coverage, follow the laid down program rules, and may be subject to a two-year home residency requirement before being eligible for certain other visa types.
See here for more on exchange visitor visas
4. Temporary Worker Visas
The United States a series of visas that are specifically issued to temporary workers.
You don't get it yet?
Let me break it down more.
Assuming you get an employment in the US which is for a certain fixed period of time, you can apply for a temporary employment visa (the H visa).
Although, there are 11 temporary worker visa categories. Namely:
- H-1B: Person in Specialty Occupation
- H-1B1: Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Professional - Chile, Singapore
- H-2A: Temporary Agricultural Worker
- H-2B: Temporary Non-agricultural Worker
- H-3: Trainee or Special Education visitor
- L: Intracompany Transferee
- O: Individual with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement
- P-1: Individual or Team Athlete, or Member of an Entertainment Group
- P-2: Artist or Entertainer (Individual or Group)
- P-3: Artist or Entertainer (Individual or Group)
- Q-1: Participant in an International Cultural Exchange Program
Are you surprised?
😁😁
Eleven types of visas for temporary workers in the US? Yes o, that's how we see it.
I've put everything together for you to better understand this type of visa here.
But the most popular of them among all elevens is the H-1B.
Like I said earlier, the H-1B visa allows U.S. employers to temporarily hire you as a foreign workers in specialty occupations that require a bachelor's degree or higher in a specific field, such as engineering, computer science, accounting, or healthcare.
And for you to qualify, the position must be a specialty occupation, meaning it requires theoretical and practical application of highly specialized knowledge.
It is not a jeun-jeun (just anyhow) position.
And your employer must also obtain a certified Labor Condition Application (LCA) from the Department of Labor.
Usually, the application process begins with the employer filing a petition with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), along with evidence of the job's specialty nature, the beneficiary's qualifications, and other required documents.
Note: Due to high demand, there is an annual cap on the number of H-1B visas issued each fiscal year.
If it is approved, the H-1B visa is initially valid for up to three years and can be extended for another three years.
In certain circumstances, extensions beyond the six-year limit may be possible. H-1B holders can also seek permanent residency through employer sponsorship.
5. Family-Based Immigrant Visas
You see, these visas allow people from other countries to live permanently in the United States because they have close family members who are already U.S. citizens or permanent residents (green card holders).
And as you may guess, there are a few different categories: immediate relatives and other family preferences visa.
Immediate relatives visas is for the closest family members of U.S. citizens - like their spouses, unmarried children under 21 years old, and parents (if the U.S. citizen child is at least 21 years old).
For example, if your mom became a U.S. citizen, she could petition for you (her child) and your dad to get green cards as her immediate relatives.
You understand?
There's no limit on how many immediate relative visas can be given out each year. But the process can still take a while because of all the paperwork and interviews required.
And as for family preference categories.
These visas are for other close family relationships, but US have limits on how many can be given out annually. The waiting times can be pretty long, especially for certain countries.
I will try list them out below, you can read dedicated article for all of the family-based visas here too..
- F1 is for unmarried sons and daughters (over 21) of U.S. citizens.
- F2A is for spouses and unmarried children (under 21) of permanent residents.
- F2B is for unmarried sons and daughters (over 21) of permanent residents.
- F3 is for married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens.
- F4 is for brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens.
So for example, if your older brother is a U.S. citizen, he could potentially petition for you to get a green card through the F4 category after a few years of waiting.
That is not all...
We still have other family-based visas.
There are some additional categories like for victims of domestic violence (VAWA self-petitioners) and certain other special cases.
The process usually starts with the U.S. citizen or permanent resident family member filing a petition for their relative. Then the relative applies for the green card, goes through interviews, provides documents to prove the relationship is real, and gets a medical exam.
6. Employment-Based Immigrant Visas
As you can read the heading, employment-based visa is another option for you if you nail down a job in the US.
These visas allow you as a foreign nationals to live and work permanently in the U.S. based on your employment, skills, and qualifications status.
The main categories here are:
- EB-1 (priority workers with extraordinary ability, outstanding professors/researchers, and multinational executives/managers),
- EB-2 (professionals with advanced degrees or exceptional ability),
- EB-3 (skilled/professional workers and other workers),
- EB-4 (special immigrants like religious workers), and
- EB-5 (investors creating jobs through investment capital).
The process requires an employer to sponsor the you of foreign nationality by filing a petition with USCIS and obtaining a labor certification (except EB-1 and EB-5). And prove that therr are no qualified U.S. workers available for the position.
After approval, the beneficiary goes through further steps like submitting civil documents, attending an interview, and medical exams before receiving the immigrant visa. There are annual limits on many employment-based visa categories, causing significant backlogs.
You can read through the thorough article about this employment-based visas here.
Learn everything about the total cost of traveling to the U.S to get the inside scoop of how much you're budgeting for your travels.
7. Other Visas
I think I'm beginning to bore you long time, let me quickly run-through the other types you may be interested to know about below.
- Diversity Visa: It's like a lottery where a limited number of people from certain countries can apply to become permanent U.S. residents each year.
- K-1 (Fiancé(e)): For people engaged to a U.S. citizen, so they can come to the U.S. and get married within 90 days.
- U and T Visas: For victims of crimes or human trafficking who help law enforcement.
Mind you, the process usually involves paperwork, fees, interviews, and security checks. But different visas have different requirements based on your situation and reason for coming to the U.S.
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