Immigration Q&A

Officially known as a Permanent Resident Card, a Green Card is an identity document that allows immigrants to permanently live and work in the United States.

A citizen of a foreign country who seeks to enter the United States generally must first obtain a U.S. Visa. This document is different from the passport issued by the traveler’s country of origin.

There are two different types of U.S visas—Immigrant and Nonimmigrant. Immigrant visas are issued to foreign nationals who intend to live permanently in the United States. Nonimmigrant visas are issued to foreign nationals seeking to temporarily enter the United States for tourism, business, medical treatment, and certain temporary work types.

There are currently 27 different Nonimmigrant visa categories. You will need to apply for the visa that best fits your situation. Find out more information in the index below.

Category A visas are only issued to foreign government officials traveling to the United States for official duties for their government.

Category B visas are issued to foreign nationals who wish to visit the United States temporarily.

If you need to enter the United States to conduct business, you will need to apply for a B1 visa before you arrive.
You need a B1 visa if you want to attend a conference, participate in scientific research, negotiate contracts, sell property, or perform other business activities.

B2 visas are granted to people who want to visit the U.S for tourism or pleasure. You can also apply for a B2 visa if you need to visit the United States for medical treatment.

Category C (Transit C) visas are issued to foreign nationals traveling to a different country but passing through the U.S.

C1 visas are reserved for immediate and continuous transit through the United States to a foreign country. A C1 visa holder cannot stop in the United States while traveling to their destination.

No. If you have a Transit C visa and would like to visit the United States, you must also apply for a B2 travel visa.

Also called a Crew D visa, this visa is offered to crew members of either a sea vessel or an aircraft.

No. If you have a Crew D visa and would like to visit the United States during your time-off or shore leave, you must also apply for a B2 travel visa.

The F visa is also called a Student Visa. It is granted to foreign nationals who are enrolled at a college or university in the United States.

Once a foreign national receives their acceptance letter from a college or university on U.S soil, they will need to apply for an F1 visa before arriving in the U.S.

If the person with an F1 visa wants to travel with their spouse or child, the spouse or child will need to apply for an F2 visa before entering the U.S.

Students traveling with an F1 visa are primarily in the United States to study. They must be enrolled full-time at their college or university. An F1 visa holder is eligible for future employment opportunities in the United States. Students traveling with a J1 visa are also required to be enrolled full-time in school, but they also have a cultural component to their stay. This component allows J1 holders to engage more fully with U.S citizens and the communities where they attend school.

The Temporary Workers H visa is granted to foreign nationals who wish to work in the United States for a limited, set period. H visa holders do not plan to work in the United States indefinitely.

H1-B visas are granted to engineers, scientists, specialty occupations, models, etc., who plan to enter the U.S for a specific assignment related to their employment field.

This visa is granted to nurses who are working in areas with a professional shortage.

This visa is granted to foreign nationals who wish to work in the United States in the agricultural field temporarily.

This visa is granted to people who wish to engage in non-agricultural, seasonal employment. The H2-B holder can be entering a skilled or unskilled position.

This H3 visa is granted to a foreign national who wishes to receive work training in the United States. The H3 visa holder may stay in the United States for up to 2 years. The H3 holder intends to return to their home country when the training is completed. They will not seek employment in the U.S. Their companies usually sponsor the H3 holder to receive this training.

If the holder of an H1, H2, or H3 visa would like their spouse or child to travel with them to the United States, the spouse or child will need to apply for an H4 visa before entering the U.S.

Category I visas are granted to foreign media representatives who plan to visit the United States on assignment. The I visa holder does not have an office in the U.S. They do not stay in the U.S. after their work assignment is complete.

The category J visa is granted to people who wish to engage in a foreign exchange program between their home country and the United States.

The J1 visa is granted to foreign nationals enrolled full-time at a school in the United States. In addition to their education, holders of a J1 visa focus their visit on getting to know the people and places in the United States.

If the holder of a J1 visa wants their spouse or child to travel with them, the spouse or child will need to apply for a J2 visa before entering the U.S.

Students traveling with an F1 visa are primarily in the United States to study. They must be enrolled full-time at their college or university. An F1 visa holder is eligible for future employment opportunities in the United States. Students traveling with a J1 visa are also required to be enrolled full-time in school, but they also have a cultural component to their stay. This component allows J1 holders to engage more fully with U.S citizens and the communities where they attend school.

The category K visa is granted to foreign nationals who are engaged to marry a U.S citizen. This visa has a 90-day limit. K holder must be married before the 90-days expire.

This visa is designed to inform the United States that a U.S citizen is engaged to a foreign national. This visa requires the engaged couple to be married before the visa expires in 90-days from the date it was issued. If your fiancé(e) marries you within 90 days of being admitted to the United States as a K-1 nonimmigrant, he or she may apply for lawful permanent resident status in the United States (a Green Card).

If a K1 visa holder has children under the age of 21 who wish to travel to the U.S with their parent, the child will need to apply for a K2 visa before entering the United States.

A K3 visa is granted to the spouse of a U.S. citizen. If a U.S citizen marries a foreign national while out of the country, the foreign national will need to apply for a K3 visa before entering the United States.

If a K3 visa holder has children under the age of 21 who wish to travel to the U.S with their parent, the child will need to apply for a K4 visa before entering the United States.

The category L visa is granted to intracompany transferees who work in managerial positions or have specialized knowledge.

The L-1A nonimmigrant classification enables a U.S. employer to transfer an executive or manager from one of its affiliated foreign offices to one of its offices in the United States. This classification also enables a foreign company that does not yet have an affiliated U.S. office to send an executive or manager to the United States with the purpose of establishing one.

The L-1B nonimmigrant classification enables a U.S. employer to transfer a professional employee with specialized knowledge relating to the organization’s interests from one of its affiliated foreign offices to one of its offices in the United States. This classification also enables a foreign company that does not yet have an affiliated U.S. office to send a specialized knowledge employee to the United States to help establish one.

If the holder of an L1-A has a spouse or child that would like to travel with them. The spouse or child must obtain an L2 visa before entering the U.S.

The category M visa is a non-academic or vocational studies visa.

The M1 student visa is reserved for international students attending vocational schools and technical schools. M1 holders are not allowed to work while they are in the United States.

If the holder of an M2 visa wants their spouse or child to join them in the U.S, the spouse or child must obtain an M2 visa before entering the country. The M2 spouse is not allowed to work or attend full-time educational classes while in the United States. An M2 child may be enrolled in school.

A category N visa holder is classified as a Special Immigrant. They are a member of the military in a NATO country, or they are NATO personnel.

An N8 visa is exclusively for the parent of a Special Immigrant.

An N9 visa is exclusively for the child of a Special Immigrant.

A category O visa is a temporary worker visa awarded to foreign nationals with extraordinary abilities in their field.

An O1 visa is granted to foreign nationals with expert knowledge and extraordinary abilities in the areas of art, business, science, athletics, or education.

If the holder of an O1 has a spouse that would like to travel with them. The spouse must obtain an O2 visa before entering the U.S.

If the holder of an O1 has a minor child that would like to travel with them. The child must obtain an O3 visa before entering the U.S.

A category P visa is granted to foreign athletes and entertainers.

P1 visas are granted to foreign athletes who wish to participate in an athletic competition on U.S soil. They can either do this by themselves or with a team.

The P2 classification applies to foreign nationals coming temporarily to perform as an artist or entertainer, individually or as part of a group, who will perform under a reciprocal exchange program between an organization in the United States and an organization in another country.

The P3 classification applies to foreign nationals coming temporarily to perform, teach or coach as artists or entertainers, individually or as part of a group, under a program that is culturally unique.

If you are a P1, P2, or P3 visa holder and you would like your spouse or child to travel with you to the United States, your spouse or child must first obtain a P4 visa before entering the U.S.

A category Q visa is granted to International Cultural Exchange Visitors. The Q visa does not have any component that allows a Q holder’s spouse or child to travel with them.

The Q1 visa allows foreign nationals to come to the U.S to participate in an established international cultural exchange program. The exchange program must provide practical training, employment, and sharing of the foreign national’s native culture, history, and traditions with the people of the United States.

According to the USCIS website, the Q visa exchange program is overseen by the Department of Homeland Security. “The Q cultural exchange program is designed to provide practical training and employment, and sharing the history, culture, and traditions of your home country with the United States.” According to the USCIS website, the J visa exchange program is overseen by the Department of State. “The program is are designed to promote educational and cultural exchanges between the United States and other countries.”

A category R visa is a temporary work visa awarded to individuals who work for a legally recognized religious entity.

An R1 visa holder is coming to the United States temporarily to work at least part-time (an average of at least 20 hours per week) as a minister or in a religious vocation or occupation. To qualify, you must have been a member of a religious denomination having a bona fide non-profit religious organization in the United States for at least two years immediately before applying for the visa.

If you are an R1 visa holder and you would like your spouse or child to travel with you to the United States, your spouse or child must first obtain a P4 visa before entering the U.S.

The category S visa is awarded to witnesses or informants.

The S5 visa allows persons who are witnessed or informants to seek protection in the United States. They assist law enforcement and provide information about a criminal organization in the U.S.

The S6 visa is given exclusively to terrorist informants. The holder of this visa must provide information that leads to the prevention, arrest, or conviction of terrorists and their activities.

If the holder of an S5 or S6 visa wants to bring their spouse or child with them into the United States, the spouse or child must apply for an S7 visa before entering the country.

The category T visa is rewarded to victims of severe forms of human trafficking.

The T1 visa enables certain victims of a severe form of human trafficking (sex trafficking or labor trafficking) to remain in the United States for up to 4 years if they have assisted law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of human trafficking.

The T2 visa is issued to the spouse of a human trafficking, illegal sex trade, or forced labor victim who possesses the T1 visa.

If the holder of a T1 visa has a minor child who would like to reside in the U.S with the T1 holder, the child must apply for a T3 visa before entering the United States.

The T4 visa is issued to the parent of a T1 visa holder. This visa allows the parent to live and work in the United States for up to 4 years.

The T5 visa is issued to the unmarried sibling of a T1 visa holder. This visa allows the sibling to live and work in the United States for up to 4 years.

The category U visa is assigned to foreign nationals who are victims of criminal activity.

The U1 visa is granted to victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and are helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity.

If the holder of a U1 visa wants their spouse to reside in the United States with them, the spouse must obtain a U2 visa entering the U.S.

If the holder of a U1 visa wants their minor child to reside in the United States with them, the child must obtain a U3 visa before entering the U.S.

If the holder of a U1 visa is under the age of 21, and they wants their parent to reside in the United States with them, the parent must obtain a U4 visa before entering the U.S.

The category V visa is used to keep families together while the United States reviews the their immigration case. If the holder of a Green Card wants their spouse or minor (under the age of 21) child to join them in the United States, the spouse or child must apply for a V visa. This visa allows families to stay together while their status is being resolved.