ABC of U.S. Immigration
Whenever there is a discussion of a temporary/non-immigrant visa to the United States, people have a very common misunderstanding that there are only a couple of visa options available, i.e. student visa or visitor’s visa. While these two visa categories are more common, there are many more categories. This article aims to provide a brief description about all of the non-immigrant visa options offered by the U.S. government.
A: Diplomat or Foreign government official
A-2: Foreign military personnel stationed in the United States
B-1: Athlete, amateur or professional (competing for prize money only); Business visitor; Domestic employee or nanny (must be accompanying a foreign national employer)
B-2: Tourism, vacation, pleasure visitor; visitor for medical treatment
BCC: Border Crossing Card – Mexico
C: Transiting the United States
CW-1: CNMI-only transitional worker
D: Crewmember
E: Treaty trader/Treaty Investor
E-3: Australian professional specialty
F: Student
G: Employee of a designated international organization or NATO
H-1B: Specialty occupations in field requiring highly specialized knowledge; physician
H-2A: Temporary agricultural worker
H-2B: Temporary worker performing other services or labor of a temporary or seasonal nature
H-3: Training in a program not primarily for employment
I: Media/Journalist
J: Exchange visitor (Professor, Scholar, Teacher); Physician; Au Pair (Exchange visitor)
K: For U.S. citizen Fiancé(e) or Spouse for immigration – related purposes
L: Intra-company transferee
M: Student – Vocational
O: Foreign national with extraordinary ability in Sciences, Arts, Education, Business, or Athletics
P: Performing athlete, artist, or entertainer
Q: International cultural exchange visitor
R: Religious worker
S: Aliens assisting law enforcement (Witnesses and Informants in a criminal case)
T: Victim of human trafficking
U: Victim of criminal activity
V: Nonimmigrant visa for spouse and children of a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR)
These are the various non-immigrant visa options an alien might have when considering options to come to the United States for a short period of time. Keep in mind, the above listed categories do not include the dependent visa categories as well as the immigrant visa options. Other than these, an individual could apply for an immigrant visa, or asylum/refugee status, or even apply for the diversity lottery green card visa.
If you are interested in discussing any of these options in detail, please feel free to email us at info@davelawoffice.com to schedule a private consultation.
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