International travelers come to the U.S. for a wide variety of reasons, including tourism, business, medical treatment and certain types of temporary work. Many of these temporary visitors, traveling for the business and pleasure purposes, need visitor visas to enter the United States. The type of visa visitor must have is defined by immigration law, and relates to the purpose of their travel. Applicants for visitor visas should generally apply at the American Embassy or Consulate with jurisdiction over their place of permanent residence. Even though visa applicants may apply at any U.S. consular office abroad, it may be even more challenging to qualify for the visa outside the country of permanent residence.
It is important to note that if a person wants to travel to the United States to study or to work, they will need a different kind of visa.
Generally, a citizen of a foreign country who wishes to enter the United States must first obtain a nonimmigrant visa for temporary stay. The visa allows a foreign citizen, to travel to the United States port-of entry and request permission of the U.S. immigration inspector to enter the U.S. There are three types of non-immigrant visitor visas:
B-1 – Business Visitor Visas: Business Visa is granted if the purpose of planned travel is to consult with business associates, travel for a scientific, educational, professional or business convention, or conference on specific dates, settle an estate, or negotiate a contract.
B-2 – Pleasure, Tourism, Medical Treatment Visitor Visas: This type of visa is granted if the purpose of planned travel is recreational in nature, including tourism, amusement, visits with friends or relatives, rest, medical treatment, and activities of a fraternal, social, or service nature.
Foreign travelers who are citizens from certain eligible countries, may also be able to visit the U.S. without a visa on the Visa Waiver Program.
Visa processing can be difficult and confusing. If you would like the assistance of an experienced immigration lawyer, please contact us or call our office at 1-415-601-0210 to schedule a consultation today.
Legal Disclaimer
Content on this site is intended for generalized information reasons. It may become out of date at any time due to changes in the law. It is not intended to offer case-specific legal advice nor should it be deemed valid or accurate for that reason. If in fact you have an exact immigration related legal issue, we recommend you consult with an experienced immigration attorney or immigration lawyer. There exists disclaimers throughout our website stating that we are not an official U.S. Government website.
Contact San Francisco Immigration Lawyer Marko Mikin.
