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Types of Visas
What Type of Visa Do I need?
There are many types of visas available to foreign visitors to the United States . Please review the information below to determine which visa best suits your needs. If you cannot determine the appropriate visa or would like additional information, do not hesitate to contact us.
Temporary Business or Tourism (B1/B2)
For those going to the U.S. on tourism, please indicate where you will be staying. If you are visiting friends, please bring correspondence or letters of invitation from them. If you are visiting family, please indicate the inviting person's relationship to you and indicate whether that person is a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident (i.e., bearer of a U.S. green card), or nonimmigrant in the U.S. on a work or student visa. Individuals applying for business visas should be prepared to explain what kind of business trip they are making. For those visiting business contacts or clients, please bring correspondence that explains the nature of the trip. Click here for more information.
Temporary Work
Nonimmigrant Worker (H)
An H visa is issued to a nonimmigrant to allow travel for the purpose of temporary employment in the United States . To qualify for an H visa, the applicant must demonstrate that (a) the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) has approved a petition (Form I-129), filed by the prospective employer, requesting H status for the applicant, and (b) the applicant qualifies for the specified employment by showing proof of education and relevant work experience. Click here for more information.
Intracompany Transfer (L)
The L visa classification permits multinational companies to transfer qualified employees temporarily to the United States for the purpose of improving management effectiveness, expanding U. S. exports, and enhancing competitiveness in overseas markets. An applicant for an L visa must demonstrate that (a) the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) has approved a petition (Form I-129), filed by the prospective employer, requesting L status for the applicant; (b) the prospective employer is the same firm, corporation, or other legal entity, or parent, branch, affiliate, or subsidiary thereof, for whom the applicant has been employed abroad; (c) the prospective employer will continue to do business in the United States and at least one other country; (d) the applicant has been employed overseas by the transferring organization for at least one year within the past three years; and (e) the applicant is a manager, executive, or employee with specialized knowledge and is destined to a managerial or executive position, or a position which requires specialized knowledge. Click here for more information.
Student or Exchange Programs
Student Visas (F, M)
Those wishing to study in the United States must include with the visa application the Form I-20 and evidence of funding for the first year's studies. The Form I-20 is provided by the United States institution after a foreign student has been accepted. F-1 and M-1 visa applicants must also complete form DS-158 and submit it with the visa application. Most successful applicants for student visas are attending college or post-graduate programs. However, we do issue F-1 visas to high school students, depending on the program and arrangements made. (Special requirements exist for high school students. Please see the U.S. Department of State website). Evidence that you have full funding for the first year at a school should be in the form of a bank financial statement (not just a letter from the bank). If you have a U.S. sponsor, bring the sponsor's yearly income tax return to show that he can fulfill his financial obligation for your education. If your parents are paying and they do not have an overseas account, you may bring documents from their place of employment to demonstrate that they can cover the cost of your first year in the United States . Students from abroad whose I-20 is issued on or after September 1, 2004, will be required to pay the appropriate SEVIS fee - in most cases, $100 -- prior to obtaining their visas. This fee must be paid before a visa can be issued. For the most up-to-date information about SEVIS, please click here. Please note that students planning to attend public high schools in the United States must meet different requirements. Please click here for further information on Student Visas.
Exchange Visas (J)
The United States Government and many private organizations sponsor a wide variety of exchange programs. These include academic and cultural exchanges, as well as au pair programs and summer work and travel programs. Applications for J-1 Exchange Visitor visas must be accompanied by the Form DS-2019 (Certificate of Eligibility for NIV Exchange Visitor) which is provided by the sponsoring U.S. organization. With few exceptions, the Consular officer will require that the applicant sign the DS-2019 prior to visa issuance. J-1 visa applicants must also complete form DS-158 and submit it with the visa application. Scholars and exchange visitors from abroad whose DS-2019 is issued on or after September 1, 2004, will be required to pay the appropriate fee - in most cases, $100 -- prior to obtaining their visas. This fee must be paid before a visa can be issued. For the most up-to-date information about SEVIS, please click here. For further information on the Exchange (J-1) Visas, click here.
Summer Work & Travel Program for students
For more information on Student and Exchange programs, please see Studying in the U.S.
Crew Members and/or Transit (C1/D)
Pilots, air hostesses, stewards, seamen or employees on board a ship whose services are required for normal operation, or crew members traveling to the United States as passengers to join a vessel or aircraft should apply for this type of visa.
Performance Visa (P1, P2, and P3)
The ‘P’ category is required for individuals that: are individual or team athletes, or a member of an internationally recognized group, artists or entertainers who will perform under a reciprocal exchange program, or artists or entertainers who perform under a program that is culturally unique. Click here for more information.
In order to be considered as a nonimmigrant under the ‘P’ classification the applicant's prospective employer or agent must file Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker, with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security (USCIS). Important Note: It is very important to file the petition as soon as possible (but not more than 6 months before the proposed employment will begin) to provide adequate time for petition and subsequent visa processing. Should you need petition processing faster, see Premium Processing Service on USCIS website
Journalists (I)
Representatives of foreign press, radio, film, or other information media should apply for this type of visa. This includes personnel whose activities are essential to the foreign information media function, e.g., media reporters, media film crews, videotape editors, and persons in similar occupations. The I visa classification may be accorded not only to primary employees of foreign information media engaged in filming a news event or documentary, but also to the employees of independent production companies when those employees hold a credential issued by a professional journalistic association. Click here for more information.
Religious Occupations (R)
Religious workers include ministers of religion who are authorized by a recognized denomination to conduct religious worship and perform other duties usually performed by members of the clergy, such as administering the sacraments or their equivalent. The term does not apply to lay preachers. A religious vocation means a calling to religious life, evidenced by the demonstration of a lifelong commitment, such as taking vows. Examples include nuns, monks, and religious brothers and sisters. A religious occupation means an habitual engagement in an activity which relates to a traditional religious function. Examples include liturgical workers, religious instructors or cantors, catechists, workers in religious hospitals, missionaries, religious translators, or religious broadcasters. It does not include janitors, maintenance workers, clerks, fundraisers, solicitors of donations, or similar occupations. The activity of a lay-person who will engage in a religious occupation must relate to a traditional religious function, i.e., the activity must embody the tenets of the religion and have religious significance, relating primarily, if not exclusively, to matters of the spirit as they apply to the religion. Click here for more information.
Fiance(e) Visas (K-1/K-2)
The Immigration and Nationality Act provides nonimmigrant visa classification (K-1) for aliens proceeding to the U.S. to marry American citizens. The marriage must be concluded within 90 days of their admission into the U.S. Following the marriage, the alien spouse must apply to the Department of Homeland Security/U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to establish a record of entry for Conditional Permanent Residence (CR) status. After two years, the alien may apply to the USCIS for removal of the conditional status and change to Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status.
FIRST: To establish K-1 visa classification for an intended alien spouse, an American citizen must file a petition, Form I-129F, with the Department of Homeland Security/U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office having jurisdiction over the place of the petitioner's residence in the U.S. Note: Such petitions may not be adjudicated abroad. An approved fiancé(e) petition is valid for a period of four months from the date of USCIS action, and may be revalidated by the consular officer upon receipt of a written statement from the petitioner confirming that both petitioner and beneficiary are still legally able and willing to conclude a valid marriage in the U.S. Children under the age of 21 derive K-2 nonimmigrant status from the parent so long as the children are named in the petition.
SECOND: The USCIS office will forward the approved I-129F fiancé(e) visa petition to the National Visa Center (NVC) in
THIRD: Once all of the relevant documents required in support of the application have been gathered, the applicant must come personally to apply for a visa on Tuesdays between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM.
FOURTH: If the consular officer finds the applicant eligible for a visa, the visa will be issued on the day of the interview. The visa is valid for one entry within six months. After arriving in the United States , the fiancé(e) is eligible to apply for a work permit. The marriage must be concluded within 90 days from the applicant's admission into the U.S. After the marriage the alien spouse has to apply for adjustment of status with the local USCIS office in the U.S. to change the status from non-immigrant to immigrant.
Spouse/Children of U.S. Citizen (K-3/K-4)
The nonimmigrant K-3 visa (spouse) and K-4 visa (child) has been created to reunite families that have been, or could be, subject to a long separation while their immigrant visa petitions are being processed. The visa entitles the holder to travel to the United States to await the approval of the immigrant visa petition. Spouses of U.S. citizens and their children under the age of 21 for whom an immigrant visa petition has been filed, but not approved by the Department of Homeland Security/U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), are eligible for this visa category.
Note: The child of a U.S. citizen will qualify for a K-4 visa only if he or she has no claim to U.S. citizenship and his or her parent qualifies for a K-3 visa.
FIRST: To qualify for the K-3 or K-4 visa, the applicant must be a beneficiary of an I-130 petition. A separate I-130 petition must be filed on behalf of each child in order for the child to later adjust status to that of a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR). In order to activate the processing of the K-3 or K-4 visa, the U.S. citizen must file an I-129F petition with the Department of Homeland Security/U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Note: The I-129F may only be filed in the United States . There is no requirement that a separate I-129F petition be filed on behalf of a child, if a petition is filed for the child's parent.
SECOND: The approved petition is forwarded to the National Visa Center (NVC) which will conduct certain preprocessing procedures. NVC will then forward the file to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in the country where the marriage took place. If the marriage took place in the United States , the Embassy or Consulate in the beneficiary's place of residence abroad will process the application. This Embassy processes K-3/K-4 visas for applicants whose marriage took place in Croatia . Note: It is not possible to change status from another nonimmigrant visa classification to a K-3 or K-4, if one is physically present in the United States .
THIRD: On receiving the approved form I-129F from NVC, the Nonimmigrant Visa Unit at this Embassy will send the visa applicant the Packet of Instructions (forms DS-230-I, two forms DS-156, and a document checklist). Once all of the relevant documents required in support of the application have been gathered, the applicant must come personally to apply for a visa on Tuesdays between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM.
FOURTH: If found admissible, the applicant will be admitted into the United States for a two year period to await the issuance of an immigrant visa. Holders of K-4 visas will be admitted for two years or until the day before their twenty-first birthday, which ever is shorter. If the I-130 petition is denied or revoked by USCIS, the status of the K-3 and K-4 visa holder will terminate 30 days later. His or her status will also terminate, if he or she divorces the U.S citizen, or in the case of a K-4 visa holder, turns 21 or gets married.
WORKING IN THE U.S. ON K-3/K-4 STATUS: The USCIS may grant permission for the K-3 or K-4 visa holder to take up employment in the U.S. To obtain employment authorization the applicant will need to file form I-765 with the USCIS office which covers his/her place of residence in the U.S after the arrival there. Questions concerning employment should be directed to USCIS.
Questions regarding the appropriate type of visa can be resolved at the time of the visa interview.