U.S. Nonimmigrant Visas: Tourism, Business, or Medical Visits
Visitor Visas: B-1 / B-2
If you desire to enter the United States for tourism, business, or medical visits, a visitor visa is generally required. A visitor visa is a temporary (nonimmigrant) visa for business (B-1) or for pleasure or medical treatment (B-2). However, if you are from a qualified country, you may be able to visit the U.S. without a visa, through the Visa Waiver Pilot Program.
Persons planning to travel to the U.S. for a different purpose, such as students, temporary workers, crewmen, journalists, etc, must apply for a different visa.
[top]Visa Waiver Pilot Program
If you are coming to the U.S. for tourism or business for 90 days or less from a qualified country, you may be eligible to visit the U.S. without a visa. Currently, 28 countries participate in the Visa Waiver Pilot Program: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Uruguay. If you enter on the Visa Waiver Pilot Program, you are not allowed to work or study while in the U.S., and you cannot stay longer than 90 days or change your status to another visa category. For more information, please see
Visa Waiver Pilot Program
[top]Am I Eligible for a Visitor Visa?
You must overcome the presumption that you are actually an intending immigrant by demonstrating that:
- The purpose of your trip is to enter the U.S. for business, pleasure, or medical treatment;
- You plan to remain for a specific, limited period; and
- You have a residence outside the U.S. as well as other binding ties which will ensure your return abroad at the end of the visit.
[top]Applying for a Tourist Visa
Under U.S. law, applicants for visitor visas must qualify on their own for visas to visit the United States. You should generally apply at the
U.S. Consulate or Embassy with jurisdiction over your place of permanent residence. Although you may apply at any U.S. consular office abroad, it may be more difficult to qualify for the visa outside your country of permanent residence.
This is what applicants must do when they apply for visitor visas:
- Complete and sign the required application forms;
- Bring evidence that their visit is temporary and that they will leave the United States after their legally authorized stay; and
- Undergo security clearance procedures
All visa applicants, even babies in their parents' passports, must have these things:
- Application Form DS-156 , completed and signed
- Current, valid passport or travel document with a validity date at least six months beyond your intended period of stay in the United States. If more than one person is included in the passport, each person desiring a visa must make an application;
- Photograph. Requirements are strict for photograph size, type and quality. Please check with your nearest consulate for specifications before you get your picture taken.
- Application fees. All applicants must pay the application fee. Some applicants, according to nationality and type of visa, must also pay an issuance fee.
- Evidence of funds to cover your expenses in the United States
- Evidence of compelling social and economic ties abroad
For men between 16 and 45 years of age:
Additional Requirements
You must demonstrate that you are properly classifiable as a visitor under U.S. law. You may provide evidence that shows the purpose of your trip, your intent to depart the United States, and arrangements you have made to cover the costs of your trip. It is impossible to specify the exact form the evidence should take since circumstances vary greatly.
- If you are traveling to the U.S. on business, you may present a letter from the U.S. business firm indicating the purpose of your trip, your intended length of stay, and the firm's intent to cover travel costs.
- If you are traveling to the U.S. for pleasure, you may use letters from relatives or friends in the U.S. whom you plan to visit, or confirmation of participation in a planned tour.
- If you are traveling to the U.S. for medical treatment, you should have a statement from a doctor or institution concerning the proposed medical treatment.
If you do not have sufficient funds to support yourself while in the U.S., you must present convincing evidence that an interested person will provide support. You are not permitted to accept employment during your stay in the U.S. Depending on individual circumstances, you may provide other evidence substantiating your trip's purpose and specifying the nature of binding obligations, such as family ties or employment, which would compel your return abroad.
Important Information
- If your passport contains a previously issued visitor visa, you should inquire about special expedited procedures available at most consular offices for issuance of a new visitor visa.
- Unless previously canceled, a visa is valid until its expiration date. Therefore, if you have a valid U.S. visitor visa in an expired passport, you may use it along with a new valid passport for travel and admission to the United States.
- If there is a fee for issuance of the visa, it is equal as nearly as possible to the fee charged to United States citizens by your country of nationality.
- You should not find it necessary to employ persons to assist you in preparing documents or securing access to the U.S. consular office.
- Attempting to obtain a visa by the willful misrepresentation of a material fact, or fraud, may result in the permanent refusal of a visa or denial of entry into the United States.
- If the consular officer should find it necessary to deny you a visitor visa, you may apply again if there is new evidence to overcome the basis for the refusal. In the absence of new evidence, consular officers are not obliged to re-examine your case.
Contact your nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for specific information on:
- How to pay fees
- How to get an appointment for an interview
- How to get application forms
- The latest information on visa requirements
Consular officers do security checks for all visa applicants. They will make special security clearances for some applicants as required by law. These clearances may take several weeks or longer. Please plan for the possibility of a delay in the issuance of a visa. Make your visa application well in advance of your intended travel.
[top]Admission through a U.S. Port of Entry
You should be aware that a visa does not guarantee entry into the United States. A visa is issued by a Department of State Consular Office abroad, but a separate U.S. agency, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), has authority to deny admission at the port of entry. Also, the period for which you are authorized to remain in the U.S. is determined by the USCIS, not the Department of State Consular Office. At the port of entry, an USCIS official must authorize your admission to the U.S. At that time, the USCIS official will provide you with a stamped Form I-94 (Record of Arrival-Departure), which notes how long you are permitted to stay in the U.S. If you wish to stay beyond the time indicated on your Form I-94, you must file
Form I-539, Application to Extend Status with the USCIS. The decision to grant or deny a request for extension of stay is made solely by the USCIS.
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