US Visa Types, Visa Policy and FAQs

Citizens of the following countries need to apply for a visa to be able to enter the United States::

• Afghanistan
• Albania
• Algeria
• Angola
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Argentina
• Armenia
• Aruba
• Azerbaijan
• Bahamas
• Bahrain
• Bangladesh
• Barbados
• Belarus
• Belize
• Benin
• Bhutan
• Bolivia
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Botswana
• Brazil
• Bulgaria
• Burkina Faso
• Burundi
• Costa Rica
• Cameroon
• Cape Verde
• Cambodia
• Chad
• China
• Central African Republic
• Comoros
• Congo Democratic Republic
• Colombia
• Cyprus
• Djibouti
• Cuba
• Dominican Republic
• East Timor
• Dominica
• Egypt
• El Salvador
• Ecuador
• Eritrea
• Ethiopia
• Equatorial Guinea
• Fiji
• Gabon
• Federated States of Micronesia
• Georgia
• Ghana
• Gambia
• Guatemala
• Guinea
• Grenada
• Guyana
• Haiti
• Guinea Bissau
• India
• Indonesia
• Honduras
• Iraq
• Iran
• Ivory Coast
• Kazakhstan
• Jamaica
• Jordan
• Kuwait
• Kenya
• Kiribati
• Lebanon
• Kyrgyzstan
• Laos
• Libya
• Lesotho
• Liberia
• Malawi
• Macedonia
• Madagascar
• Mali
• Malaysia
• Maldives
• Mexico
• Mauritania
• Mauritius
• Montenegro
• Moldova
• Mongolia
• Myanmar
• Morocco
• Mozambique
• Nepal
• Namibia
• Nauru
• Nigeria
• Nicaragua
• Niger
• Palau
• Oman
• Pakistan
• Paraguay
• Panama
• Papua New Guinea
• Poland
• Peru
• Philippines
• Republic of Korea
• Qatar
• Republic of Congo
• Russia
• Republic of Kosovo
• Romania
• Saint Lucia
• Rwanda
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Sao Tome and Principe
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Samoa
• Serbia
• Saudi Arabia
• Senegal
• Solomon Islands
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• South Sudan
• Somalia
• South Africa
• Suriname
• Sri Lanka
• Sudan
• Tajikistan
• Swaziland
• Syria
• Togo
• Tanzania
• Thailand
• Tunisia
• Tonga
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Tuvalu
• Turkey
• Turkmenistan
• United Arab Emirates
• Uganda
• Ukraine
• Vanuatu
• Uruguay
• Uzbekistan
• Vietnam
• Vatican City
• Venezuela
• Zimbabwe
• Yemen
• Zambia

Citizens of Canada and Bermuda enjoy the freedom of traveling temporarily to the US without having to possess a nonimmigrant visa or any other pre-entry authorization, such as ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization).

• Canadian citizens – are free to enter and stay in the US, even to work there (they might even use an NEXUS Card or an Enhanced Driver’s License for identification, instead of a passport)
• Bermudian citizens – are exempt from visa requirements, for stays less than 6 months in the US

Benefiting from the agreement “the Compacts of Free Association” with the US, citizens of the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau are released from visa requirement for entering, staying, studying, or getting employed in the US without limit.

The US visitor visas are issued to those who want to go to the United States to visit for a maximum of six months and are divided into:

• B1 visa for business visits.
• B2 visas for tourism visitors.

The study and exchange visas are for academic, vocational purposes, and culturale exchange programs:

• F1 visa for international students.
• F2 visa for dependents of F1 visa holders.
• M1 visa for vocational purposes.
• J1 visa for exchange students.
• Q Visa for cultural exchange visitors.

These visas are issued for temporary work in the United States:

• H1B visa for persons who have been employed in highly specialized fields.
• H1B1 visa for nationals of Chile and Singapore.
• Temporary seasonal work visas H-2A visa and H2B
• H-3 visa  for those who want to take advantage of training and education opportunities.
• L1 visa for intracompany managers or executives.
• O1 visa for people who have what is called an extraordinary ability in Arts, Science, Business, Education, or Athletics and want to temporarily work in their field of expertise.
• P visas issued to sportspersons and their coaching teams.
• R1 visa for Temporary Religious Workers who want to practice within the US in religious capacities.
• TN/TD visas for citizens of Canada or Mexico who will be working in the NAFTA organization.
• E3 visas for nationals of Australia. who will be working in specialty occupations.
• I visa for representatives of foreign media and journalists part of the press, film, radio, or print industries, who are visiting the US to work or participate in educational media activities.

The E visas are called Treaty Trader and Treaty Investor visas respectively, are for those who have treaties of commerce and navigation in the US. There are two types of this visa:

• E1 Visa – treaty trader visa.
• E2 Visa – treaty investor visa

Categories of official and diplomatic visas are the following:

• The A1 visa is for diplomats or foreign government officials who are travelling to the US on official duties or representing their government.
• The A2 NATO1-6 visa is designed only for foreign military personnel who are about to serve or be stationed within the United States.
• G-1 to G-5 visa for those who have been employed in an international organization.

The following visas are part of this type of visa:

• T visas are for victims of human trafficking who have severe trauma, but can also assist in investigating crimes related to human trafficking.
• The U visa is for those who have been a victim of certain criminal activities and that can aid in the investigation or prosecution of those criminals.

Here are the categories of this type of visa:

• The C Visa is a Transit Visa.
• The D visa is for crew members who will work on a sea vessel or international airline.

Here are the categories of the Immediate relative and Family Sponsored visas:

• The F2A and F2B visas are for the families of Lawful Permanent Residents, more specifically their spouses, minor children, or unmarried sons and daughters aged 21 and above.
• IR-2 visa – for unmarried children under 21 years old
• IR5 visa – for parents of US Citizens who are at least 21 years old
• F1 – for unmarried sons and daughters and their minor children
• F3 visa – for married sons and daughters and their minor children
• F4 visa – for brothers and sisters of US Citizens, and their spouses and minor children.
• The IR3, IH3, IR4, IH4 visas are for children from other countries who will be adopted by US citizen parent(s)
• The SQ visa is for Iraqi or Afghan citizens who will be working for or on behalf of the US government and get Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs).

Here are the categories:

• K3 visas are for spouses of US citizens who are in the process of obtaining permanent immigration status.
• The IR1 and CR1 visas are for spouses of US Citizens.
• Children of the K-3 visa applicants are eligible to receive K-4 visas
• K1 visa for fiancees

The following visas are issued for immigrant employees:

• The EB1 visa is called an Employment First Preference Priority Workers visa.
• Employment Second Preference Professionals Holding advanced Degrees and Persons of Exceptional Ability visas are for those who have labor certification and a job offer in the US.
• The Employment Third Preference Skilled Workers, Professionals, and Unskilled Workers visa are for those who have an approved Petition for Alien Worker filed by their employers.
• Eb-5 visa for immigrant investors.
• The SI visa is for Iraqi and Afghan Translators or Interpreters working with the US military and who meet certain requirements.
• The SQ visa is for Iraqi or Afghan citizens who will be working for or on behalf of the US government and get Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs).

• The Diversity Immigrant Visas are for persons who are deemed to be “diversity immigrants” meaning that they come from countries that have low immigration rates to the US.
• The SB visa or Returning Resident Visa is for permanent US residents who for reasons beyond their control have remained outside the country for more than a year or their re-entry permit is not valid anymore. The SB visa grants them entry into the US again.

When you are granted a visa, it will look like the picture below. You should check whether it has your correct information that matches the data in your passport, and all the parts that are in the sample visa. If it does not contain all the information, you should contact the US Embassy that has issued it.

>>How to Read the US Visa Foil Number?

There are multiple reasons that USCIS or the US Embassy could deny your petition or visa application. You could be ineligible or you might have had a criminal past so you will not qualify to enter the USA.

If you do not get a visa, then you have two options: either appeal to USCIS or the US Embassy or apply for a new visa. It is usually recommended to apply for a new visa rather than appeal since the US Embassy will have a valid reason as to why they denied your visa and you could correct it when you reapply.

For more on this issue, visit the US Visa Denial article.

Since US nonimmigrant visas are temporary, they have an expiration date. This date depends on the type of visa. There are visas which are valid for only 3 months, and some that are valid for 3 years.

You must check the type of visa you want to apply for and see how long it is valid once you get it. US immigrant visas do not have an expiration date so with such a visa, you can stay in the United States permanently.

If your US visa expires, you have the chance to renew it through a similar procedure to the initial US Visa application process. All US visas have a date of issue and a date when they will expire stamped on the passport. It is necessary to renew the US visa only if the expiration date of the visa has passed.

Almost all US visas allow parents to bring their children to the United States. The children must be minors though, so under 18 or 21 years old depending on the type of visa the parent has. Adult children are usually not allowed to get visas if their parents get one unless they are unable to take care of themselves and are dependent on their parents.

Most visas do not allow bringing parents to the United States since they are not considered immediate dependents. However, you must look through the Immediate Relative or Family Based Immigrant Visas which might allow you to sponsor your parents or siblings for an immigrant visa.

Unfortunately, once your visa has expired and is not valid anymore, you will not be allowed to enter the United States. If you try to enter the United States with an expired visa, the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) will make you return to your home country.

You must get an extension of the visa you have had or apply for a new visa to be allowed to re-enter the United States.

If a person travels to Canada, Mexico, or the US adjacent islands with the exception of Cuba for less than 30 days, they can re-enter the US even if their visa has expired. The person seeking revalidation must also have a valid Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, which is endorsed by DHS. The Automatic Visa Revalidation is also known as the Contiguous Territory Rule.