Kolken & Kolken. Results-oriented immigration lawyers - specializing in Green Card, Deportation Cases and Temporary Visas.

Temporary Visas

 

There is a wide range of temporary visas, used for many different purposes and each lasting from a few days to several years. The INS must approve some in advance before being reviewed and issued by the State Department; others are only reviewed by the State Department. Visas may be granted to the principal applicant and to his or her dependents (spouse and minor children). 

There is a difference between a visa and a status, although both are referred to in the same manner and with the same alphabetical designation (based on the respective section of the Immigration and Nationality Act).  A visa is simply a document in the person’s passport.  It serves as a “ticket” to ensure that a foreign national can board an airplane before coming to the U.S.  A person’s visa status is granted by an Immigration officer when they arrive at the border or a port of entry, and may be changed or extended after admission.

   
Non-Immigrant Visa Categories
Category Availability
A Status

Diplomatic employees and their households

B Status

Business visitors or tourists

C Status

Transit visa (pass-through at an airport or seaport)

D Status
Crewmember (air or sea)
E Status

Treaty-Investors or Treaty-Traders from countries where we have a treaty of commerce and investment

F Status
Students
G Status

Employees of International Organizations (IMF, OPIC, OAS, UN, International Red Cross, etc.)

H Status

Temporary Workers. Can be professionals (H-1B), agricultural workers (H-2A), temporary or seasonal workers (H-2B), or trainees (H-3)

I Status

Representatives of international media

J Status
Exchange visitors
K Status Fiancé of U.S. Citizen
L Status
Intracompany transferees (executives, managers, persons with proprietary knowledge)
M Status

Vocational students

N Status Certain parents and children of special immigrants.
O Status Aliens of extraordinary ability or achievement
P Status Artists, athletes, entertainment groups (such as orchestras) and support personnel
Q Status International cultural exchange visitors
R Status Religious Workers
S Status Criminal informants
T Status Victims of international trafficking in persons
U Status Victims of spousal or child abuse
V Status Spouses and minor children of permanent residents who are waiting for green cards.
 
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