Visitor Visa
A visitor visa allows you to visit the United States temporarily for business or personal. Visitor visas are separated into two main categories, including:
- B-1 Visa: Temporary visits to the United States to do business with a company within the United States.
- B-2 Visa: Temporary visits to the United States for tourism, including visits with family or friends or traveling to U.S. cities and landmarks.
What Can I Do with a B-1 Visa?
A B-1 visa for business travelers gives visa holders the right to conduct certain business-related activities in the United States, including:
- Negotiate contracts
- Settle estates
- Consult with business associates in the U.S.
- Attend conferences and other educational, professional, or business events
What Can I Do with a B-2 Visa?
A B-2 visa is given to you for general tourism purposes. With a B-2 visa, you can perform all of the following activities on your visit to the United States:
- Have a vacation in the U.S.
- Tour across the country to visit cities, landmarks, and other sights
- Visit friends or family
- Participate in social events hosted by organizations
- Receive medical treatment
Participate in events or contests related to music or sports (as long as you do not receive any payment for your appearance)
Enroll in short study courses for which you will not receive credit (a cooking class, for example, or any other class that isn’t going towards a degree or certificate)
What Can I Not Do with a B-1 or B-2 Visa?
You are excluded from performing certain activities while visiting the United States with a B-1 or B-2 visa. Those activities include:
- Become a full-time or part-time student
- Perform and receive payment for it
- Work in press or journalism
- Engage in any form of employment
- Enter the country as a crewmember of an airline or ship
- Seek permanent residence in the United States
Ultimately, a visitor’s visa is exactly what it sounds like it allows you to enter the country temporarily for business or pleasure. You cannot, however, stay permanently, nor can you engage in any type of employment while visiting the United States.
Violating the terms of your B-1 or B-2 visa may prevent you from gaining entry to the United States in the future.
Combined B-1 and B-2 Visas
Technically, the B-1 and B-2 visas are two separate things. You are permitted to enter the United States for business-related purposes on the B-1 visa and pleasure-related purposes on the B-2 visa.
But what if you want to visit the Grand Canyon while you’re attending a work conference in Las Vegas? That’s why the United States has recently begun issuing more combined B-1/B-2 visas. These visas allow you to visit the United States for business and tourism-related purposes.
If you have a combined B-1/B-2 visa, then you can visit the United States for all of the purposes listed above under the B-1 and B-2 visa categories.
Requirements for a U.S. Visitor Visa?
As a visitor to the United States, you will need to prove that you are not a security threat to the country. You will also need to prove that you intend to leave the United States after your visa expires. As long as you satisfy both of these requirements, you are unlikely to be rejected for a B-1 or B-2 visitor visa. The requirements aren’t nearly as strict as certain other non-immigrant visas.
- Your visit must be a temporary visit for purposes of tourism, business, or medical treatment
- You must have sufficient finances to cover your stay within the United States
- You must return to your home country after your visa expires and you must not make plans to stay in the United States
If you meet these requirements and can convince the border officer that you meet these requirements, then you should have no problem getting a B-1 or B-2 visa to visit the United States. As mentioned above, the primary concern is to ensure you are not a security threat and that you intend to leave the country after your visa expires.
How to Apply for a Visitor Visa to the United States
The process is similar to other non-immigrant visas. You visit the website of the U.S. embassy for your country of residence. The website features links to the visitor visa application in your language.
Nationals of all other countries, however, will need to complete the traditional visa application process to receive a B-1 or B-2 visa. Here’s how the process works:
- Fill out form DS-160 -https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/
- Create the profile for Visa appointment https://portal.ustraveldocs.com/
- Pay the application fee
- Schedule your visa interview based on available dates.
- Collect your documents
Documents to Carry
You might be required to bring supporting documents to your visa interview. Depending on your purpose of travel, the required documents for a B-1 or B-2 visa can include all of the following:
- Scheduled interview confirmation page
- A letter describing the purpose of your trip
- Financial statements or bank account statements proving you have the financial means to support yourself while in the United States
- Documents proving ties to your home country, including bank account statements, a mortgage for a home, or a job contract indicating that you plan to return home after visiting America
- Invitation letter from friends or family in the United States (typically only required if your friends and family are financially supporting you or providing accommodation during your trip to America)
- Transcripts or a diploma (for students)
- Documents from prior visits to the United States (if applicable), including old visas and passports
- A document explaining your criminal record (if any), or a letter from the police proving you have no prior arrests or convictions
- A letter from your employer indicating the length of your trip and when you are expected back at work
- A paystub from your employer proving your wages or salary
- Documents showcasing your relatives’ status in the United States (i.e. if they are permanent residents living within the United States)
- Letters from a doctor in your home country explaining why you are traveling to the United States for medical treatment and why that procedure cannot be done in your home country
Ultimately, the CBP officer might check all of these documents – or the officer might check none of the documents. Generally, it’s better to be safe and bring all the possible documents with you. The more evidence you have supporting your legitimate reasons for visiting the United States, the easier it will be to enter the country.
How can we help you
If you need any assistance on visa , documents , appointment please reach out to us .We provide comprehensive guide and assistance
