Nonimmigrant visas are issued to foreigners who intend to stay in the United States for a specified period of time. This period of time may vary according to the classification under which the nonimmigrant has entered.
The nonimmigrant classification includes: foreign government officials, business or pleasure visitors, foreigners in transit, investors, students, international representatives, temporary or trainee workers, foreign media representatives, exchange visitors, fiancées of US citizens, intra-company relocation employees, NATO officers, religious workers, a few others. Most non-immigrants can be accompanied by their spouses or unmarried minor children.
Non-immigrant visas are:
- A1: Some Diplomats and their immediate family
- A2: Certain Diplomatic Personnel and their immediate family
- A3: Domestic staff or an A1 or A2, and the immediate family of the staff.
- B1: Business Visitors
- B2: Tourists
- C1: In transit through the US.
- C2: Representative in transit to or from the United Nations headquarters district
- C3: Government representatives in transit in the US.
- D1: Crew member staying on the same ship
- D2: Crew member switching to another ship
- F1: Academic students
- E1: Merchants and their husband, wife and unmarried children under 21 years of age.
- E2: Investors and their husband, wife and unmarried children under 21 years of age.
- E3: Australian Workers in a Skilled Occupation and their husband, wife and unmarried children under 21 years of age.
- F1: Academic students
- F2: Husbands, wives, and unmarried children under the age of 21 of an F1 nonimmigrant.
- F3: Academic students from Canada and Mexico traveling across the US border to attend school.
- G1: Principal representative of a certain international organization, accredited members of his staff, and his immediate family.
- G2: Other accredited representatives of certain international organizations and their immediate family.
- G3: People who qualify under G1 or G2 except that the government is not recognized by the US or is not a member of the international organization, and their immediate family.
- G4: Officers and employees of certain international organizations, and their families.
- G5: Domestic personnel of a person or family member with G1-4 status, and the immediate family of NATO personnel assigned to the US and their immediate family.
- H1B: Workers in special occupations
- H1C: Registered Nurses
- H2A: Temporary Farm Worker
- H2B: Trained apprentices and temporary workers
- H3: Interns, visitors to Special Education Exchange Programs.
- H4: Husband, wife and unmarried children under 21 years of age of workers and practitioners in category H.
- I: Representatives of foreign media, and their husbands, wives and unmarried children under 21 years of age.
- J1: Exchange Program Visitor
- J2: Husbands, wives, and unmarried children under the age of 21 of a J1 nonimmigrant.
- K1: Fiancé of a U.S. Citizen
- K2: Unmarried children under the age of 21 of a K1 nonimmigrant
- K3: Some husbands and wives of US citizens
- K4: Certain unmarried children under the age of 21 of a K3 nonimmigrant
- L1A: Transferred within the company who are Executives and Managers
- L1B: Intra-company transfers who qualify for specialized knowledge
- L2: Husbands, wives and unmarried children under the age of 21 of a worker L1A or L1BM1: Students in training
- M1: Students in training
- M2: Husband, wife, and unmarried children under the age of 21 of an M1 nonimmigrant.
- M3: Mexican and Canadian Vocational Students who cross the US border daily to attend school.
- O1: Person of Extraordinary Ability
- O2: Assistance Personnel of a nonimmigrant worker O1
- O3: Husbands, wives and unmarried children under the age of 21 of a nonimmigrant O1 or O2
- P1: Internationally Recognized Athletes and Artists, and Certain Other Athletes and Artists.
- P2: Artists and Entertainers, based on exchange agreements
- P3: Culturally Unique Artists and Entertainers
- P4: Husbands, wives and unmarried children under 21 years of age of P1, P2 and P3 nonimmigrants.
- Q1: Participate in an international cultural exchange program
- R1: Temporary Religious Workers
- R2: Husbands, wives and unmarried children under the age of 21 of nonimmigrants R1. Traffic victims
- T1: Victims of Trafficking.
- T2: Spouse of a nonimmigrant T1
- T3: Child of a nonimmigrant T1
- T4: Parent of a T1 nonimmigrant who is a minor
- TN1: NAFTA Qualifying Professionals from Canada
- TN2: Professionals who qualify for NAFTA from Mexico
- TD: Husband, wife and children of a TN nonimmigrant worker
- S5: Informant of a criminal organization
- S6: Informant of a terrorist organization
- S7: Husband, wife, child, parent of an S5 or S6 nonimmigrant
- U: Victims of severe criminal activities
- V1: Some husbands and wives of Permanent Residents
- V2: Some children of permanent residents
- V3: Some children of a V1 or V2 nonimmigrant
- WB: Visitors coming temporarily for business, admitted under a visa waiver program
- WT: Tourists admitted under a visa waiver program
- TWOV: Transit visa without visa.
To find out how to obtain a non-immigrant visa, call IACO at 973-472-4648
More information on non-immigrant visas, visit the page of the Citizenship and Immigration Services USCIS.