Nonimmigrant Visa Types

There are many types of visas available to foreign visitors to the United States. Please review the information below to determine which visa type best suits your needs. If you cannot determine the appropriate visa type or would like additional information, do not hesitate to contact us or visit the U.S. Department of State website.  If you are still not certain, please ask the officer during your visa interview, as he or she will make the determination regarding the proper visa category for you at that time.

Temporary Business or Tourism (B)
Crew Members and/or Transit (C1/D, C1)
Student or Exchange Programs (F, M, J)
Temporary Work (H, L)
Journalists (I)
Visas for members of the entertainment profession (O, P)
Religious Occupations (R)

Temporary Business or Tourism (B)

For those persons going to the U.S. on tourism, please indicate where you will be staying. If you are visiting friends, please make sure you provide their complete address and telephone number.  The consular officer may ask how you met the person you are visiting. If you are visiting family, please indicate the inviting person's relationship to you and indicate whether that person is a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident (i.e. bearer of a U.S. green card), or nonimmigrant in the U.S. on a work or student visa.
Individuals applying for business visas should be prepared to explain what kind of business trip they are making. For those persons visiting business contacts or clients, you may wish to bring correspondence that explains the nature of the trip.

Crew Members and/or Transit (C1/D, C1)

C1/D visas are issued for pilots, air hostesses, stewards, seamen or employees on board a ship whose services are required for normal operation, or crew members traveling to the United States as passengers to join vessel or aircraft should apply for this type of visa.
C1 visas are issued to aliens proceeding in immediate and continuous transit through the U.S. Transiting aliens have to demonstrate that the principal purpose of the trip is to transit the U.S. While the law does not require transiting aliens to demonstrate a residency abroad which they do not intend to abandon, this category is in many ways similar to that of a B1/B2 temporary visitor. Where the alien qualifies for both, the latter is usually accorded.

Georgian citizens need C1 transit visas even when transiting the United States on a single flight which stops at a U.S. port-of-entry before proceeding to a non-U.S. destination. For more details please visit www.uscis.gov

Student Visas (F, M)

Those wishing to study in the United States must include with the visa application the Form I-20 and evidence of funding for the first year's studies. The Form I-20 is provided by the United States institution after a foreign student has been accepted. F-1 and M-1 visa applicants must also complete form DS-158 and submit it with the visa application. Most successful applicants for student visas are attending college or post graduate programs; however, we do issue F-1 visas to high school students depending on the program and arrangements made. (Special requirements exist for high school students, please see the U.S. Department of State website). The evidence that you have the funding for the first year should be in the form of a bank financial statement (not just a letter from the bank). If you have a U.S. sponsor, you may bring the sponsor's yearly income tax return to show that he can fulfill his financial obligation for your education. If your parents are paying and they do not have an overseas account, you may bring documents from their place of employment to demonstrate that they can cover the cost of your first year in the United States.
Persons applying for student visas must pay the SEVIS fee before their interview date. Please review the SEVIS website for more information.

Exchange Visas (J)

The United States government and many private organizations sponsor a wide variety of exchange programs. These include academic and cultural exchanges, as well as au pair programs and summer work and travel programs. Applications for J-1 Exchange Visitor visas must be accompanied by the Form DS-2019 (Certificate of Eligibility for NIV Exchange Visitor) which is provided by the sponsoring U.S. organization. With few exceptions, the consular officer will require that the applicant sign the DS-2019 prior to visa issuance. J-1 visa applicants must also complete form DS-158 and submit it with the visa application.
Persons applying for exchange visas must pay the SEVIS fee before their interview date. Please review the SEVIS website for more information.

Temporary Work

Nonimmigrant Worker (H)

An H visa is issued to a nonimmigrant to allow travel for the purpose of temporary employment in the United States. To qualify for an H visa, the applicant must demonstrate that (a) the prospective employer has filed and the USCIS has approved a petition (Form I-129) requesting H status for the applicant, and (b) the applicant qualifies for the specified employment by showing proof of education and relevant work experience.

Intracompany Transfer (L)

The L visa classification was created to permit multinational companies to transfer qualified employees temporarily to the United States for the purpose of improving management effectiveness, expanding U. S. exports, and enhancing competitiveness in overseas markets. An applicant for an L visa must demonstrate that (a) the prospective employer has filed and the USCIS has approved a petition (Form I-129) requesting L status for the applicant; (b) the prospective employer is the same firm, corporation, or other legal entity, or parent, branch, affiliate or subsidiary thereof, for whom the applicant has been employed abroad; (c) the prospective employer will continue to do business in the United States and at least one other country; (d) the applicant has been employed overseas by the transferring organization for at least one year within the past three years; and (e) the applicant is a manager, executive, or employee with specialized knowledge and is destined to a managerial or executive position, or a position which requires specialized knowledge.
Please note that for blanket L visas, the new fee is $500 to be paid at the time of the interview.
Questions regarding the appropriate type of visa can be resolved at the time of the visa interview.

Journalists (I)

Representative of foreign press, radio, film or other information media should apply for this type of visa. This includes personnel whose activities are essential to the foreign information media function; for example, media reporters, media film crews, video tape editors, and persons in similar occupations. The I visa classification may be accorded not only to primary employees of foreign information media engaged in filming a news event or documentary, but also to the employees of independent production companies when those employees hold a credential issued by a professional journalistic association.

Visas for members of the entertainment profession (O and P)

Applicants who seek to enter the United States temporarily to perform services, whether or not they are paid, whether or not the services will involve public appearances, and whether or not the performance is for charity. The only exception to this rule is for certain cultural programs sponsored by the sending country. In order to qualify for an O or P visa, the U.S. employer, agent, or organizer must file an I-129 petition on the applicants' behalf with US CIS in the United States. Once this petition is approved, the applicant must apply for a visa, bringing the original Notice of Approval (I-797) from US CIS, a copy of I-129 petition, and proof of the applicant's experience in the entertainment profession.

Religious Occupations (R)

Religious workers include ministers of religion who are authorized by a recognized denomination to conduct religious worship and perform other duties usually performed by members of the clergy such as administering the sacraments, or their equivalent. The term does not apply to lay preachers. A religious vocation means a calling to religious life, evidenced by the demonstration of a lifelong commitment, such as taking vows. Examples include nuns, monks, and religious brothers and sisters. A religious occupation means a habitual engagement in an activity which relates to a traditional religious function. Examples include liturgical workers, religious instructors or cantors, catechists, workers in religious hospitals, missionaries, religious translators, or religious broadcasters. It does not include janitors, maintenance workers, clerks, fund raisers, solicitors of donations, or similar occupations. The activity of a lay-person who will be engaged in a religious occupation must relate to a traditional religious function: i.e., the activity must embody the tenets of the religion and have religious significance, relating primarily, if not exclusively, to matters of the spirit as they apply to the religion.