19 June 2012
NON IMMIGRANT VISA TYPES
Non-Immigrant Visa List with Brief Explanations
A-1. Ambassadors, public ministers or career diplomats and their immediate family members.
A-2. Other accredited officials or employees of foreign governments and their immediate family members.
A-3. Personal attendants, servants or employees and their immediate family members of A-1 and A-2 visa holders.
B-1. Business visitors.
B-2. Visitors for tourism or medical treatment.
C-1. Foreign travelers in immediate and continuous transit through the U.S.
D-1. Crewmen who need to land temporarily in the U.S. and who will depart aboard the same ship or plane on which they arrived.
E-1. Treaty traders working for a U.S. trading company that does 50% or more of its business with the trader’s home country.
E-2. Treaty investors working for a U.S. company with 50% or more of its investment capital coming from the worker’s home country.
F-1. Academic or language students.
F-2. Immediate family members of F-1 visa holders.
G-1. Designated principal resident representatives of foreign governments coming to the U.S. to work for an international organization, their staff members and immediate family members.
G-2. Other accredited representatives of foreign governments coming to the U.S. to work for an international organization and their immediate family members.
G-3. Representatives of foreign government and their immediate family members who would ordinarily qualify for G-1 or G-2 visas except that their governments are not members of an international organization.
G-4. Officers or employees of international organizations and their immediate family members.
G-5. Attendants, servants and personal employees of G-1 through G-4 visa holders and their immediate family members.
G-5. Attendants, servants and personal employees of G-1 through G-4 visa holders and their immediate family members.
H-1B. Persons working in specialty occupations requiring at least a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent in on-the-job experience, and distinguished fashion models.
H-2A. Temporary agricultural workers coming to the U.S. to fill positions for which a temporary shortage of American workers has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
H-2B. Temporary workers of various kinds coming to the U.S. to perform temporary jobs for which there is a shortage of available qualified American workers.
H-3. Temporary trainees coming for on-the-job training unavailable in their home countries.
H-4. Immediate family members of H-1, H-2 or H-3 visa holders. I. Bona fide representatives of the foreign press coming to the U.S. to work solely in that capacity and their immediate family members.
J-1. Exchange visitors coming to the U.S. to study, work or train as part of an exchange program officially recognized by the United States Information Agency.
J-2. Immediate family members of J-1 visa holders.
K-1. Fiancés or fiancées of U.S. citizens coming to the U.S. for the purpose of getting married.
K-2. Minor, unmarried children of K-1 visa holders.
K-3. Spouses and children of U.S. citizen petitioners awaiting approval of their visa petition and the availability of an immigrant visa.
L-1. Intercompany transferees who work in positions as managers, executives or persons with specialized knowledge.
L-2. Immediate family members of L-1 visa holders.
M-1. Vocational or other nonacademic students, other than language students.
M-2. Immediate families of M-1 visa holders.
N. Children of certain special immigrants.
NATO-1, NATO-2, NATO-3, NATO-4 and NATO-5. Associates coming to the U.S. under applicable provisions of the NATO Treaty and their immediate family members. NATO-6. Civilians accompanying military forces on missions authorized under the NATO Treaty and their immediate family members.
NATO-7. Attendants, servants or personal employees of NATO-1 through NATO-6 visas holders and their immediate family members.
O-1. Persons of extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics.
O-2. Essential support staff of O-1 visa holders.
O-3. Immediate family members of O-1 and O-2 visa holders.
___-1. Internationally recognized athletes and entertainers and their essential support staff.
P-2. Entertainers coming to perform in the U.S. through a government recognized exchange program.
P-3. Artists and entertainers coming to the U.S. in a group for the purpose of presenting culturally unique performances.
P-4. Immediate family members of P-1, P-2 and P-3 visa holders.
Q-1. Exchange visitors coming to the U.S. to participate in international cultural-exchange programs.
Q-2. Immediate family members of Q-1 visa holders.
R-1. Ministers and other workers of recognized religions.
R-2. Immediate family members of R-1 visa holders.
S-1. People coming to the U.S. to supply critical information to federal or state authorities where it has been determined that their presence in the U.S. is essential to the success of a criminal investigation or prosecution. S-2. People coming to the U.S. to provide critical information to federal authorities or a court, who will be in danger as a result of providing such information, and are eligible to receive a reward for the information.
S-3. Immediate family members of S-1 or S-2 visa holders.
T. Women and children who are in the United States because they are victims of trafficking, who are cooperating with law enforcement, and who fear extreme hardship (such as retribution) if returned home.
U. For people who have suffered “substantial physical or mental abuse” as a result of certain U.S. criminal violations including domestic violence, and are assisting law enforcement authorities.
V. Spouses and children of U.S. lawful permanent resident petitioners who have already waited three years for the approval of their visa petition or for an immigrant visa to become available.