United States Visas were issued to 6.6 million foreign nationals visiting the United States and to 470 thousand immigrants in 2008.

A foreign national wishing to enter the U.S. must obtain a visa:

  • 1) If he or she is not a citizen of one of the thirty-five Visa Waiver Program countries
  • 2) If he or she is not a citizen of Canada or Bermuda
  • 3) Or if he or she has a statutory ineligibility for visa-free travel (e.g. criminal records, health grounds, etc...).

There are separate requirements for Mexican citizens.

There are two basic types of U.S. visas:

  • Nonimmigrant visa - for temporary visits such as for tourism, business, work or studying.
  • Immigrant visa - for people wanting to be permanent residents in the United States without any time limitation.

In order to immigrate, one should either have an immigrant visa, or have a dual intent visa, which is one that is compatible with making a concurrent application for permanent resident status (Green Card), or having an intention to apply for permanent residence.

Contrary to a popular misconception, a U.S. visa does not authorize the alien's entry to the United States, nor does it authorize the alien's stay in the U.S. in a particular status. A U.S. visa only serves as a preliminary permission given to the alien to travel to the United States and to seek admission to the United States at a designated port of entry. The final admission to the United States in a particular status and for a particular period of time is made at the port of entry by a U.S. immigration officer. For aliens entering the U.S. in a nonimmigrant visa status these details are recorded by the immigration officer on the alien's Form I-94 (Form I-94W for citizens of the Visa Waiver Program countries entering the U.S. for short visits), which serves as the official document authorizing the alien's stay in the United States in a particular non-immigrant visa status and for a particular period of time.

From Wikipedia under the GNU Free Documentation License
Fri Dec 4 05:52:03 2009

I want to visit my daughter and grandchildren in the United States.What visa should i apply?
Q. I don't want to be an immigrant, I just want to visit them for just a month.
Asked by mannix - Wed Jan 16 23:31:17 2008 - - 3 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Apply for the B1/B3 tourist Visa.
Answered by Obama is a socialist - Thu Jan 17 00:11:41 2008

i entered united states with v visa summer of 2002 and got my green card summer of 2005. citizenship?
Q. is there anyway i can file for my citizenship? 1 week after i came to united states with v visa my immigrant visa was approved.
Asked by Raj - Thu Oct 30 07:35:49 2008 - - 2 Answers - 0 Comments
Can you renew your visa in the United States if it going to expire?
Q. My grandmothers visa expires soon and i was wondering if she could renew it here in the United States.
Asked by garcia1508@sbcglobal.net - Tue Jun 3 18:07:28 2008 - - 2 Answers - 0 Comments

A. It's possible to ask USCIS for an extension of her authorized stay here in the US. You can't actually renew your visa in the US. Visas are under the control of the Department of State and can only be renewed outside of the US. Permission to stay in the US and requests for extensions fall under USCIS. Check out uscis.gov for instructions and forms on how to requestion an extension.
Answered by George L - Tue Jun 3 19:24:24 2008

From Yahoo Answer Search: "United States visas"
Wed Jul 15 08:18:56 2009

See also:

  • Yahoo Group - USA Immigration HelpYahoo Group - USA Immigration Help
    groups.yahoo.com
    A place to ask for US Immigration questions.
  • Immigration's Human CostImmigration's Human Cost
    immigrationshumancost.org
    Highlights the damage caused by open borders and permissive immigration policies to individual American citizens, particularly job displacement, community turmoil, and violent crime.
  • American Immigration LLCAmerican Immigration LLC
    ilw.com
    Attorney directory. Also contains resources, regular columns, chat, and immigration forms.
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