The United States is a dream destination for millions of people, looking to travel to the country for work, business, studies, or simply to explore the country. Depending on the duration and purpose of your visit, you will be provided with a visa that allows you to stay in the country for a stipulated time and enjoy certain privileges allocated to the US visa types. If you are planning to visit the country and need visa assistance, visit Vaigai Wings. As experienced visa consultants in Chennai, we guide people through the visa process, assisting them during the application, helping with legalization and attestation, etc. Contact our travel agency in Chennai for visa processing assistance in Chennai.
But before applying for a visa, you must understand the different types of non-immigrant visas and the eligibility of each. To the uninitiated, nonimmigrant visa refers to travel visas issued to people looking to temporarily visit the United States for medical treatment, tourism, temporary work, study, etc. Here are the different categories of visas available to people.
Employment Visa
This category of visas is issued to people visiting the United States for employment that will last for a fixed time. Naturally, this employment cannot be permanent. Your prospective employer must make a petition to their government seeking their permission. This approved petition is then used to obtain a nonimmigrant visa.
There are different types of employment visas, ranging from H visas to L visas, O visas, P visas, and Q visas. H visas are issued to people with a minimum bachelor’s degree in an academic field and require an employee sponsor. There are different types of H visas – H-1B, H-1B1, H-2A, H-2B, H-3, etc. While H-1B and H-1B1 visas require a bachelor’s degree in a specific academic field, H-2A and H-2B visas are reserved for seasonal work for which there are no available US citizens.
Intercompany transfers come under the L visa category, O visas are for workers with extraordinary abilities, entertainers are given P category visas, and international cultural exchange participants are given the Q category of visas.
Study Visa
You need a student visa to pursue academic studies in the United States. There are different types of student visas depending on what you are planning to study. For instance, an F1 visa is issued to full-time students admitted to an accredited US educational institution, including colleges, high schools, and conservatories. F2 visa is issued to the spouse of the F1 visa holder.
F1 visa holders can work but the total work hours cannot exceed 20 hours during a school term. They can work full-time when the school is not in session or during an annual break. However, F2 visa holders cannot work.
M visa is issued to students studying vocational subjects in a recognized non-academic institution. J1 visa is issued to students in work and study-based exchange visitor programs. This includes au pairs, counsellors, etc. participating in cultural exchange programs. J2 is for dependants of J1 visa holders.
Tourist Visa
A visitor visa is issued depending on whether you are planning to travel for business or pleasure. While a B1 visa is for business purposes and issued to people attending the United States for educational and business conventions, a B-2 is for tourists, people visiting friends and family, and patients seeking medical treatment.
The amount of time you can stay on a tourist visa is determined by the official at the time of issuing, but it cannot be extended beyond 6 months. You can extend this time, although an application must be made at least 45 days before the expiry of the visa.
If you are looking for more information about visa applications, US visa types, etc., call our visa agents in Chennai for assistance. As one of the best travel agencies in Chennai, we promise a seamless service, guiding you through the entire visa application process.