USA Visa: Visitors
Service Overview
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What type of visa do you need?
If you are unsure what type of visa you need, please contact us to request a consultation.
The type of visa you must obtain is defined by U.S. immigration law and relates to the purpose of your travel.
VISA TYPES
Tourist & Visit Visa
A foreign national traveling to the United States for tourism needs a visitor visa (B-2) unless qualifying for entry under the Visa Waiver Program.
Tourism is a short visit for vacation, for visiting family and friends, or for medical treatment.
Overview
Generally, a citizen of a foreign country who wishes to enter the United States must first obtain a visa, either a nonimmigrant visa for a temporary stay or an immigrant visa for permanent residence. Visitor visas are nonimmigrant visas for persons who want to enter the United States temporarily for business (visa category B-1), for tourism (visa category B-2), or for a combination of both purposes (B-1/B-2).
Here are some examples of activities permitted with a visitor visa:
Business
B1 VISA
- Consult with business associates
- Attend a scientific, educational, professional, or business convention or conference
- Settle an estate
- Negotiate a contract
Tourist
B2 VISA
- Tourism
- Vacation (holiday)
- Visit with friends or relatives
- Medical treatment
- Participation in social events hosted by fraternal, social, or service organizations
- Participation by amateurs in musicals, sports, or similar events or contests, if not being paid for participating
- Enrollment in a short recreational course of study, not for credit toward a degree (for example, a two-day cooking class while on vacation)
These are some examples of activities that require different categories of visas and cannot be done while on a visitor visa:
- Study
- Employment
- Paid performances, or any professional performance before a paying audience
- Arrival as a crewmember of a ship or aircraft
- Work as a foreign press, in radio, film, print journalism, or other information media
- Permanent residence in the United States
Visitor visas will also not be issued for birth tourism (travel for the primary purpose of giving birth in the United States to obtain U.S. citizenship for their child).
Fees for Visa Services
Description of Service and Fee Amount (All fees = $ in US currency)
Nonimmigrant visa application processing fee (non-refundable) for all categories below
- Non-petition-based nonimmigrant visa (except E): $160.00 (Not including agent fee)
Includes (but is not limited to), the following visa categories:
| B | Visitor Visa: Business, Tourism, Medical treatment |
| C-1 | Transiting the United States |
| D | Crewmembers – Airline, Ship |
| F | Student, Academic |
| I | Media and Journalists |
| J | Exchange Visitors*Applicants for J visas participating in official U.S. Government-sponsored educational and cultural exchanges: No Fee (See Exchange Visitor Visas for further detailed fee information.) |
| M | Students, Vocational |
| TN/TD | NAFTA Professionals |
| S | Witness or Informant* |
| T | Victim of Trafficking in Persons* |
| U | Victim of Criminal Activity* |
*Though petition-based nonimmigrant visas, the processing fee for these visas is $160.00
- Petition-based visa categories: $190.00 (Not including agent fee)
Includes these visa categories:
| H | Temporary Workers/Employment or Trainees |
| L | Intracompany Transferees |
| O | Persons with Extraordinary Ability |
| P | Athletes. Artists & Entertainers |
| Q | International Cultural Exchange |
| R | Religious Worker |
- E – Treaty Trader/Investor, Australian Professional Specialty category visa: $205.00
- K – Fiancé(e) or Spouse of U.S. citizen category visa: $265.00