Tourist Visas   by Nicklaus Misiti

in Law / International Law    (submitted 2012-01-04)

A citizen of a foreign country generally must have a visa to enter the United States. There are two types of such visas: a nonimmigrant visa meant for temporary stay and an immigrant visa for permanent residence in the US. The nonimmigrant visa, often called a "visitor" visa, comes in two varieties, one meant for those coming to the U.S. for a short period for business (B-1) and those coming to the United States for pleasure or medical treatment (B-2).

The B-1 visa is meant for citizens of foreign countries who plan to engage in work-related business in the US during their visit. The B-1 visa allows visitors to consult with business associates in the United States and enter the U.S. for a scientific, educational, professional, or business convention, settle an estate, negotiate a contract, or visit the U.S. for a conference on specific dates.

The B-2 visa is meant for citizens of foreign countries who are planning a trip to the United States for the purpose of receiving medical treatment or for pleasure. Such pleasure activities can include recreational travel, tourism, vacation, amusement, visits with friends or relatives, activities of a service nature, or participation by amateurs without remuneration in musical, sports, and similar events or contests. Students coming to the United States to participate in an academic course that is not for credit towards a degree and is less than 18 hour a week may also come to the United States on a B-2 visitor visa.

Citizens of certain foreign nations do not need a visa to enter the United States if the planned stay is 90 days or less. Countries participating in this, the Visa Waiver Program are: Andorra, Hungary, New Zealand, Australia, Iceland, Norway, Austria, Ireland, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, San Marino, Brunei, Japan, Singapore, Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovakia, Denmark, Liechtenstein, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania, South Korea, Finland, Luxembourg, Spain, France, Malta, Sweden, Germany, Monaco, Switzerland, Greece, The Netherlands, and United Kingdom. Visitors from such countries must be approved by the Electronic System for Travel Authorization prior to their trip to the United States and must also be coming to the U.S. for purposes that would normally qualify the visitor for a B-1 or B-2 visitor visa. The visitor must also have a passport that will be valid for six months after the proposed trip.

For More Information

For more information on Visitor's Visas or the Visa Waiver Program contact Misiti Global, PLLC. Misiti Global offers free telephonic case evaluations and can be reached at 212 537 4407 or via their website at http://www.misitiglobal.com.

About the Author

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For more information or to schedule a free consultation please contact Misiti Global, PLLC by Nicklaus Misiti at (212)537-4407 or by filling out the convenient form on our website http://www.misitiglobal.com.