The US Immigrant and Non immigrant Visas Requirements

Flying to the terrain of the US is an emerging trend. Be it higher studies, business meet, employment prospect, tourism or medical treatment, the application counts of US visa is on rise today. And based upon the purpose of visit, the US visa can further be segregated into two categories namely; Immigrant Visa (IV) and Non Immigrant Visas (NIV). Immigrant Visas are basically issued to the foreign citizens seeking permanent settlement in the US. On the other hand, Non Immigrant Visas are granted to the foreign citizens who are willing to visit the nation for short span. Nationals travelling there for studies, sightseeing, temporary work or any other similar purposes should avail Non Immigrant Visas.

In this post, we will have a brief discussion on the Immigrant and Non Immigrant Visas prerequisites.  

Having said the purpose of issuing an Immigrant US visa, in most cases, an employer or a person in relation of the visitor subsidises or sponsors the guest by filing an application form with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). However, in certain cases, people like investors, special immigrants and extremely skilled workers can personally fill the petition. Afterwards, the application is forwarded to the relevant Embassy/ Consulate seeking their approval for granting an immigrant visa to the applicant. On successful authentication of the required documents by a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officer at the US port-of-entry, a visa applicant is further permitted to garner the lawful permanent resident. All prospective Immigrant visa applicants can also refer to the Department of State website or the USCIS website for more information on it.

Similar to Immigrant Visa, there are certain regulations as well that you need to adhere while applying for a Non Immigrant Visa for the United States. To avail this type of visa, people usually apply in person to the US Embassy/ Consulate abroad. Two commonly applied visa categories under Non Immigrant visa include Non Immigrant Business Visa (B-1) and Non Immigrant Tourist Visa (B-2).  However, if you are applying for a Study or Work Visa in the US then you may be required to abide by certain prerequisites pertaining to various documents and Embassy regulations. In order to capture more information on Non Immigrant visa, prospective applicants may refer to the Department of State website or the USCIS website.

Issuance of a visa does not guarantee entry to the United States. A visa simply indicates that a U.S. consular officer at an American embassy or consulate has reviewed the application and that officer has determined that the individual is eligible to enter the country for a specific purpose. The CBP Officer at the port-of-entry will conduct an inspection to determine if the individual is eligible for admission under U.S. immigration law.

Be it an Immigrant or Non Immigrant visas applicant, it is to be imparted that issuance of a relevant visa in no way give you the entry pass to US. On contrary; it signifies that your visa application and documents are reviewed by the respective officials and determined that you are eligible for the said visa. Thereafter, the CBP Officer will verify all entry specifications whether the applicant is entitled for admission under the US colonization law. However, certain policies are there under which the citizens of some territories are allowed to access the United States without a visa. What are these policies and who are the nationals? In our upcoming write-ups, we will keep conveying different information on the same.