Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, if your stay in the U.S. exceeds 90 days, you’ll need a visa, even if you’re a citizen of a Visa Waiver Program country and thought you could get ESTA authorization. Those wishing to work or study in the USA must meet the same requirement. There are two types of visa in the United States of America: the green card for permanent stays and the non-immigrant visa for temporary stays. In this article, we’ll focus on the latter category. In the USA, there are a multitude of non-immigrant visas, valid for several months to several years, which allow foreign nationals to enter the country legally. This type of visa is essential before entering the United States, whether for tourism, work or study.
What visa for students?
The F1 visa is that of students who are enrolled in American universities or who want to study in schools. Beforehand, you must enroll in a school that will have to issue you an I-20 form. This document will allow you to be registered in the SEVIS database, otherwise you will not be able to get your USA visa. You will then have to go to the US embassy or consulate to obtain your visa.
The US government has set the cost of this visa at $ 185.
What visa to work in the USA?
For those who wish to live and work in the United States without the green card, obtaining a non-immigrant visa is essential. One of the most coveted visas that addresses the concerns of workers is the H1B Visa.
This type of visa is particularly difficult to have, the US State seeks indeed to promote priority its citizens on the labor market. Be aware that, on the one hand, it is subject each year to a maximum quota, and on the other hand, it requires the sponsorship of the future employer. If you go to Uncle Sam’s country without having found a job beforehand, you will not be able to get this work visa. On the other hand, it is customary for the host company to bear the visa fees imposed by the consular authorities, so this procedure will not cost you anything.
If you obtain an H1B visa, you’ll be able to work legally in the USA for 3 years, and you can renew it once. The price of this visa is slightly higher than that of the tourist and student visa.
Tourist stay in the USA: which visa?
If you’re planning a long-haul tourism project to discover all the facets of the USA, you’ll need to apply for a B2 visa. To acquire this travel document, you will need to prove the reason for your visit to the USA. To begin with, you’ll need to fill in form DS-160. Once you’ve done this, you’ll be invited to an interview at the U.S. embassy. So remember to bring supporting documents to prove that your stay in the USA is limited in time, and that you have sufficient financial resources to support yourself until you return.
In addition, the B2 visa can also be used to visit your family or for medical treatment.
The validity of the tourist visa can be up to 10 years maximum, however, each stay in the United States must not exceed 6 months.
In the same way as the student visa, to obtain a B2 visa, a total amount of $ 185 will be required.