There is a wide range of nonimmigrant visas used for many different purposes, with the validity periods ranging from a few days to several years. A visa may be granted to the principal applicant as well as to his/her spouse and children under age 21.
Summary List of Nonimmigrant Visas
| A-1 | Ambassadors, public ministers, or career diplomats, and their spouses and children |
|---|---|
| A-2 | Other accredited officials or employees of foreign governments, and their spouses and children |
| A-3 | Personal attendants, servants, and employees of A-1 and A-2 visa holders, and their spouses and children |
| B-1 | Business visitors |
| B-2 | Visitors for pleasure or medical treatment |
| C-1 | Foreign travelers in immediate and continuous transit through the U.S. |
| D-1 | Crew members who need to land temporarily in the U.S. and who will depart aboard the same ship or plane on which they arrived |
| D-2 | Crew members who need to land temporarily in the U.S. and who will depart aboard a different ship or plane than the one on which they arrived |
| E-1 | A national of a treaty country engaging in international trade between U.S. and the treaty country, employees of such a qualifying treaty trader organization, and their spouses and children |
| E-2 | A national of a treaty country investing a substantial amount of capital into a U.S. business, employees of such a qualifying treaty investment organization, and their spouses and children |
| E-3 | Australian professionals coming to U.S. to perform services in a specialty occupation (similar to an H-1B, but with a separate allotment of 10,500 visas). Spouses and children may accompany the E-3 visa holder. |
| F-1 | Academic or language students |
| F-2 | Spouses and children of F-1 visa holders |
| F-3 | Citizens or residents of Mexico or Canada commuting to the U.S. to attend an academic school |
| G-1 | Designated principal representatives of foreign governments coming to the U.S. to work for an international organization, and their spouses and children |
| G-2 | Other accredited representatives of foreign governments coming to the U.S. to work for an international organization, and their spouses and children |
| G-3 | Representatives of foreign governments and their immediate family members who would ordinarily qualify for G-1 or G-2 visas except that their governments are not members of an international organization |
| G-4 | Officers or employees of international organizations and their spouses and children |
| G-5 | Attendants, servants, and personal employees of G-1 through G-4 visa holders, and their spouses and children |
| H-1B | Persons working in specialty occupations requiring at least a bachelor’s degree in a special field or its equivalent, and distinguished fashion models |
| H-1C | Nurses who will work in areas of the U.S. where health professionals are recognized as being in short supply |
| H-2A | Temporary agricultural workers coming to the U.S. to fill positions for which a temporary shortage of U.S. workers has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture |
| H-2B | Temporary workers of various kinds coming to the U.S. to perform temporary jobs for which there is a shortage of available, qualified U.S. workers |
| H-3 | Temporary trainees coming for on-the-job training unavailable in their home countries |
| H-4 | Spouses and children of H-1, H-2, or H-3 visa holders |
| I | Bona fide representatives of the foreign press coming to the U.S. to work solely in that capacity, and their spouses and children |
| J-1 | Exchange visitors coming to the U.S. for study, work, or training as part of an exchange program officially recognized by the U.S. Department of State |
| J-2 | Spouses and children of J-1 visa holders |
| K-1 | Fiancés or fiancées of U.S. citizens |
| K-2 | Minor, unmarried children of K-1 visa holders |
| K-3 | Spouses of U.S. citizen petitioners awaiting USCIS approval of their immigrant visa petition and the availability of an immigrant visa |
| K-4 | Unmarried children of K-3 visa holders |
| L-1 | Intracompany transferees who work as managers, executives, or workers with specialized knowledge |
| L-2 | Spouses and children of L-1 visa holders |
| M-1 | Vocational or other nonacademic students, other than language students |
| M-2 | Spouses and children of M-1 visa holders |
| M-3 | Citizens or residents of Mexico or Canada commuting to the U.S. to attend a vocational school |
| N-8 | Parents of certain special immigrants |
| N-9 | Children of certain special immigrants or N-8 visa holders |
| O-1 | Persons of extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics |
| O-2 | Essential support staff of O-1 visa holders |
| O-3 | Spouses and children of O-1 and O-2 visa holders |
| P-1 | Internationally recognized athletes and entertainers, and their essential support staff |
| P-2 | Entertainers coming to perform in the U.S. through a government-recognized exchange program |
| P-3 | Artists and entertainers coming to the U.S. in a group to present culturally unique performances |
| P-4 | Spouses and children of P-1, P-2, and P-3 visa holders |
| Q-1 | Exchange visitors coming to the U.S. to participate in international cultural exchange programs |
| Q-2 | (Walsh visas) Participants in the Irish Peace Process Cultural and Training Program |
| Q-3 | Spouses and children of Q-1 visa holders |
| R-1 | Ministers and other workers of recognized religions |
| R-2 | Spouses and children of R-1 visa holders |
| S-5 | People coming to the U.S. to supply information to U.S. authorities about a criminal organization |
| S-6 | People coming to the U.S. to provide information to U.S. authorities about a terrorist organization |
| T-1 | Victims of trafficking in persons |
| T-2 | Spouses of T-1 visa holders |
| T-3 | Children of T-1 visa holders |
| U-1 | People who have suffered “substantial physical or mental abuse” as a result of certain U.S. criminal violations, including domestic violence, and who are assisting law enforcement authorities |
| U-2 | Spouses of U-1 visa holders |
| U-3 | Children of U-1 visa holders |
