Visa Information


Starting-Up in America is a documentary about the issues faced by international Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs with US Immigration. You can get involved by following the Start-up in America initiative and participating in their on-going effort to raise awareness on the subject. 

 

The list below describes shortly the different types of Visa. This links:  US Ambassy in Paris and France Service can help you to get more information concerning this types and about red tapes.

 

Tourist/Business VISA

  • B1: Temporary visitor for business
  • B2: Temporary visitor for pleasure
  • B1/B2: Temporary visitor for business and pleasure

 

Student/Exchange Visitors VISA

 

Work VISA

  • H1A: Registered nurses for temporary employment
  • H1B: Persons in specialty occupations that require a collegue or advanced degree; artists, entertainers, athletes and fashion models of distinguished merit and ability (may include persons assisting in their performances)
  • H2A:Temporary or seasonal agricultural workers
  • H2B: Persons filling temporary jobs that cannot be filled by US citizens or residents
  • H3:  Professional job trainees in an American company or in the US office of a foreign company
  • I: Representatives of foreign information media, representatives of a foreign tourist bureau, or film crew members holding professional journalism credentials and intending to work on news or non-commercial documentaries
  • L: Managers or executives of multinational corporations, transferred to the company's US office, that have a minimum of one years experience with the company
  • O: Persons of sustained national or international acclaim in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics, coming to the US to work or perform in their field of achievement
  • P: Entertainers and athletes coming for specific competitions or performances, or who are participating in a reciprocal exchange program between the US and their country. This also includes perfoming in culturally unique programs
  • Q: Participants in an international cultural exchange program for the purpose of explaining or sharing their country's culture

 

Treaty Trader/Treaty Investor USA

  • E1/ E2:Visa for investors or traders that carry out commercial business between the United States and their home country, or that develop and direct the activities of a company in which they have invested substantial capital, provided that both countries have signed a commerce and navigation treaty, as France has with the United States.

 

Diplomatic VISA

  • A1/ A2: Individual traveling to the USA in the name of his or her national government to engage solely in official activities for that government

 

International Organizations

(To qualify for a G visa the individual concerned must be entering the United States in pursuance of official duties)

  • G1: Members of a permanent mission of a recognized government to an international organization
  • G2: Representatives of a recognized government traveling to the United States temporarily to attend meetings of a designated international organization
  • G3: Representatives of non-recognized or non-member governments
  • G4: Individual personnel who are proceeding to the United States to take up an appointment at a designated international organization, including the United Nations

 

NATO

  • NATO-1/NATO-2/NATO-3/NATO-4/ NATO-5: Person who is seeking admission to the United States under the applicable provision of the Agreement on the Status of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, National Representatives and International Staff, or is a member of the immediate family of an alien classified NATO-1 through NATO-5

 

VISA Journalist Media

  • I: Representative of foreign press, radio, film or other information media. This includes aliens whose activities are essential to the foreign information media function; for example, media reporters, media film crews, video tape editors, and persons in similar occupations

 

Religious Occupations

  • R: Member of a religious denomination having a bona fide nonprofit, religious organization in the United States

 

Crew Members In Transit

  • C1/ D: Pilots, air hostesses, stewards, seamen or employees on board a ship whose services are required for normal operation, or crew members traveling to the United States as passengers to join vessel or aircraft


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