A to Z Index
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The individual concerned must be traveling to the United States on behalf of his or her national government to engage solely in official activities for that government.
AABB Testing - Refer to: DNA Relationship Testing Procedures
Genetic testing is a useful tool for verifying a stated biological relationship when no other form of credible evidence is available in conjunction with an immigrant visa (IV) application. Commonly tested relationships that utilize DNA testing include paternity, maternity, full-siblingship, or half-siblingship. More distant relationships cannot be proven reliably using DNA testing. DNA technology is the only non-documentary method accepted for proof of a biological relationship. However, due to the expense, complexity, and logistical delays inherent in parentage testing, genetic testing should be used only if no other credible proof (documentation, photos, etc.) of the relationship exists.
Adjust Status to Permanent Resident
Administrative Processing Information
Admission to the U.S. - CBP Website
Advance parole is issued solely to authorize the temporary parole of a person into the United States. The document may be accepted by a transportation company (airlines) instead of a visa as an authorization to travel to the United States. An advance parole document does not replace your passport. Advance parole is most commonly used when someone has Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or to Adjust Status, pending. If you depart the U.S. while your I-485 application is pending without first obtaining advance parole, your case will be denied unless you fit into a narrow exception for those maintaining certain nonimmigrant statuses.
Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) – CBP Website
Advisory Opinion for J-1 Waiver of Two-Year Foreign Residence Requirement
Affidavit of Support
The Affidavit of Support is a legal contract between you (the petitioner for an immigrant visa applicant) and the US Government. It ensures that the visa applicant has adequate means of financial support and is unlikely to become a public charge after entering the US.
Alien Classes Ineligible to Receive Visas
Arrival-Departure Record - "I-94; I-94W" – CBP Website
Arrival-Departure Record "Form I-94" - I forgot to turn in my I-94 - CBP Website
Athletes, Artists, Entertainers (Temporary Workers) - “P” Visa
Au Pairs (Exchange Visitor) - ECA Website
Australian in Specialty Occupation - "E-3" Visa - Australian Consulate Website
Automatic Revalidation Fact Sheet (Admission: valid I-94, expired visa) - CBP Website
Business & Tourism (B1/B2, BCC, BBBCV)
The B1 visa is intended for temporary business travel, including travel for negotiating contracts, attending exhibitions and conferences, short-term training, and consultations with suppliers and customers, etc. The B2 visa is intended for tourist activities, such as sightseeing, visiting friends and relatives, obtaining medical treatment, etc. The B1 and B2 visa is not valid for employment in the United States.
B-1 Visitor Visa (domestic employees) - Legal Rights and Protections Pamphlet (Wilberforce Act)
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs - ECA Website
Business Visa Center - Contact Information
Business Visa Center - Frequently Asked Questions
Business Travel to U.S. - What Type of Visa Will You Need (PDF)
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Change of Program Category - Exchange Visitors (JVisas) - ECA Website
Change of Status in the U.S.; Who May Apply - USCIS Website
Child Status Protection Act (CSPA)
Classifications: Immigrants - Types of Immigrant Visas - USCIS Website
Classifications: Nonimmigrants - Types of Nonimmigrant Visas - USCIS Website
CNMI-Only Investor – E2C – USCIS Website
CNMI-Only Transitional Worker – CW-1 – USCIS Website
Code of Federal Regulations - (CFR)
Commercial Ship or Flight Crew (C1/D)
Individual C-1/D visas are issued to crew members of international airlines and to aliens required for the normal operation and service of a vessel. In the case of the later, in determining who qualifies for the C-1/D visa, we take into consideration the individual's responsibilities and activities on the ship. For example the most commonly issued C-1/D visas are to crew members of cruise liners and include, but are not limited to, beauticians, entertainers and lifeguards.
Complaints About Immigration (CBP) Entry to the U.S.
Denials - Visas: Ineligibilities for a Visa
Department of Health & Human Services
DHS Trip - For Complaints About Immigration (CBP) Entry to the U.S.
The individual concerned must be traveling to the United States on behalf of his or her national government to engage solely in official activities for that government.
DiscoverAmerica.org - U.S. Travel and Tourism Website
DNA Relationship Testing Procedures
Personal or domestic servants who are accompanying or following to join an employer in the United States are eligible for B-1 visas. This category of persons includes, but is not limited to, cooks, chauffeurs, domestic employees, valets, nannies, au pairs, gardeners, and paid companions.
DS-160
Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application (DS-160)
"E-1/E-2" Visas – Treaty Traders and Treaty Investors
Embassies and Consulates (U.S.) Overseas- Locate
Emergency Travel - USCIS Website
Employment Authorization/Employment Authorization Document (EAD) - USCIS Website
Employment – Labor Certification - DOL Website
Employment Based Visas - Immigrant
Employment Based Visas - Nonimmigrant
Employment: H1-B, H1-B1, H-2A, H-2B Visas - Legal Rights and Protections Pamphlet (Wilberforce Act)
Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act
Entertainers (Temporary Workers) – “P” Visa
ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) for VWP Travelers - CBP Website
ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) for VWP Travelers - TSG Website
Exchange Visitor J-1 Visa - Legal Rights and Protections Pamphlet (Wilberforce Act)
Exchange Visitor Program - Private Sector Programs
Exchange Visitors and Students: Arrival Procedures - CBP Website
Exchange Visitors (J Visa)
The J exchange visitor program is designed to promote the interchange of persons, knowledge, and skills in the fields of education, arts, and sciences.
Extend My Stay in the U.S., How to - USCIS Website
Extending Stay in the U.S. and Program Extension - Exchange Visitors (J Visas) - ECA Website
Extension of Stay versus Meaning of the Visa Expiration Date
Extraordinary Ability (Temporary Workers) – “O” Visa
Fees - Visa Services - TSG Website
Fees and Forms - USCIS Website
Fiancé(e) or Spouse of an American Citizen - Immigrant - "K" Visa
Flight Training (Exchange Visitor) – ECA Website
Food: Prohibitions about bringing food into the U.S. - CBP Website
Foreign Affairs Manual - (FAM)
Foreign Media, Press and Radio Visas - "I" Visa
Foreign Residency Requirement - "J" Visa
Foreign Worker Labor Certification – DOL Website
Forms; Immigration - USCIS Website
Forms; I-94, I-94W, Arrival-Departure Record - CBP Website
Forms; Visa Application - TSG Website
"G" Visa – International Organizations & NATO
Genetic Testing - DNA Relationship Testing Procedures
Government Officials - Foreign
Green Card – (LPR) - USCIS Website
"H1-B, H1-B1, H-2A, and H-2B" Visas - Legal Rights and Protections Pamphlet (Wilberforce Act)
HIV - Removal From List of Communicable Diseases of Public Health Significance (HIV Final Rule)
Homeland Security, Department of (DHS)
Humanitarian Parole - USCIS Website
I.
"I" Visa – Journalist, Media, Press
Immigrant visas are for applicants planning to permanently relocate to the United States. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City is currently processing immigrant visas in the F4 and adoption categories.
Immigration Statistics - DHS Website
Immigration and Nationality Act - (INA) - USCIS Website
Immigration Classifications and Visa Categories - USCIS Website
Import and Export - U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Website
International Cultural Exchange (Temporary Workers) - "Q" Visa
International Flights to the U.S. - Security Measures (TSA website)
International Organizations & NATO – "G" Visa
International Organization G-5 Visa - Legal Rights and Protections Pamphlet (Wilberforce Act)
Intracompany Transferee (Temporary Workers) - "L" Visa
To carry on substantial trade, principally between the United States and the treaty country (E-1); or to develop and direct the operations of an enterprise in which the national has invested or is in the process of investing a substantial amount of capital (E-2).
J-1 Exchange Visitors Skill List - 2009
J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa - Legal Rights and Protections Pamphlet (Wilberforce Act)
J-1 Visas - Advisory Opinion for Waiver of Foreign Residence Requirement (if more information needed, please search J-1 Waiver FAQs)
J-1 Waiver of Two-Year Foreign Residence Requirement
J-1 Waiver of Two-Year Foreign Residence Requirement - Application Process (see Eligibility and Application Procedures)
Journalists, Foreign Media - "I" Visa
"K" Visa – Fiancé(e) / Spouse (Married Abroad)
Kentucky Consular Center - (KCC)
"L" Visa – Intracompany Transferee - Temporary Worker
Labor Certification - Foreign Workers – DOL Website
Laser Visa - See Border Crossing Card
Lawful Permanent Resident - (LPR) - "Green Card" - CBP Website
Lawful Permanent Resident - (LPR) - "Green Card" - USCIS Website
Legal Rights and Protections: Employment and Education Based Nonimmigrants
Locate - American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Website
"M" Visa – Nonacademic Student
Marriage to a Foreign National
Medical Exam/Panel Physician Information
NATO-7 Visa - Legal Rights and Protections Pamphlet (Wilberforce Act)
Nonimmigrant Classifications and Types of Nonimmigrant Visas - USCIS Website
Nonimmigrant visas are for people visiting the U.S. temporarily for tourism, business, education, medical treatment, or petition-based employment. The type of visa required depends on your purpose of travel.
"O" Visa – Foreign workers with Extraordinary Ability (Temporary Workers)
Panel Physician/Medical Exam Information
Parole, Humanitarian - USCIS Website
Permanent Immigrants to the U.S.
Permanent Resident (Lawful Permanent Resident(LPR)- "Green Card") - CBP Website
Permanent Resident (Lawful Permanent Resident(LPR)- "Green Card") - USCIS Website
Petition-Based Employment (H, L, O, P, Q, R)
H, L, O, P, Q, and R visas entitle the holder to work in the United States. All require the hiring company or organization in the United States to first submit a petition to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for permission.
Physician (Exchange Visitor) – ECA Website
Premium Processing Service – Temporary Workers - USCIS Website
Press and broadcast media require different types of nonimmigrant visas depending on the purpose of travel.
Professor (Exchange Visitor) - ECA Website
"Q" Visa – International Cultural Exchange Visitor - (Temporary Workers)
Refugees - Dept of State, PRM Website
Refugees - U.N. High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) Website
Refugee Resettlement - Health and Human Services Website
The Religious Worker (R) visa is for persons seeking to enter the United States (U.S.) to work in a religious capacity on a temporary basis, under provisions of U.S. law, specifically the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Renewing your A, G, or NATO Visas
Replacing your lost or stolen Visa
Report of the Visa Office - Visa Statistics
Rights and Protections: Employment and Education Based Nonimmigrant
Safety and Security of U.S. Borders
Security Measures for International Flights to the U.S. (TSA website)
Services - Listed by Post (Embassy / Consulate)
Social Security Administration (SSA)
Social Security Card - How to Apply (Non-citizens/Immigration)
Social Security Card - How to Replace Your Card
Spouse /Fiancé(e) of an American Citizen - Immigrant - "K" Visa
Statistics: Immigration - DHS Website
Students- Department of State - ECA Website
Students and Exchange Visitors: Arrival Procedures - CBP Website
Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) - ICE Website
Student Visas (F, M)
U.S. immigration law provides two nonimmigrant visa categories for study in the United States. The "F" visa is for academic studies, and the "M" visa is for nonacademic or vocational studies.
Summer Work / Travel (Exchange Visitor) – ECA Website
Temporary Protected Status - USCIS Website
Temporary Visitors: Nonimmigrant Visas - TSG Website
Temporary Visitors: See Nonimmigrant Visas - USCIS Website
Trainees (Temporary Workers) – "H-3" visa
Transit Visa
A citizen of a foreign country traveling in immediate and continuous transit through the United States (U.S.) in route to a foreign destination requires a valid transit (C) visa.
Transit Without a Visa (TWOV) - CBP Website
Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
Traveler Complaints About Immigration (CBP) Entry to the U.S.
Traveler Redress - For Complaints About Immigration (CBP) Entry to the U.S.
Treaty Traders & Treaty Investors - "E" Visa
U & T Visas
U and T visas are for victims of violent crimes committed in the United States.
U.N. High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) Website
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
U.S. Embassies and Consulates Overseas - Locate
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
US-VISIT Program - DHS Website
Vacation - DiscoverAmerica.org
Vaccination Requirements for Immigrant Visa Applicants
Visa Categories - USCIS Website
Visa Issuing Posts (Consulate / Embassy)
Visa Types for Permanent Immigrants
Visa Types for Temporary Visitors (Nonimmigrant)
Visa Waiver Program (VWP) - TSG Website
Visa Waiver Program (VWP): ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) - CBP Website
Visa Waiver Program (VWP): ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) - TSG Website
Visa Waiver Program - Travel from Mexico - TSG Website
Visitor B-1 Visa for Domestic Employees - Legal Rights and Protections Pamphlet (Wilberforce Act)
Visitor Visas - Business and Pleasure - "B" Visa
Waiver of Two-Year Foreign Residence Requirement for J-1 Visa Holders
Waiver of Two-Year Foreign Residence Requirement for J Visa Holders - Advisory Opinions
William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act
Work Authorization/Work Authorization Document (EAD) - USCIS Website
Workers – Labor Certification - DOL Website