Visa and its types
• A visa (from the Latin Charta visa, lit. “paper
that has been seen”), is a conditional
authority given by a competent authority of a
country for a person who is not a citizen of
that country to enter its territory and to
remain there for a limited duration.
Some countries don’t require a visa in some
situations, such as a result of reciprocal treaty
arrangement . The possession of a visa is not is
itself a guarantee of entry into the country that
issued it, and a visa can be revoked.
• Each country has a multitude of categories of
visas and with various names. The most
common types and name of visas include:
• Transit visa, for passing through the country
to a destination outside that country. Validity
of transit visas are usually limited by short
terms such as several hours to 10 days
depending on the size of the country or the
circumstances of a particular transit itinerary.
• Airside transit visa, required by some
countries for passing through their airports
even without going through passport control.
• Crew member, steward or driver visa, issued
to persons employed or trained on aircraft,
vessels, trains, trucks, buses and any other
means of international transportation or ships
fishing in international waters.
• Short stay or visitor visa, for short visits to the
host country. Many countries differentiate
between different reasons for these visits,
such as:
• Private visa, for private visits by invitation of
residents of the country.
• Tourist visa, for a limited period of leisure
travel, no business activities allowed.
• Visa for medical reasons, for undertaking
diagnostics or a course of treatment in the
host country’s hospitals.
• Business visa, for engaging in commerce in
the country. Thee visas generally preclude
permanent employment, for which a work
visa would be required.
• Working holiday visa, for individuals traveling
between nations offering a working holiday
program, allowing young people to undertake
temporary work whole travelling.
• Athletic or artistic visa, issued to athletes and
performing artists.
• Cultural exchange visa, usually issued to
athletes and performing artists participating in
a cultural exchange program.
• Refugee visa, issued to persons fleeing the
dangers of persecution, a war of a natural
disaster.
• Long stay visa, valid for longer but still finite
stays:
• Student visa, which allows its holder to study
at an institution of higher learning in the
issuing country.
• Temporary worker visa, for approved
employment in the host country. These are
generally more difficult to obtain but valid for
longer periods of time than a business visa.
• Journalistic visa, which some countries
require of people in that occupation when
travelling for their respective news org.
• Residence visa, granted to people obtaining
long term residence in the host country. In
some countries, long term residence is a
necessary step to obtain the status of a
permanent resident.
• Asylum visa, issued to people who have
suffered or reasonably fear persecution in
their own country due to their political
activities or opinion, or features or association
with a social group.
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Immigrant visa
Spousal visa or partner visa
Marriage visa
Pensioner visa.
• Official visa is granted to officials doing job for
their governments or otherwise representing
their countries in the host country, such as the
personnel of diplomatic missions.
• Diplomatic visa is normally only available to
bearers of diplomatic passports.
• Courtesy visa issued to representatives of
foreign governments or international
organizations who don’t quality for diplpmatic
status.
• Electronic visa.
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EB-5 Entrepreneur Investor Visa
B-2 visitor visa, tourist
B-1 Visitor visa, business
H-1B Specialty Occupation
H-3 Training
F-1 student
M non academic vocational
J-1 Exchange visitor
K-1/K-3 fiance /spouse of an USC
E-2 treaty investor
L-1A intracompany transferee
O alien of extraordinary ability
I-140 immigrant petition for alien worker
• Permanent resident card
• US lawful permanent residency is the
immigration status of a person authorized to
live and work in the USA permanently.
• US Permanent Resident Card, formerly Alien
Registration Receipt Card is an identification
card attesting to the permanent Resident
status of an alien in the US
• US immigration legislation in the immigration
and Nationality Act stipulates that a person may
obtain permanent resident status primarily
through the course of the following proceedings:
• Immigration through a family member
• Immigration through employment.
• Immigration through investment
• Immigration through the Diversity Lottery
• Immigration through Refugee or Asylum status.
• Immigration through “The Registry” provision of
the immigration and Nationality Act.
• Immigration approved by the Director of Central
Intelligence.