This guide is a concise overview of the typical immigration process for people looking to migrate to the US. We would be focusing on the different types of visa issued by the US, the process to get them and a few other factors in relation to immigrating to the US.
Categories of U.S. Visas
The United States of America has quite a number of visas, but there are two main categories of U.S visas: Non-immigrant for temporary visit such as tourism, business, work, visiting family or study and the second visa type is the Immigrant visa which is only issued for people to migrate and live in the U.S. We would be focusing on the most common visas available to some part of the African continent which are:
- B-1/B-2 visa
- F-1 visa
- M-1 visa
- Work Visa
- H-1B (specialty occupation)
- H-2A (seasonal agricultural workers)
- H-2B (skilled and unskilled workers)
- H-3 visa
- H-4 visa
- L-2 visa
- O visa
- P visa
- Q visa
- R visa
Non-Immigrant Visas
This visa is issued only to persons who intend to travel to the US temporarily for business, pleasure or for medical treatment.
This is the most common type of student visa issued by the US. If you wish to study in the United States in an approved school such as a US accredited college or university, or an English program, then you’ll need an F-1 visa.
This type of visa is only issued when you intend to engage in a non-academic or vocational study or training in a U.S institution.
Under this category of visa, there are three main types of visas issued; they depict different skill set and are issued based on applicant’s knowledge in this field of occupation of which they apply for the visa. First in this list is;
This visa is required when you are going to perform a service in a prearranged professional job. To qualify for this visa, you must possess a bachelor’s degree or higher in the stated field of which you are seeking employment.
This type of visa allows U.S employers to bring foreign nationals to fill temporary agricultural jobs which U.S workers are not available for. This visa only applies to you when you seek to perform agricultural labor or services temporarily or seasonally in the U.S.
This visa is required to enter the U.S to perform a job for which there is shortage of U.S workers. This is by far one of the easiest and most applied for visa, but it is only issued for temporary stay and work in the U.S.
You can apply for this visa if you are going to receive training from an employer in the U.S in any field of endeavor other than graduate education or training and its usually issued for a period of up to two years.
If you are a principal holder of a valid H visa, your spouse or children (under the age of 21) may be issued this visa type so as to enable them accompany you to the U.S but they would not be allowed to work.
L-1 visa
This visa is issued if you work for an international company and the company is temporarily transferring you to a parent branch, affiliate or subsidiary of the same company in the U.S.
If you are a valid holder of the L-1 visa, your spouse or unmarried children under the age of 21 may receive this derivative visa. Due to a change in law, your spouse may be allowed to seek for employment authorization.
This visa is issued to people with extraordinary abilities in science, arts, education, business or athletics. An O-2 visa is given to those assisting in the artistic or athletic performance, while an O-3 visa is issued to child or spouse of O-1 or O-2.
Type P visas are issued to certain athletes, entertainers, artists and essential support personnel who are coming to perform in the United States.
A Q visa is required if you are traveling to the United States to participate in an international cultural exchange program for the purpose of providing practical training, employment, and the sharing of the history, culture, and traditions of your home country.
The R visa is for individuals seeking to enter the United States to work in a religious capacity on a temporary basis with the support of a petition.
Applying for Asylum
