Visitor Visa (B-1 business / B-2 tourism)

Conditions you must meet

• B-1: be participating in business activities of a commercial or professional nature

  You may be eligible for a B-1 visa if you will be participating in business activities of a commercial or professional nature in the United States, including, but not limited to: Consulting with business associates Traveling for a scientific, educational, professional or business convention, or a conference on specific dates Settling an estate Negotiating a contract Participating in short-term training

• B-1: the purpose of your trip is business of a legitimate nature

  The purpose of your trip is to enter the United States for business of a legitimate nature

• B-1: you plan to remain for a specific limited period of time

  You plan to remain for a specific limited period of time

• B-1: you have sufficient funds to cover the trip and your stay

  You have sufficient funds to cover the expenses of the trip and your stay in the United States

• B-1: you have a residence abroad you do not intend to abandon, and binding ties ensuring your return

  You have a residence outside the United States that you have no intention of abandoning, as well as other binding ties that will ensure your return abroad at the end of the visit

• B-1: you are otherwise admissible to the United States

  You are otherwise admissible to the United States

• Everyone arriving at a port of entry is inspected by CBP officersApplies to both halves of the B classification and to every other status. The inspection has three components and CBP conducts all of them.

  All persons arriving at a port-of-entry to the United States are subject to inspection by CBP officers. CBP officers will conduct the Immigration, Customs, and Agriculture components of the Inspections process.

• To extend your stay: lawful admission on a nonimmigrant visa, still-valid status, no disqualifying crimes, no violations, and a passport valid for the whole stay

  You were lawfully admitted into the United States with a nonimmigrant visa; Your nonimmigrant visa status remains valid; You have not committed any crimes that make you ineligible for a visa; You have not violated the conditions of your admission; and Your passport is valid and will remain valid for the duration of your stay.

• Your authorised stay expires on the date in the lower right of your Form I-94 — not the date on the visaThe authority states where to look. Overstaying carries a re-entry bar and removal, both named on the same page.

  If you remain in the United States longer than authorized, you may be barred from returning and/or you may be removed (deported) from the United States. Check the date in the lower right-hand corner of your Form I-94, Arrival-Departure Record, to determine the date your authorized stay expires.

• Six categories may not apply to extend at all — including Visa Waiver Program entrants and transitA closed list, and the first entry catches most short-stay visitors: anyone admitted under the Visa Waiver Program cannot extend, whatever their circumstances.

  You may not apply to extend your stay if you were admitted to the United States in the following categories: Visa Waiver Program; Crew member (D nonimmigrant visa); In transit through the United States (C nonimmigrant visa); In transit through the United States without a visa (TWOV); Fiancé(e) of a U.S. citizen or dependent of a fiancé(e) (K nonimmigrant visa); or Informant (and accompanying family) on terrorism or organized crime (S nonimmigrant visa).

• There is no dependent visa — each family member applies separately for a B-2

  Your spouse and children are not eligible for a dependent visa. Each of your dependents who will be accompanying or following to join you must apply separately for a B-2 visa and must follow the regulations for that visa.

Official forms

• Extensions are filed on Form I-539 or Form I-129 depending on the classification (I-539)

  A request for an extension of stay (EOS) is generally filed on a Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker (Form I-129) or Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status (Form I-539), depending upon the nonimmigrant classification the petitioner or applicant seeks to extend.

  Official form

Documents you must provide

• The Form I-94 admission record is the proof of legal visitor statusRecorded because the I-94 — not the visa — carries the date the stay actually expires, and that distinction decides who is out of status.

  International travelers visiting the United States can apply for a provisional I-94 or retrieve their I-94/I-95 admission number/record (which is proof of legal visitor status) as well as retrieve a limited travel history of their U.S. arrivals and departures.

Steps in the process

• An immigration official must authorise your admission; the period granted may run up to one year

  At the port of entry, an immigration official must authorize your admission to the United States, and, if you are eligible for admission, you may be admitted initially for the period necessary to carry out your business activities, up to a maximum period of 1 year.

VisaAI suggestions

Not required by the authority. These are VisaAI’s suggestions for presenting a clearer application.

• USCIS recommends applying to extend at least 45 days before your authorised stay expiresThe authority's own recommendation, not a deadline. Recorded as recommended so it can never render as a rule.

  We recommend that you apply to extend your stay at least 45 days before your authorized stay expires.