A B visa is one of a category of non-immigrant visas issued by the United States government to foreign citizens seeking entry for a temporary period. The two types of B visa are the B-1 visa, issued to those seeking entry for business purposes, and the B-2 visa, issued to those seeking entry for tourism or other non-business purposes. In practice, the two visa categories are usually combined together and issued as a "B-1/B-2 visa" valid for a temporary visit for either business or pleasure, or a combination of the two. Visitors from some countries do not need to obtain a visa for these purposes (see United States visas).
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Cost
The cost of a B visa consists of the application fee, which all applicants must pay (currently 160 USD), and the issuance fee, which varies by nation based on reciprocity, and is only paid if the visa is approved.
As of October 2017, only nationals of the following countries have to pay the issuance fee.
History
Before 1994, there was no application fee, and only the issuance fee was charged, varying by nationality based on reciprocity. In 1994, the application fee was introduced for all applicants, in addition to the reciprocal issuance fee, to pay for the more costly machine-readable visas, which replaced the older stamped visas around that time. The application fee was initially 20 USD, and has increased several times since then.
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Entry ban
Following the expiration of the Executive Order 13780 on September 24, 2017 President Donald Trump signed a presidential proclamation restricting travel from several countries.
Restrictions were imposed on the nationals of following countries:
- Chad -- suspended entry as immigrants or nonimmigrants on B1, B2 and B-1/B-2 visas.
- Iran -- suspended entry as immigrants or nonimmigrants except entry on F, M and J visas.
- Libya -- suspended entry as immigrants or nonimmigrants on B1, B2 and B-1/B-2 visas.
- North Korea -- suspended entry as immigrants or nonimmigrants.
- Somalia -- suspended entry as immigrants.
- Syria -- suspended entry as immigrants or nonimmigrants.
- Venezuela -- suspended entry as nonimmigrants on B1, B2 and B-1/B-2 visas for officials of government agencies of Venezuela involved in screening and vetting procedures.
- Yemen -- suspended entry as immigrants or nonimmigrants on B1, B2 and B-1/B-2 visas.
The restrictions for Chad, North Korea and Venezuela will be in effect on 18 October 2017, while other countries are subject to the same terms of Executive Order 13780 until that date.
The suspension does not apply to lawful permanent residents of the United States, dual nationals traveling on a passport of a non-designated country, diplomats and persons granted asylum by the United States.
Waiver can be issued by a consular or CBP officer where denying entry would cause undue hardship, would not pose a threat to the national security and public safety and would be in the national interest.
Validity period and duration of stay
As with other non-immigrant U.S. visas, a B-1/B-2 visa has a validity period (from 1 month to 10 years), allows for one, two or multiple entries into the U.S., and elicits a period of stay (maximum 6 months) recorded by the Customs and Border Protection officer at the port of entry on the individual's form I-94. The validity period determines how long the visa may be used to enter the U.S., while the period of stay determines how long the person may stay in the U.S. after each entry.
Validity periods per country are listed in the U.S. Department of State Visa Reciprocity Tables and vary from 1 month for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (with lower issuance fee), 1 year for Vietnam, 3 years for Russia, and 5 years for Pakistan, to 10 years for China, India, Israel, Malaysia, Morocco, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Tunisia, and most countries in the Americas and Europe. For some countries, longer validity periods are available for higher issuance fees or specific visa types (B-1 or B-2).
Periods of stay for B-1 visas may be granted initially for a duration long enough to allow the visitor to conduct their business, up to a maximum of 6 months, and can be extended for another 6 months; stays with B-1 visas are usually granted for three months or less, while stays with B-2 visas are generally granted for six months. Extensions are possible, provided the individual has not violated the conditions of admission.
A Border Crossing Card (BCC), also called a laser visa, has a 10-year validity and functions as both a BCC and a B-1/B-2 visitor's visa. The BCC is only issued to nationals of Mexico who apply for a visa inside Mexico.
Validity of B visas by nationality, as of October 2017:
Electronic Visa Update System
On March 15, 2016, the U.S. Custom and Border Protection (CBP) announced that, starting from 29 November 2016, all holders of Chinese passports who also hold 10-year B visas are required to enroll in the Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS) before travelling to the United States via land, air or sea. The EVUS is designed for visa holders to update any changes to their basic biographic and employment information at the time of their visa applications. Similar to the ESTA, each EVUS registration is valid for a period of 2 years or until the holder's passport expiration date, whichever comes first, and each user of EVUS must pay a cost recovery fee of US$8 to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Holders of EVUS can travel to the U.S. for unlimited times providing that their EVUS registration and visa remain valid.
The requirement applies to any holder of Chinese passport and B visa with a 10-year validity. It also applies to holders of non-citizen travel documents issued by other countries, such as refugee travel document and certificate of identity, whose nationality is Chinese. It does not apply, however, to holders of HKSAR passports and MSAR passports, holders of B visas with a validity shorter than 10 years, and holders of other types of visas. The CBP and DHS are seeking to expand the EVUS to other nationalities in the future.
EVUS was officially launched on 31 October 2016 for early enrollments. Upon launch, CBP announced that the enrollment fee will be suspended until further notice.
Visitor visa statistics
In fiscal 2015 most B-1,2 visas were issued to the nationals of the following countries (listed over 40,000 visas):
In fiscal 2014 most reasons to refuse a visa were cited as "failure to establish entitlement to nonimmigrant status", "incompatible application" (most overcome), "unlawful presence", "misrepresentation", "criminal convictions", "smugglers" and "controlled substance violators". Smaller number of applications were rejected for "physical or mental disorder", "prostitution", "espionage", "terrorist activities", "falsely claiming citizenship" and other grounds for refusal including "presidential proclamation", "money laundering", "communicable disease" and "commission of acts of torture or extrajudicial killings".
Highest number of non-immigrant admissions for tourists and for business purposes into the United States in fiscal year 2014 and 2015 was from the following countries (listed over 700,000 admissions):
Overstay rate
A number of visitors with B-1/B-2 visa overstayed the maximum duration allowed for their visits. The Department of Homeland Security published a report for Fiscal Year 2015 that lists the number of suspected violations made by passengers who arrived via air or sea. The statistics below exclude persons who left the United States later than their allowed stay or legalized their status and shows only suspected overstays who remained in the country.
Among Mexicans who were admitted via air or sea, 42,114 persons are suspected to overstay their non-immigrant visits for business or pleasure. More than 95% of visitors from Mexico arrive to the U.S. by land rather than by air and sea. Statistics for suspected overstays of the land visitors are yet to be released.
Excluding Mexico, the top 20 countries of nationality by the number of suspected in-country B-1/B-2 visa overstays (out of total 210,825) are:
The top 10 countries of nationality by in-country B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate are:
There were also 153,166 persons admitted from the Visa Waiver Program countries who are suspected to overstay their permitted stay in the United States. See Visa Waiver Program#Overstay rate for detailed statistics across such countries.
Use for other countries
US tourist visas that are valid for further travel are accepted as substitute visas for national visas in following countries:
- Albania -- 90 days;
- Antigua and Barbuda -- 30 days; USD 100 visa waiver fee applies.
- Belize -- 30 days; USD 50 visa waiver fee applies.
- Canada -- up to 6 months; only for citizens of Brazil, Bulgaria and Romania arriving by air with Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA).
- Chile -- 90 days; for nationals of China only.
- Colombia -- 90 days;
- South Korea -- 30 days;
- Costa Rica -- 30 days or less if the visa is about to expire; must hold a multiple entry visa.
- Dominican Republic -- 90 days;
- El Salvador -- 90 days; not applicable to all nationalities.
- Georgia -- 90 days within any 180-day period;
- Guatemala -- 90 days; not applicable to all nationalities.
- Honduras -- 90 days; not applicable to all nationalities.
- Jamaica -- 30 days; not applicable to all nationalities.
- Mexico -- 180 days;
- Montenegro -- 30 days;
- Nicaragua -- 90 days; not applicable to all nationalities.
- Oman -- certain nationalities can obtain an electronic Omani visa if holding a valid US visa.
- Panama -- 30/180 days; must hold a visa valid for at least 2 more entries.
- Philippines -- 7 days; for nationals of China and India only.
- Serbia -- 90 days;
- Taiwan -- certain nationalities can obtain an online travel authority if holding a valid US visa.
- Turkey -- certain nationalities can obtain an electronic Turkish visa if holding a valid US visa.
- UAE -- Visa on arrival for 14 days; for nationals of India only. (Also applicable for Indian Citizens holding US Green Card.)
Requirement to overcome presumption of intending immigrant
Under section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, a foreigner must prove to the satisfaction of the Consular officer his or her intent to return to his home country after visiting the United States. The act specifically states:
In practice, this means that consular officers have wide discretion to deny a visa application. Once refused, there is no judicial or other means to challenge a visa decision. The foreigner, however, is free to apply for a visa again, particularly if circumstances have changed that might show to the consular officer that the applicant overcomes the presumption of being an intending immigrant.
Uses of a B-1/B-2 visa
Business or pleasure cover a wide variety of possible reasons to visit the United States. Under the category of temporary visitor for business, it can be used to:
- Purchase supplies or materials
- Hold business meetings
- Settle an estate
- Interview and hire staff
- Negotiate contracts, sign contracts, or take orders for products manufactured outside the United States
- Attend a convention, meeting, trade show, or business event for scientific, educational, professional, or business purposes
- Perform independent research
- Perform certain professional services
- Compete in an athletic competition or try out for a professional team
- Survey potential sites for a business
- Perform as a lecturer or speaker
- Install, service, or repair commercial or industrial equipment or machinery that was sold by a non-U.S. company to a U.S. buyer when specifically required by the purchase contract; construction work is not allowed
- Participate in a training program that is not designed primarily to provide employment
Under the category of temporary visitor for pleasure, a B-2 visa can be used to:
- Travel within the U.S.
- Visit family or friends
- Participate in activities of a fraternal, social, or service nature
- Obtain medical treatment
- Enroll in a short, recreational course of study, but it must not be credited toward a degree
- Participate in an event or a contest as an amateur and do not receive payment
The B-2 visa can also be used by cohabiting (unmarried) partners of non-immigrant visa holders.
Holders of B-1/B-2 visas are prohibited to engage in the following activities:
- Employment, whether paid or unpaid (some exceptions apply)
- Receive education which credits to a degree
- Arrive in the U.S. as a part of a crew of a ship or an aircraft
- Work as a journalist or other information media
- Perform before a paying audience
- Live permanently or long-term in the U.S.
- Manage a business located in the U.S.
Adjusted Visa refusal Rate
The Adjusted Visa Refusal Rate for B visas were:
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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