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.

• 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.

1. EB-5 Entrepreneur Investor Visa2. B-2 visitor visa, tourist3. B-1 Visitor visa, business4. H-1B Specialty Occupation5. H-3 Training6. F-1 student7. M non academic vocational8. J-1 Exchange visitor9. K-1/K-3 fiance /spouse of an USC10. E-2 treaty investor11. L-1A intracompany transferee12. O alien of extraordinary ability13. 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.