Nonimmigrants are foreign nationals admitted temporarily to the United States within classes of admission that are defined in section 101(a)(15) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
Examples of nonimmigrant classes of admission include foreign government officials, temporary visitors for business and pleasure, aliens in transit, treaty traders and investors, academic and vocational students, temporary workers, exchange visitors, athletes and entertainers, victims of certain crimes, and certain family members of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (LPRs).
Unlike people granted LPR, or "green card" status, who may live in the United States essentially without restrictions, nonimmigrants are authorized to enter the country for specific purposes. Nonimmigrants’ duration of stay and lawful activities, such as employment, travel, and accompaniment by dependents, are prescribed by their class of admission.
Temporary worker visas are for persons who want to enter the United States for employment lasting a fixed period of time, and are not considered permanent or indefinite. To work in the United States temporarily as a lawful nonimmigrant, temporary workers must qualify for the available visa category based on the planned employment purpose. The steps in the process before applying for a visa vary.
| CW1 | CNMI-only transitional workers |
|---|---|
| CW2 | Spouses and children of CW1 |
| H1B | Temporary workers in specialty occupations |
| H1B1 | Chile and Singapore Free Trade Agreement aliens |
| H1C | Registered nurses participating in the Nursing Relief for Disadvantaged Areas |
| H2A | Agricultural workers |
| H2B | Nonagricultural workers |
| H2R | Returning H2B workers |
| H3 | Trainees |
| H4 | Spouses and children of H1, H2, or H3 |
| O1 | Workers with extraordinary ability or achievement |
| O2 | Workers accompanying and assisting in performance of O1 workers |
| O3 | Spouses and children of O1 and O2 |
| P1 | Internationally recognized athletes or entertainers |
| P2 | Artists or entertainers in reciprocal exchange programs |
| P3 | Artists or entertainers in culturally unique programs |
| P4 | Spouses and children of P1, P2, or P3 |
| Q1 | Workers in international cultural exchange programs |
| R1 | Workers in religious occupations |
| R2 | Spouses and children of R1 |
| TN | North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) professional workers |
| TD | Spouses and children of TN |
| L1 | Intracompany transferees |
|---|---|
| L2 | Spouses and children of L1 |
| E1 | Treaty traders and their spouses and children |
|---|---|
| E2 | Treaty investors and their spouses and children |
| E2C | Treaty investors and their spouses and children (CNMI only) |
| E3 | Australian Free Trade Agreement principals, spouses and children |
| E3D | Spouse or Child of E3 |
| E3R | Returning E3 |
| I1 | Representatives of foreign information media and spouses and children |
|---|
The United States supports international education and welcomes foreign students and exchange visitors. Students and exchange visitors must be accepted by their schools or program sponsors before applying for visas.
| F1 | Academic students |
|---|---|
| F2 | Spouses and children of F1 |
| M1 | Vocational students |
| M2 | Spouses and children of M1 |
| J1 | Exchange visitors |
|---|---|
| J2 | Spouses and children of J1 |
Diplomats and other foreign government officials traveling to the United States to engage solely in official duties or activities on behalf of their national government must obtain specific visas prior to entering the United States.
| A1 | Ambassadors, public ministers, career diplomatic or consular officers and their families |
|---|---|
| A2 | Other foreign government officials or employees and their families |
| A3 | Attendants, servants, or personal employees of A1 and A2 and their families |
| G1 | Principals of recognized foreign governments |
| G2 | Other representatives of recognized foreign governments |
| G3 | Representatives of nonrecognized or nonmember foreign governments |
| G4 | International organization officers or employees |
| G5 | Attendants, servants, or personal employees of representatives |
| NATO 1 | Principal Permanent Representative of Member State to NATO (including any of its Subsidiary Bodies) Resident in the U.S. and Resident Members of Official Staff; Secretary General, Assistant Secretaries General, and Executive Secretary of NATO; Other Permanent NATO Officials of Similar Rank, or Immediate Family |
| NATO 2 | Other Representative of member state to NATO (including any of its Subsidiary Bodies) including Representatives, Advisers, and Technical Experts of Delegations, or Immediate Family; Dependents of Member of a Force Entering in Accordance with the Provisions of the NATO Status-of-Forces Agreement or in Accordance with the provisions of the “Protocol on the Status of International Military Headquarters”; Members of Such a Force if Issued Visas |
| NATO 3 | Official Clerical Staff Accompanying Representative of Member State to NATO (including any of its Subsidiary Bodies), or Immediate Family |
| NATO 4 | Official of NATO (Other Than Those Classifiable as NATO1), or Immediate Family |
| NATO 5 | Experts, Other Than NATO Officials Classifiable Under NATO4, Employed in Missions on Behalf of NATO, and their Dependents |
| NATO 6 | Member of a Civilian Component Accompanying a Force Entering in Accordance with the Provisions of the NATO Status-of-Forces Agreement; Member of a Civilian Component Attached to or Employed by an Allied Headquarters Under the “Protocol on the Status of International Military Headquarters” Set Up Pursuant to the North Atlantic Treaty; and their Dependents |
| NATO 7 | Attendant, Servant, or Personal Employee of NATO1, NATO2, NATO 3, NATO4, NATO5, and NATO6 Classes, or Immediate Family |
| N8 | Parent of an Alien Classified SK3 or SN3 |
| N9 | Child of N8 or of SK1, SK2, SK4, SN1, SN2 or SN4 |
Foreign travelers to the United States for short visits, for example tourism, vacation, visiting family and friends, or medical treatment, need visitor visas unless they qualify for entry under the Visa Waiver Program.
| B2 | Temporary visitors for pleasure |
|---|---|
| WT | Visa Waiver Program – temporary visitors for pleasure |
| GT | Guam Visa Waiver Program – temporary visitors for pleasure to Guam |
| GMT | Guam - Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Visa Waiver Program - temporary visitors for pleasure to Guam or Northern Mariana Islands |
Foreign travelers coming to the United States to conduct temporary business, for example business meetings and consultations, attending conventions and conferences, or negotiating contracts, need visitor visas unless they qualify for entry under the Visa Waiver Program.
| B1 | Temporary visitors for business |
|---|---|
| WB | Visa Waiver Program – temporary visitors for business |
| GB | Guam Visa Waiver Program – temporary visitors for business to Guam |
| GMB | Guam - Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Visa Waiver Program - temporary visitors for business to Guam or Northern Mariana Islands |
| C1 | Aliens in continuous and immediate transit through the United States |
|---|---|
| C2 | Aliens in transit to the United Nations |
| C3 | Foreign government officials, their spouses, children, and attendants in transit |
| F3 | Canadian or Mexican national academic commuter students |
|---|---|
| M3 | Canadian or Mexican national vocational commuter students |
| K1 | Fiancé(e)s of U.S. citizens |
|---|---|
| K2 | Children of K1 |
| K3 | Spouses of U.S. citizens, visa pending |
|---|---|
| K4 | Children of U.S. citizens, visa pending |
| V1 | Spouses of permanent residents, visa pending |
| V2 | Children of permanent residents, visa pending |
| V3 | Dependents of V1 or V2, visa pending |
| C1/D | Combined transit and crewmember visa |
|---|---|
| D | Crewmember (sea or air) |
| T1 | Victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons |
|---|---|
| T2 | Spouse of T1 |
| T3 | Child of T1 |
| T4 | Parent of T1 |
| T5 | Unmarried sibling under age 18 of T1 |
| T6 | Adult or minor child of a derivative beneficiary of a T1 |
| U1 | Victim of criminal activity |
|---|---|
| U2 | Spouse or U1 |
| U3 | Child of U1 |
| U4 | Parent of U1 under 21 years of age |
| U5 | Unmarried Sibling under age 18 of U1 under 21 years of age |
| S5 | Certain Aliens Supplying Critical Information Relating to a Criminal Organization or Enterprise |
|---|---|
| S6 | Certain Aliens Supplying Critical Information Relating to Terrorism |
| S7 | Qualified Family Member of S5 or S6 |
