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are numerous categories of non-immigrant visa. The following
is a brief description of some of the non-immigrant visas:
B1
Business Visitors
This
visa allows you to enter the United States to attend business
meetings or conferences, engage in buying or selling, oversee
contracts on behalf of your foreign (non US) employer, or
participate in other business ventures. You may also obtain
this visa if you are coming to work as a volunteer, for example
for a religious organization. In addition, you may use this
visa if you are coming to attend a training course being offered
by a foreign company operating in the United States or if
you are coming as an employee of a foreign-based company to
provide consulting services to a United States company. You
are eligible for this visa if you can demonstrate that any
of the above situations apply in your case.
B2
Tourism and Travel Visas
This
visa is for bona fide tourists with nothing but pleasure on
their agenda.
E1
Treaty Trader Visas
This
visa allows business people to come to the United States to
engage actively in the substantial trade of goods and/or services
between the United States and the foreigner’s country
of nationality. E1 visas are available to the citizens of
countries that have Treaties of Trade and Commerce with the
United States. Substantial trade means 50 percent of your
business must be between the United States Company and your
country. Trade is defined as the import and export of goods,
but can also be of services, including technical services.
You do not have to maintain a foreign residence in order to
be eligible for an E visa, but you must undertake to return
to your country at the expiration of E visa status.
E2-Visa
This
visa is available to countries on the current 'Treaty List'
with the United States. This list changes periodically and
needs to be checked prior to proceeding with ones application.
In recent years the E2 Visa has been very popular and with
good reason, to those of a business inclination. The E2 Visa
is a long term visa issued to those foreign persons
making a substantial capital investment in an active US business
(usually at least $150, 000.00) which they will direct and
manage themselves. The amount of investment needed is usually
the value of capital required to buy an ongoing US business.
Key foreign personnel in these companies in management/executive
/special skill set positions essential to the owners business
would qualify. Crucial terms and requirements must be met
before the E2-Visa will be granted. Lacking understanding
in this area could lead for example to serious set back by
perhaps acquiring the wrong type of US business entirely inappropriate
to furthering your quest for an E2-Visa. This visa is initially
given for between 2-5 years but may be renewed indefinitely.
Visa holders may remain as US residents subject to them retaining
their interests with the company.
L1-Visa
Also
known as an 'Inter Company Transferee Visa'. The L1-Visa is
granted to foreign persons employed abroad by a US qualified
company in either a specialized knowledge capacity or executive/managerial
posts. This is a visa useful for large corporations and multinationals
wishing to transfer important foreign personnel for key strategic
positions in the US. These people must have demonstrated continuous
employment abroad with a US qualified company for a minimum
of one year in the last three. Alternatively those already
owning a company abroad (Foreign Managing Directors and CEO's
please note) and holding the required managerial or executive
position therein may form a US Company and thus acquire a
US Business through which they may obtain their L1-Visa. The
L1-Visa is issued for a period not exceeding 7 years for executives
and management personnel and only 5 years for those with specialized
knowledge.
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