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B-2 Tourist Visa Description:
Visitors who wish to travel the United States for pleasure for tourism are normally eligible to
apply for the B-2 Tourist Visa. The B-2 Tourist Visa is a non-immigrant type of "visitor visa."
The B-2 visa is required for citizens of countries that are
not part of the Visa Waiver Program. Visa waiver citizens don't need to apply
for a visa to travel to the U.S. in general, however sometimes it may be
beneficial to apply for a tourist visa to be allowed to a longer stay in the
United States. One advantage of a tourist visa instead of using the visa waiver
program is that it allows a visa holder to change status to a different type of
visa or green card. In addition to tourism purposes the B-2
visa may be used for medical purposes when traveling to the U.S. to obtain
medical treatment.
Non-Immigrant Visas
Visa are divided in two main categories:
1. Immigrant visas
Immigrant visas are designed for people that want to immigrate and live
permanently in the U.S. Immigrant visas are also known as "Green Card” or
“Permanent Residence.”
2. Non-immigrant visas
Non-immigrant visas should be used for temporary travel to the U.S., and are
more commonly known just as visas in general. A non-immigrant visas doesn’t give
you the right to stay permanently in the U.S., they have been designed for
non-immigrant travelers with the purpose of one or multiple temporary short
trips to travel as a visitor to the United States.
The B-2 tourist visa is one of the most common non-immigrant visas.
Tourist Visa Application Process:
Learn how to apply for a B-2 tourist visa, the first step to apply is to file
the B-2 tourist non-immigrant visa form DS-160 online that must be submitted
online, to pay for the visa application fee and to schedule an appointment to
apply for the tourist visa at the local U.S. embassy or consulate in your
country of residence. The waiting time for an interview appointment for
applicants can vary, so early visa application is recommended. During the
interview a U.S. consular officer will review your application and make sure
that you are eligible for a tourist visa. Consular officers have experience
reviewing visa applications and detecting people that have misrepresented the
reasons for their visa application. They want to make sure that you have enough
funds for a trip to the U.S. and that you are not trying to travel to work
illegally. The officer may ask you about the purpose and nature of your trip in
order to find out if you are eligible for a visitor visa. In order to be granted
a nonimmigrant visa, you need to overcome the presumption in Section 214 (b) of
the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) that all visa applicants are intending
immigrants. There is not an exact way or a exact type of documents required to
overcome this presumption. You may overcome this presumption by providing
evidence that you have strong, binding ties to your home country and that you
have no intention to abandon your residence.
Tourist Visa Renewal:
The process of renewing a visa is usually the same just as applying for a new
visa. You will have to go through the whole visa application process each time
you want to apply for a visa, even if your visa is still valid or if your visa
just expired. Check with your local embassy for exact requirements, there are
some situations where a visa applicant may not need to be interviewed when
renewing a tourist visa.
For How Long Can I Stay in the U.S. with a Tourist Visa:
People admitted to the United States on a B2
Tourist Visa are usually issued a 6-month stay. The maximum length of stay for
visitor visa holders is 6 months. The immigration officer at the port of entry
determines how long each visitor is allowed to stay in the country. Most
visitors have their I-94 cards stamped with a 6-month stay, however the
immigration officer has the right to issue a shorter stay on a case by case
basis. Upon entry into the United States, the foreign visitor has the right to
request an extension of stay.
Expiration of a B-2 Tourist Visa:
The B-2 visa expiration and the period of time allowed to stay in the U.S. are
tow different dates. A visa may be used to travel to the U.S. until the
last date of its validity date, but the visa holder can stay in the U.S. beyond
the visa expiration date. The allowed time of stay is not defined by the visa
expiration date but instead by the time allowed to stay in the U.S. by the
immigration officer at the point of entry to the United States as noted on form
I-94. On the other hand a visa can continue being valid for a while but you can
not stay in the U.S. until the visa expires, you are only allowed to stay on
each trip for the time allowed by the immigration officer when you were admitted
to the U.S.
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