United States visa types
Explore all U.S. visa categories — work, study, family, visit, and more. Compare options, check requirements, and find the right visa for your situation.
58 visa types across 7 categories
Browse United States visas
United States visa types each have different requirements, timelines, and eligibility rules. Browse by category to find the right option, with processing times and links to official United States sources.
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Showing 58 of 58 visa types
Most popular visa types
H-1B Specialty Occupation Visa
The H-1B visa lets a U.S. employer hire you for work that requires specialized knowledge and a specific academic background.
F-1 Student Visa
The F-1 student visa allows you to study full time in the United States at an approved academic institution.
B-1/B-2 Visitor Visa
The B-1/B-2 visa is for those who want to enter the United States temporarily for business, tourism, or both.
L-1A Intracompany Transferee (Manager/Executive)
Guide to the U.S. L-1A visa for managers and executives, including qualifying relationship rules, one-year employment abroad, documents, and processing time.
K-1 Fiancé(e) Visa
The K-1 Fiancé(e) Visa allows a U.S. citizen to bring a foreign fiancé(e) to the United States for marriage by filing a petition with USCIS.
EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa
The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa lets you pursue lawful permanent residence in the United States through a qualifying investment.
Work visas
EB-1 Employment-Based First Preference
The EB-1 category covers three distinct groups of workers at the top tier of employment-based immigration.
L-1B Intracompany Transferee (Specialized Knowledge)
The L-1B Intracompany Transferee (Specialized Knowledge) category allows a company to move a qualifying employee from a foreign office to a U.S. office.
EB-2 Employment-Based Second Preference
The EB-2 category is part of the U.S. employment-based immigration system for professionals with advanced qualifications or exceptional ability.
EB-3 Employment-Based Third Preference
The EB-3 category allows you to seek permanent residence in the United States based on a qualifying job offer.
J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa
The J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa allows you to enter the United States to join approved exchange programs in education, training, research, teaching.
O-1 Extraordinary Ability Visa
The O-1 visa covers temporary work in the U.S. for individuals at the top of their field.
P-1 Internationally Recognized Athlete/Entertainer Visa
The P-1 visa allows internationally recognized athletes and entertainers to enter the United States for temporary work.
R-1 Religious Worker Visa
The R-1 classification allows you to enter the United States temporarily to perform specific religious work for a qualified nonprofit organization.
H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker Visa
The H-2A visa allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States for temporary or seasonal agricultural labor when qualified U.S.
H-2B Temporary Non-Agricultural Worker Visa
The H-2B classification allows U.S. employers to hire foreign nationals for temporary, non-agricultural jobs.
E-2 Treaty Investor Visa
The E-2 Treaty Investor classification allows you to enter the United States based on a substantial investment in a U.S. business.
TN NAFTA/USMCA Professional Visa
The TN category allows eligible Canadians and Mexicans to enter the U.S. for temporary, professional-level business activities.
E-1 Treaty Trader Visa
The E-1 classification allows entry to the United States for nationals of treaty countries to carry out international trade.
E-3 Australian Specialty Occupation Visa
The E-3 visa allows Australian citizens to work in the United States in a qualifying specialty occupation.
H-1B1 Chile/Singapore FTA Professional Visa
The H-1B1 classification allows professionals from Chile and Singapore to work in the United States in specialty occupations.
EB-4 Special Immigrant Visa
Explore the EB-4 Special Immigrant Visa for religious workers and juveniles in the U.S. File Form I-485 to adjust status while present in the country.
H-3 Trainee/Special Education Visitor Visa
The H-3 classification is for nonimmigrants who want to receive specific training or participate in a structured special education exchange program in the.
P-2 Reciprocal Exchange Performer Visa
The P-2 classification allows you to enter the United States temporarily to perform through a formal reciprocal exchange program.
P-3 Culturally Unique Artist Visa
The P-3 visa allows you to enter the United States temporarily to perform, teach, or coach in a culturally unique program. A U.S.
Q-1 Cultural Exchange Visa
The Q-1 Cultural Exchange Visa allows you to enter the United States to take part in an approved international cultural exchange program.
D Crew Member Visa
The D visa allows you into the United States as a working crewmember on a commercial sea vessel or international airline.
C1/D Combined Transit and Crew Visa
The C1/D visa allows you to travel through the United States and serve as a working crewmember on a vessel or aircraft.
I Media Visa
The I visa allows you to enter the United States to perform professional media work for a foreign-based organization.
L-1 Visa
Combined intracompany transfer cluster for L-1A and L-1B.
Family visas
IR-1 Immigrant Visa (Spouse of US Citizen)
The IR-1 immigrant visa allows you to immigrate to the United States as the spouse of a U.S. citizen.
CR-1 Conditional Resident Visa (Spouse)
The CR-1 conditional resident visa allows you to sponsor your foreign national spouse for lawful permanent residence in the United States.
IR-2 Immigrant Visa (Child of US Citizen)
The IR-2 immigrant visa allows certain children of U.S. citizens to immigrate permanently through family-based immigration.
IR-5 Immigrant Visa (Parent of US Citizen)
The IR-5 Immigrant Visa lets a U.S. citizen sponsor a parent for permanent residence.
F2A Immigrant Visa (Spouse/Child of LPR)
The F2A immigrant visa gives certain close family members of lawful permanent residents the chance to immigrate to the United States.
F2B Immigrant Visa (Unmarried Adult Child of LPR)
The F2B category allows certain adult children of lawful permanent residents to immigrate through family-based immigration.
H-4 Dependent Visa
The H-4 visa lets certain family members of H-1b visa workers stay in the United States in a lawful dependent status.
L-2 Dependent Visa
The L-2 visa allows certain family members of an L-1 visa holder to live in the United States on a temporary basis.
F-2 Dependent Visa (Spouse/Child of F-1)
The F-2 visa allows certain family members of an F-1 visa Student to stay in the United States during the Student’s academic program.
O-2 Essential Support Personnel Visa
The O-2 visa lets essential support personnel accompany and work with an O-1 visa holder in the United States.
O-3 Dependent Visa
The O-3 visa allows certain family members of O-1 visa and O-2 visa holders to stay in the United States with the principal beneficiary.
J-2 Dependent Visa
The J-2 dependent visa allows your immediate family to stay with you in the United States while you participate in an approved exchange program.
M-2 Dependent Visa
The M-2 visa lets certain family members of an M-1 visa vocational student stay in the United States during the student’s program.
TD USMCA Dependent Visa
The TD classification allows certain family members of a TN professional to enter or remain in the United States.
K-2 Child of K-1 Fiancé(e) Visa
The K-2 classification allows a child of a K-1 visa Fiancé(e) Visa applicant to seek entry to the United States.
K-3 Spouse of USC Visa
The K-3 visa allows you to enter the United States as the spouse of a U.S. citizen while your immigrant petition moves through the family-based immigration.
K-4 Child of K-3 Visa
The K-4 visa allows certain children of a K-3 visa spouse to enter and stay in the United States temporarily.
Other pathways
T Nonimmigrant Status (Trafficking Victims)
T visa status gives you temporary immigration protection if you are a victim of a severe form of human trafficking. You apply with Form I-914 through USCIS.
U Nonimmigrant Status (Crime Victims)
The U Nonimmigrant Status, or U visa, is specifically designed for noncitizens who have been victims of certain crimes in the United States and have suffered.
Special Immigrant Juvenile Status
Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) classification is part of the employment-based, fourth preference (EB-4 visa) immigrant visa category.
Asylum
Asylum in the United States allows you to request protection if you fear persecution in your home country. You apply by filing Form I-589 with U.S.
Refugee Admission
Refugee resettlement allows you to seek protection in the United States if you face persecution and remain outside the country.
VAWA Self-Petition
A VAWA self-petition gives you the ability to apply for lawful permanent residence without the abuser’s involvement. You file directly with U.S.
Other
Diversity Visa (DV Lottery)
The diversity visa Lottery offers an opportunity to seek permanent residence in the United States if you’re from a country with historically low immigration.
A-1 Diplomat Visa
The A-1 Diplomat Visa is for foreign government officials and diplomats traveling to the United States for official government business.
G-1 International Organization Visa
The G visa classification allows entry to the United States for official duties with a designated international organization.
United States visa resources
Cross-cutting guides for requirements, fees, processing times, and common mistakes.
Tips for choosing a visa type
- Match your purpose of travel to the right visa category before comparing options.
- Check official processing times — they vary by visa type and location.
- Review required documents early; some visas need employer or school sponsorship.
- Understand the difference between nonimmigrant (temporary) and immigrant (permanent) visas.
- Use official government sources to verify eligibility — VisaMind provides guidance, not legal advice.
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