B1 Visa Overview

B-1 visa is issued to a foreign citizen seeking to enter the United States of America for business purposes, while a B-2 visa is granted to a foreigner seeking to enter for tourism purposes. In practice, the two visa categories are usually combined together and issued as a “B1/B2″ visa valid for a temporary visitor for either business or pleasure or a combination of the two.

Business or pleasure cover a wide variety of possible reasons to visit the United States. Under the category of temporary visitor for business, it can be used to:
• Negotiate and sign contracts
• Purchase supplies or materials
• Hold business meetings or attend/exhibit at a convention
• Settle an estate

Under the category of temporary visitor for pleasure, a B2 visa can be used to:
• Travel within the US
• Visit family or friends
• Participate in activities of a fraternal, social, or service nature
• Obtain medical treatment

Advantage of this Visa: Applicant do not require an approved visa petition from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to apply for the B1/B2 visa. Applicant can apply for a B1/B2 visa in person at an American Consulate nearest to your residence. This visa is quicker and easier to obtain.

Time Limits: Up to 90 days at any one time visit, no more than 6 months overall in a calendar year.

B1 Visa Eligibility

Applicants for visitor visas must show that they qualify under provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Applicants must demonstrate that they are properly classifiable as visitors under U.S. law.
The presumption in the law is that every visitor visa applicant is an intending immigrant. Therefore, applicants for visitor visas must overcome this presumption by demonstrating that:
• The purpose of their trip is to enter the U.S. for business, pleasure, or medical treatment;
• That they plan to remain for a specific, limited period;
• Evidence of funds to cover expenses in the United States;
• Evidence of compelling social and economic ties abroad; and
• That they have a residence outside the U.S. as well as other binding ties that will insure their return abroad at the end of the visit.

B1 Visa Notes/Exclusions

Visa Waiver Program
Travelers coming to the U.S. for tourism or business for 90 days or less from qualified countries may be eligible to visit the U.S. without a visa if they meet the visa waiver program requirements. Select Visa Waiver Program to learn more, and find out if you meet the visa waiver requirements.
Currently, 35 countries participate in the Visa Waiver Program, as shown below:
Visa Waiver Program – Participating Countries
Andorra Iceland Norway
Australia Ireland Portugal
Austria Italy San Marino
Belgium Japan Singapore
Brunei Latvia Slovakia
Czech Republic Liechtenstein Slovenia
Denmark Lithuania South Korea
Estonia Luxembourg Spain
Finland Malta Sweden
France Monaco Switzerland
Germany the Netherlands United Kingdom
Hungary New Zealand

B1 Visa Family Members: —-

B1 Visa Processing Times may vary: usually quite quickly, within 2 weeks, for more precise info please visit Total Consular Process, Documentation & Fee, by Country

B1 Visa Processing Price (Government Filling Fee): if not from the countries listed below, depending on the embassy and exchange range around $130.

B1 Visa Processing Price (Average Attorney Fee): vary in the range of $200 – $300.

Who Pays The Fee?:
This is dependent on the visa type. In some cases the employer will pay and in some cases, and if it’s a non sponsored visa the applicant would pay. Some employers may request that you pay your own consulate fees and travel to the country, while others may not. It usually depends on the skill level, the type of position and the type of visa. For some visa types it maybe the law of the country that applicants should not pay any fees.

O2 Visa Detailed STEP BY STEP Guide: Request Info

Hey Guys! Developing detailed, Quality Step by Step guide, based on government rules and our own experience, requires a lot of time and resources. Since there are so many working visas for USA and other Countries, we need your help to understand which working visas information to gather and publish first. Please Press the Request Info link, leave your name, email address, country you are from and the visa name that you would like to get the info about, and then hit the submit button.

The Work Visas, which will get the majority of Requests, will be published first.
They will also be sent to you by email automatically as soon as they have been created.
This info will be a combination of up to date government info, news, outlook and our own substantial knowledge having been in the industry since 1997.The information will be provided free for those that vote, for all others that come after this info is available there will be a charge to cover the cost of research, our expertise and putting it together in a report format.

Total Consular Process, Documentation & Fee, by Country
Embassy Waiting Times, by Country
B1 Visa FAQ, by Country

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