Practice Areas
Non-Immigrant Visas
If you wish to enter the US for a temporary period of time, a nonimmigrant visa allows you to travel to a US port of entry and request permission from the Department of Homeland Security to visit for a specific purpose like temporary work, tourism, school, or a family visit.
¿Cuáles son las diferencias entre una visa de inmigrante y de no inmigrante?
Una visa de no inmigrante, por su parte, solo permite que una persona ingrese al país temporalmente, mientras que el titular de una visa de inmigrante puede ingresar y quedarse de forma permanente. Al ingresar con una visa de no inmigrante, se considera que el titular de la visa está legalmente obligado a ingresar a los EE. UU. por un período específico y temporal de estadía autorizada con la promesa de salir de los EE. UU. al vencimiento de ese período.
What Are the Differences Between Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Visas?
A nonimmigrant visa is different from an immigrant visa in that the nonimmigrant visa only allows a person to enter temporarily, whereas an immigrant visa allows a permanent stay. In entering on a nonimmigrant visa, the visa holder is only allowed to enter and remain in the US for a temporary period with a promise to depart at the expiration of authorized stay.
What Types of Nonimmigrant Visas Are Available?
THE MOST COMMON TYPES OF NONIMMIGRANT VISAS ARE:
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Visa Status and Length of Stay
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The length of time someone can stay in the US depends on the type of visa and, more importantly, on the discretion of the Customs and Border Protection officer who inspects and admits the person at the border, often an airport. A person admitted in one visa category may be allowed to change to another visa category in order to stay longer or to perform different activities in the US. For example, college students may want to change their status to an employer-sponsored nonimmigrant visa after they graduate and seek employment (assuming their employer will sponsor them).
What Are My Next Steps?
This process can be, and often is, complicated. The immigration attorneys at Antonini & Cohen can help simplify the process by determining the visa category that is right for you and assisting you with your application for change of status from your current category to a new category.
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In appropriate cases, we can also obtain legal status and work authorization for your dependent family members.
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