Immigrant and NonImmigrant Visas
There are two types of Visas: Immigrant (permanent) and Nonimmigrant Visas.
Nonimmigrant visas are issued for a defined time frame, are for a short duration and often for a specific purpose. Not all visas allow you to be employed in the United States. The common reference to “Work Visas” denotes that only a few visas are designed to allow employment in the United States. The most commonly used nonimmigrant visas that allow employment in the United States, where issued to allow employment are A, E, G, H, L, J, TN, R, and V visas. Of these, the H-1B Specialty Workers, the E Visas for Traders and Treaty Investors and the L-1 Intra-Company Transferees are the most popular for Business Immigration purposes.
Alphabet Soup of Nonimmigrant Visas:
A-1/2 Visas for Diplomatic Workers
B-1/2- Visitors for Business/Pleasure
C-1 – Transit Visas
D-1 Crewmen
E-1/2 Treaty Investors and Traders
F-1/2 International Students and Depedents
G-1- Workers for International Organizations
H- Temporary Workers
I- Representatives of International Media
J-1/J-2 Exchange Students and Scholars/Dependents
K- Fiance/Spouses of US Citizens
L-1 – Intracompany Transferees
M-1 Vocational Students
O- 1 Persons of Extraordinary Ability
P- Athletes
Q- Cultural Exchange Visa
R- Religious Workers
S- Victims of Trafficking
T-Reserved
These visa categories are described in detail in the Code of Federal Regulations Section 214.
You may also visit the USCIS site for more information.