What is a visa?

A visa is a document issued by the U.S. government to foreign nationals which allows the foreign national to present himself at the U.S. border and apply for entry to the U.S. A common misconception is that a visa actually guarantees entry into the U.S. This is not true. All decisions regarding admission of foreign nationals are made at the U.S. port of entry by a United States Customs & Border Protection (USCBP) official. Although it is not common, foreign nationals with valid and unexpired U.S. visas may be denied entry at the U.S. port.

For example, most visitor visas are valid for a period of up to 10 years. However, this does not mean that the foreign national may stay in the U.S. for 10 years. This only means that the foreign national may present himself at the U.S. border and request admission as a visitor during the 10 year period. The USCBP official at the port of entry will issue a I-94 form to the foreign national which will indicate the length of time the foreign national may stay in the U.S.

Visas are issued by the United States Department of State through the U.S. Consular office in the foreign national's country of residence.

Most immigration forms require certain information from the visa document, such as the visa number, issue date, expiration date and other information. Most applications also require a photo copy of the visa. Visas are typically affixed to a page in the foreign national's passport.

A copy of a standard non-immigrant visa is attached.