United States Immigration and Visa Information

Categories of Immigrants

Immigrants to the United States are divided into two categories:

1. Those who can obtain legal permanent resident status without numerical limits.
2. Those restricted by annual limits on the number of people who can enter as permanent residents.

The latter category is divided into:

• (A) Family-sponsored immigrants,
• (B) Employment-based immigrants, and
• (C) Diversity immigrants.

Categories of Non-Immigrants

A. Foreign Government Officials

• A-1: Ambassador, public minister, career diplomat or consular officer, or immediate family.
• A-2: Other foreign government official or employee, or immediate family.
• A-3: Attendant, servant, or personal employee of A-1 or A-2, or immediate family.

B. Visitor

• B-1: Temporary visitor for business.
• B-2: Temporary visitor for pleasure.
• B-1/B-2: Temporary visitor for business and pleasure.

C. Aliens in Transit

• C-1: Alien in Transit.
• C-2: Alien in Transit to United Nations Headquarters District.
• C-3: Foreign government official, immediate family, attendant, servant or personal employee in transit.

D. Crewmember (Sea or Air)

E. Treaty Trader/Treaty Investor

• E-1: Treaty Trader, spouse or child: An alien coming to the U.S. solely to carry on substantial trade, including trade in services or technology, principally between the U.S. and the foreign state of which the alien is a national.
• E-2: Treaty Investor, spouse or child: An alien coming to the U.S. solely to develop and direct the operations of an enterprise in which the alien is actively in the process of investing a substantial amount of capital.

F. Student

• F-1: Academic Student.
• F-2: Spouse or child of F-1.

G. International Organization Alien

• G-1: Principal Resident Representative of recognized foreign government to an international organization, staff, or immediate family.
• G-2: Other representative of recognized foreign member government to an international organization, or immediate family.
• G-3: Representative of non-organized nonmember foreign government to an international organization, or immediate family.
• G-4: International organization officer or employee, or immediate family.
• G-5: Attendant, servant, or personal employee of G-1 through G-4, or immediate family.

H. Temporary Workers

• H-1A: Registered Nurse
• H-1B: Alien in Specialty or Professional Occupation.
• H-2A: Temporary worker performing agricultural services unavailable in the U.S.
• H-2B: Temporary worker performing other services unavailable in the U.S.
• H-3 Trainee: An alien who is coming temporarily to the U.S. as a trainee.
• H-4: Spouse or child of alien classified H-1A, H-1B, H-2A, H-2B or H-3.

I. Information Media Representative, Spouse or Child

J. Exchange Visitor

• J-1: Exchange Visitor
• J-2: Spouse or child of J-1

K. Fiancé(e) of a U.S. citizen

• K-1: Fiancé(e) of a U.S. citizen.
• K-2: Child of fiancé(e) of a U.S. citizen.

L. Multinational Company Transferee

• L-1: Intra-company Transferee (Executive, managerial and specialized knowledge personnel continuing employment with international firm or corporation).
• L-2: Spouse or child of L-1.

M. Vocational Student

• M-1: Vocational or other non-academic student.
• M-2: Spouse or child of M-1.

N. Parent of a Certain Special Immigrants

• N-8: Parent of an alien classified SK-3 (certain unmarried sons or daughters of international organization employees).
• N-9: Child of an N-8 or of an SK-1 (certain retired international organization employees).