A foreign person seeking entry into
United States should obtain Visa at US consulate in
his/her home country. A visa admits a foreign national
as far as the Port of Entry (Destination airport in
US) in United States; however, it does not guarantee
admission into US. The validity of visa measures the
time within which a foreign national may enter the
US in that particular Visa category. When you arrive
in US at Port of Entry, an immigration officer scrutinizes
all the documents and then admits/denies the foreign
national into US.
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Visa |
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Visa is a stamp placed in a passport by US consulates
abroad.
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Status |
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Status is a group of privileges
and responsibilities given to a foreign national
in US. All foreign national should maintain
his status in order to live legally in US. If
you are in F1 status and get a H-1, you don’t
actually get a visa, you change your status
from F1 to H1, so that, you get the privilege
to work.
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Denial at Port of
Entry (POE): |
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If you are found inadmissible
at POE, you may not enter the US for up to five
years. You can request the immigration officer
to withdraw your application to enter the US
to prevent the 5 year ban on your record.
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Form I-94: |
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When a
foreign national is admitted at POE, the immigration
officer stamps the passport and issues Form
I-94 (A white card or counter slip). I-94 card
contains information on Date of Entry, Expiration
Date and Visa type. Expiration date of visa
and I-94 may differ. A foreign national can
legally stay in US until the expiration date
mentioned in I-94. If a foreign person extends
his stay beyond the expiration of I-94, without
applying for an Extension of stay, the underlying
visa becomes invalid. A foreign person, who
overstays (Illegal presence) in US may be prohibited
from entering US for a period of 3 years from
the date of departure.
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Extension of Stay:
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If you
want to extend your stay in US beyond the expiration
of I-94, then you must ask for permission from
the US Citizenship and Immigration Services
(USCIS) before the expiration of I-94. While
departing from US you should turn in your I-94
(or I-94W). Without this record of your departure,
you will be identified as an "overstay."
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| Two
categories of U.S. visas |
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Immigrant visas:
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Immigrant visas are for people,
who intend to live permanently in the U.S.
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Nonimmigrant visas:
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Nonimmigrant visas are for
people, who intend to stay in US on a temporary
basis – for tourism, medical treatment,
business, temporary work or study.
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