The following are some of the main US visas for UK residents and other foreign nationals required to migrate to the States.

B-1/B-2 VISA.

The B-1 and B-2 USA visas are temporary visas that last for an initial duration of six months. The B-1 visa allows entry into the States for business purposes such as the attendance of business meetings although the beneficiary is not entitled to receive remuneration from a United States source and the B-2 visa allows the beneficiary to enter the US as a tourist. According to our employment law consultants, the visa holder is not permitted to work nor incidentally receive payment for work performed.

E-1/E-2 VISA

The E-1 visa is known as the treaty trader visa and benefits nationals of a treaty partner country of the United States who are engaged in a substantial volume of trade with the United States. The E-2 visa, referred to as the treaty investor visa, is issued to foreign nationals of treaty countries who enter the States to develop and manage a business enterprise and who are committed to investing a non-marginal, substantial amount of capital into the enterprise, according to employment law consultants.

J-1 VISA

This visa would be useful to a person seeking to acquire on-the-job practical training in the States. The duration of stay for working in the USA with this visa is limited to the time required to complete the particular programme for which the person was admitted. Eligibility for entering the States on the strength of this visa is based on the US employer determining whether or not a sponsor has been designated by the United States Information Agency as an exchange-visitor program sponsor.

F-1 VISA

This visa is commonly referred to as the student visa and may be utilised by a person seeking to engage in a full time academic course in the USA. The visa is valid for the entire duration of the program.

O-1 VISA

This category of visa is specifically for persons of extraordinary ability in the arts, sciences, education, business or athletics. Extraordinary ability refers to skills of an exceptional standard in the field of endeavour and qualification for this visa is dependant on evidentiary documentation submitted to the pertinent immigration authority demonstrative of such ability.

P-1 VISA

This visa is utilised by entertainers who perform as part of an internationally recognised group and athletes who compete individually or as part of a team at an internationally recognised level of performance.

Inadmissabilty into the united states on the basis of a criminal conviction.

In the event of an arrest/conviction for a criminal activity, an alien travelling to the U S is required to apply for a visa to enter the United States. The pertinent US consulate visa officer will then decide whether the applicant may be granted the visa despite the criminal conviction.

The visa officer would take certain pertinent factors into consideration such as the egregiousness of the crime, the severity of the given penalty, other criminal activity and how much time has elapsed between the time the offence was committed and the visa application.

The emphasis is naturally on persuading the interviewing officer that the applicant is an upstanding member of society who would not engage in further criminal activity within the United States and generally would not contravene the conditions relevant to the particular visa being applied for.