Generally, a citizen of a foreign country who wishes to enter the United States must first obtain a visa, either a non-immigrant visa for temporary stay, or an immigrant visa for permanent residence. Visitor visas are non-immigrant visas for persons who want to enter the United States temporarily for business (visa category B-1), tourism, pleasure or visiting (visa category B-2), or a combination of both purposes (B-1/B-2).

 

Here are some examples of activities permitted with a visitor visa:

• ​Tourism

• Vacation (holiday)

• Visit with friends or relatives

• Medical treatment

• Participation in social events hosted by fraternal, social, or service organizations

• Participation by amateurs in musical, sports, or similar events or contests, if not being paid for participating

• Enrollment in a short recreational course of study, not for credit toward a degree (for example, a two-day cooking class while on vacation)

 

These are some examples of activities that require different categories of visas and cannot be done on while on a visitor visa:

• Study

• ​Employment

• ​Paid performances, or any professional performance before a paying audience

• ​Arrival as a crewmember on a ship or aircraft

• ​Work as foreign press, radio, film, journalists, and other information media

• ​Permanent residence in the U.S.