B visa

A B visa is one of a category of non-immigrant visas issued by the United States government to foreign citizens seeking entry for a temporary period. The two types of B visa are the B-1 visa, issued to those seeking entry for business purposes, and the B-2 visa, issued to those seeking entry for tourism or other non-business purposes. In practice, the two visa categories are usually combined together and issued as a "B-1/B-2 visa" valid for a temporary visit for either business or pleasure, or a combination of the two. Visitors from some countries do not need to obtain a visa for these purposes (see United States visas).

The cost of a B visa consists of the application fee, which all applicants must pay (currently 160 USD), and the issuance fee, which varies by nation, based on a fee reciprocity table.

As of November 2016, nationals of the following countries have to pay the reciprocity fee.

Citizens of seven designated countries have been banned from entering the United States, even if holding a valid visa, for a period of 90 days, since January 27, 2017. However, citizens of these seven countries who are Green Card holders or travelling on national passports issued by another non-designated country will not be affected. As of February 3, 2017, the executive order is not enforced pursuant to the temporary restraining order issued by the federal judge James Robart.

As with other non-immigrant U.S. visas, a B-1/B-2 visa has a validity period (from 1 to 10 years), allows for either one or multiple entries into the U.S, and elicits a period of stay (maximum 6 months) recorded by the Customs and Border Protection officer at the port of entry on the individual's form I-94.

Validity periods per country are listed in the U.S. Department of State Visa Reciprocity Tables and vary from 1 month for DR Congo, 3 years for Russia, and 5 years for Pakistan, to 10 years for Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Singapore, South Africa, Tunisia and most European Countries.

Periods of stay for B-1 visas may be granted initially for a duration long enough to allow the visitor to conduct their business, up to a maximum of 6 months, and can be extended for another 6 months; B-1 visas are usually granted for three months or less, while B-2 visas are generally granted for six months. Extensions are possible, provided the individual has not violated the conditions of their admission.

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