A B visa is one of a category of non-immigrant visas issued by the United States government to foreign nationals 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 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. Nationals of certain countries do not usually need to obtain a visa for these purposes.

Acceptable and prohibited uses of a B-1 or B-2 visa

Acceptable uses of a B-1 visa

Under the category of temporary visitor for business, a B-1 visa may be used to enter the U.S. to engage in any of the following activities.

Acceptable uses of a B-2 visa

Under the category of temporary visitor for pleasure, a B-2 visa can be used to enter the U.S. to engage in any of the following activities.

Prohibited uses

A person who enters the U.S. with a B-1 visa or a B-2 visa is prohibited from engaging in any of the following activities.

Requirement to overcome presumption of intending immigrant

Under section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, a foreigner must prove to the satisfaction of the consular officer his or her intent to return to his home country after visiting the United States. The act specifically states: "Every alien (other than a nonimmigrant described in subparagraph (L) or (V) of section 101(a)(15), and other than a nonimmigrant described in any provision of section 101(a)(15)(H)(i) except subclause (b1) of such section) shall be presumed to be an immigrant until he establishes to the satisfaction of the consular officer, at the time of application for a visa, and the immigration officers, at the time of application for admission, that he is entitled to a nonimmigrant status under section 101(a)(15)." In practice, this means that consular officers have wide discretion to deny a visa application. Once refused, there is no judicial or other means to challenge a visa decision. The foreigner, however, is free to apply for a visa again, particularly if circumstances have changed that might show to the consular officer that the applicant overcomes the presumption of being an intending immigrant.

Cost

All applicants for a B-1 and/or B-2 visa must pay an application fee, US$185 as of 2024. If the application is approved, nationals of a few countries must also pay an issuance fee, based on reciprocity, varying by nationality, desired visa validity, number of entries and visa subtype (B-1, B-2 or combined B-1/B-2). , only nationals of the following countries must pay the issuance fee.

History

Before 1994, there was no application fee, and only the issuance fee was charged, varying by nationality based on reciprocity. In 1994, the application fee was introduced for all applicants, in addition to the reciprocal issuance fee, to pay for the more costly machine-readable visas, which replaced the older stamped visas around that time. The application fee was initially US$20, and has increased several times since then.

Validity period and duration of stay

US visa validity period.png. The validity period determines how long the visa may be used to enter the U.S., while the period of stay determines how long the person may stay in the U.S. after each entry. Validity periods per country are listed in the U.S. Department of State visa reciprocity tables and vary from 1 month for Tuvalu (for B-1), 1 year for Vietnam, 2 years for Ethiopia, 3 years for Russia, and 5 years for Nigeria, to 10 years for China, India, Philippines, and most countries in the Americas and Europe. For some countries, longer validity periods are available for higher issuance fees or for B-1 or B-2 only. 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; stays with B-1 visas are usually granted for three months or less, while stays with B-2 visas are generally granted for six months. Extensions are possible, provided the individual has not violated the conditions of admission. A Border Crossing Card (BCC), also called a laser visa, has a 10-year validity and functions as both a BCC and a B-1/B-2 visitor's visa. The BCC is only issued to nationals of Mexico who apply for a visa inside Mexico. Validity of B visas by nationality, :

Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS)

On March 15, 2016, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that starting from 29 November 2016, all holders of Chinese passports who also hold 10-year B visas are required to enroll in the Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS) before travelling to the United States via air, land or sea. The EVUS is designed for visa holders to update any changes to their basic biographic and employment information at the time of their visa applications. Similar to the ESTA, each EVUS registration is valid for a period of 2 years or until the holder's passport expiration date, whichever comes first. As of 2023, this system can be used free of charge and no time frame exists for when the US$8 cost recovery fee will be imposed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Holders of EVUS can travel to the United States for unlimited times providing that their EVUS registration and visa remain valid. The requirement applies to any holder of a Chinese passport and B visa with a 10-year validity. It also applies to holders of non-citizen travel documents issued by other countries, such as a refugee travel document and certificate of identity, whose nationality is Chinese. It does not apply, however, to holders of Hong Kong SAR passports, Macau SAR passports, B visas with a validity shorter than 10 years, or of other types of visas. The CBP and DHS are seeking to expand the EVUS to other nationalities in the future. EVUS was officially launched on October 31, 2016, for early enrollments. Upon launch, CBP announced that the enrollment fee will be suspended until further notice.

Use for other countries

Certain countries generally accept a U.S. tourist visa that is valid for further travel as a substitute visa for national visas.

Statistics

Visitor visas issued

[[File:Issued B-1,2 visas.png|700px|thumbnail|B-1/B-2 visas issued in fiscal year 2017 The highest number of B-1/B-2 visas were issued to nationals of the following countries in fiscal years 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2023. In fiscal year 2014, most reasons to refuse a visa were cited as "failure to establish entitlement to nonimmigrant status", "incompatible application" (most overcome), "unlawful presence", "misrepresentation", "criminal convictions", "smugglers" and "controlled substance violators". Smaller number of applications were rejected for "physical or mental disorder", "prostitution", "espionage", "terrorist activities", "falsely claiming citizenship" and other grounds for refusal including "presidential proclamation", "money laundering", "communicable disease" and "commission of acts of torture or extrajudicial killings".

Adjusted visa refusal rate

[[File:US visa refusal rate.png|650px|thumbnail|US B visa refusal rate in fiscal year 2024 The adjusted visa refusal rates for B visas, by fiscal year, were as follows.

Visitor admissions

[[File:Admission USA 2017.png|upright=2.7|thumb|Number of non-immigrant admissions for tourist and business purposes into the United States in fiscal year 2017 The individuals admitted for tourism and/or business purposes during fiscal year 2017 were nationals from the following countries.

Overstays

A number of visitors overstay the maximum period of allowed stay on their B-1/B-2 status after entering the U.S. The Department of Homeland Security publishes annual reports that list the number of violations by passengers who arrive by air and sea. The table below excludes statistics on persons who left the United States later than their allowed stay or legalized their status and shows only suspected overstays who remained in the country. More than 95% of visitors from Mexico arrive in the U.S. by land rather than by air and sea. Statistics for suspected overstays of the land visitors are yet to be released. The number of suspected in-country B-1/B-2 overstays in fiscal year 2018 by nationality were the following.