fbpx
[additional-authors]
February 22, 2011

OK, since this blog is called the “ABC’s of Coming to the USA,” I figure the best place to kick it all off is with the “A.”  Unfortunately, that would be a very short post, since the A visa is reserved for diplomats and heads of state. This probably constitutes a small minority of JJ readers. So let’s talk about the B-1 visa.

Generally, a citizen of a foreign country who wishes to enter the United States must first obtain an appropriate visa. The most common visa for visitors is the B visa. This applies to people entering the United States temporarily for business (B-1), or for pleasure or medical treatment (B-2).  Today we’ll talk about the B-1 visa.

B-1:  What does “business” mean? In lay terms, it basically means coming to the U.S. to engage in business.  Examples including traveling to the U.S. to consult with business associates; to attend a scientific, educational, professional or business convention; to settle an estate; or to negotiate a contract.  The best way to think about it is that you can come to the U.S. to conduct business, but you should not be employed by a U.S. employer, or take a wage/salary while you are down here.  If you do, then a B-1 may not apply, and you should consider something else like an L, O, TN, or H visa.  Professional athletes coming to the U.S. to compete for prize money can enter on a B-1 visa.  While you are receiving compensation, it is not really a salary or employment that would require another type of visa.  You may be required to pay U.S. taxes on any prize money you win.

I will discuss the B-2 visa in the next post.  In the meantime, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

Why Diaspora Jews Should Care About a New Haredi Political Voice

The Haredi Public Party was created because the Haredi public deserves more than excuses, Israeli society deserves more than permanent confrontation, and the Jewish people deserve an Israel capable of reconciling Torah, responsibility and national unity.

Rosner’s Domain | No Suspension of Suspicion

These countries plotted – or at least one of them plotted – to advance peace agreements with Israel simply to lull it to sleep ahead of a war at a more convenient time. Or so the “sources” say.

The Power of a Quilt

I think of how something as simple as a blanket can carry a person’s spirit, their story, their love, their hope.

The Iranian Intellectual Who Admired Israel

The scholar’s earlier affinity for the Jewish state is worth revisiting and appreciating, reminding us in this moment of uncertainty that more positive possibilities could very well emerge between two nations, a friendship as existed decades ago, renewed.

What Do We Give Our Children?

Parenthood has a way of exposing the limits of instruction. Children do not necessarily inherit what we tell them to value. They inherit what they see us value.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.