As the centre of global commerce, the US attracts millions of business visitors every year. The US B1 Business Visa is designed for short term business travel to the US. This visa is typically issued for a period of 6-12 months and is used for supporting business activities such as attending conferences, conducting negotiations etc. The scope of this visa is wide and allows for all sorts of activities other than actively running a business.
The B1 Visa is used by visitors for a wide variety of business activities. It is used by businesspersons and executives visiting the US for purposes such as:
Ideally, you should apply for the visa a minimum of 2-3 months in advance to allow for all security clearance and processing while meeting all the US business visa requirements. In some cases, there may be a personal interview as well.
The requirements for a US business visa are less stringent than those for other visas, but you must meet them to be eligible. The following are the requirements for obtaining the B1 visa:
Since there is no quota on the B1 visa, the documentation required is not as strenuous as for migrant visas. Typically, your application package must contain:
The cost of a USA-B1 visa is $185.
The maximum stay period permitted through the US B1/B2 Visa is for 6 months. Your Visa can terminate while you are still in the US. You must just make sure that you do not stay beyond the period allowed by the Immigration Officer.
Applicants of US Business Visa must pay their $ 160 fee for application and submit the following:
Apart from the above, you may be required to offer an appointment letter for the interview confirming the booking of appointment. You can also carry other supporting documents that you think will support the details offered to the Consular Officer.
The processing times for US Business Visa from India can be 1 or 2 months and below is the break-up of the timelines:
The US Business Visa (B1/B2) has a validity of 1 month to 10 years similar to other Non-immigrant US Visas. It permits single or multiple entries to the US and elicits a maximum stay period of 6 months. This is recorded by the officer of the Customs and Border Protection at the entry port on the form I-94 of the individual/immigrant.
The mandatory documents required for the US Business Visa are as follows:
The B1 visa processing times are not exact. The processing of your visa can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months. This is contingent on the US Embassy’s workload and other variables that they examine. You will be told whether or not you get the visa after the processing time has passed.
The B1 visa is issued with a six-month validity period. The US Embassy will assume that you will be able to accomplish all of your business in the country in six months. This validity period will enable you to tour or visit any part of the US.