What kind of U.S. visa do I need to visit my current employer's office in the U.S.?

What kind of U.S. visa do I need to visit my current employer's office in the U.S.? - Modern city district with skyscrapers near green lawn

I am from Belarus, but I live and work in Germany. My current employer is an American company with an office in Germany.

I have the opportunity to visit the office in the US, but a visa is needed for that, since I have a Belarusian passport.

As I know, I cannot apply for a B1/B2 visa because I will be working in the US office for a week or two.

What kind of visa do I need to visit a U.S. office and work there for a short period of time?



Best Answer

Other answers say that you need a B-1/B-2 visa, but this is not precisely true. As a business visitor, you will be in B-1 status as a "visitor for business." B-2 designates the closely related status of a "visitor for pleasure," which covers tourism and visits to family and friends, for medical treatment, and for most other purposes that are not related to business.

To be admitted in B-1 status as a business visitor, you need a B-1 visa. The State Department usually, but not always, issues the visa as a B-1/B-2 combination visa, which allows you to be admitted in either B-1 or B-2 status.

It seems that the State Department is more likely not to issue a combination visa when the reciprocity terms for business and pleasure visitors are different. You can see at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/Belarus.html that they are not different for nationals of Belarus, so you will probably get a B-1/B-2 visa, but you might get a B-1 visa. Either is fine for this trip.

Visitor visas for citizens of Belarus are valid for no more than one year, so if you know that you will make a separate non-business trip to the US within one year of your application, you can ask specifically for a combination visa. Otherwise, it doesn't matter whether you get a B-1/B-2 combination visa or a simple B-1 visa.

Note that "Fee: none" in the table linked above means that there is no additional "reciprocity" fee on top of the normal visa application fee, currently USD 160 for most nonimmigrant visas, including B visas.




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What is R B1 B2 visa?

The U.S. nonimmigrant visa Type B1/B2 is a temporary visa for business and tourism. When you see 'R B1/B2' as your Visa Type, the letter 'R' simply means a regular visa instead of a Diplomat or other visa type. If you are traveling for temporary business, it may be conducted with a U.S. B1 Visa.

What are the 4 types of visa?

Probably one of the four main types: tourist, immigration, student, or work.

What is R type visa for USA?

The R-1 visa classification allows you to come to the United States temporarily to be employed at least part time by a bona fide nonprofit religious organization in the United States to work solely as a minister, in a religious vocation, or in a religious occupation.

What kind of visa do you need to work in the United States if you are not a citizen?

If you want to live and work in the United States of America permanently, you must apply for an immigrant visa (Green Card).



E-2 Essential Employee Visa to the USA🇺🇸✔️




More answers regarding what kind of U.S. visa do I need to visit my current employer's office in the U.S.?

Answer 2

You'd need a B1/B2 visa. You can apply for it via your nearest US consulate. You can apply it online first, and schedule a physical interview on the nearest available date. You'll need to explain your purpose of visit and perhaps also provide some documents proving your intent. Like an invitation letter from your employer stating your location of visit, purpose and tenure of stay. Your visa on approval will be pasted on your passport and is usually valid for 10 years. However on entry to the US, you will be interviewed again by an officer at the airport, who will decide how long you can stay in the US. Your last day of stay will be mentioned in what is called the i94 document which can be accessed online. You are not supposed to work/take monetary benefits during this visit as it is purely a business visit.

All the best!

Answer 3

Everything the other posters have said seems accurate. Three more things:

You said that you would be working in the US office. As the others have pointed out, that's generally not a problem with a B-1, as long as the work is consistent with a business visit (which it usually would be), and as long as you are paid by the German office according to your German salary.

If you are going to be paid a US salary, things get more complicated. For a one-week trip, that's very unlikely, so don't worry about it. But just in case: in that case, you would need an L-1 visa. That is something your employer would have to get for you; you can't do it on your own. It also involves a lot more paperwork, and money.

The second comment: you shouldn't have to do this all by yourself. If a company is large enough to be multinational, they should have an immigration attorney available who can answer these questions specific to your particular situation.

The third note: since you are a Belarussian citizen, the US Consulates in Germany may refuse to even process your application. You may have to travel to Belarus to apply for your visa. I'm not sure about their exact policies.

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

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