Everything You Need to Know About Tourism Visas

At US Immigration Bonds, we often get questions regarding visas and what you can and cannot do with your visa. We have clients who have broken the rules regarding their permitted action on the visa they had and it can lead to detention centers, immigration bonds, immigration lawyers, and in bad scenarios, deportation. Be sure to follow the rules. Although there are work visas, student visas, and tourism visas, in this article we focus exclusively on tourist visas.

Tourism Visa Do’s

The tourism visa in the United States is called a B-1 or B-2. These visas deem you a guest in the United States, and you are allowed to visit and engage in tourist activity like visiting family and sight-seeing. If your intention is to visit the U.S. and do things that you would associate with tourism, you won’t have any issues.

Tourism Visa Don’ts

The “do’s” explanation above is quite simple because the truth is that there is not much you can do with a tourism visa except tour. US Immigration Bonds and Insurance Services has the following don'ts for tourism visas.

Don’t Overstay Your Welcome

Tourism visas are issued with a date of expiration. If you are found to be in the United States after the date of expiration, then you are here illegally, you will be detained, you would have to pay for an immigration bond, and you will likely be deported unless you have cause to remain in the U.S., which is difficult to prove, especially if you arrived on a tourism visa.

Don’t Work

You cannot work on a tourism visa. You can meet potential clients or attend conferences, but you cannot be in the United States to earn money, and you can't make money in the United States if you have a tourism visa. If you are making money “under the table”, which means cash and off the books, then you are breaking the law and evading taxes. This is a major immigration violation and you will likely be detained and deported.

You Cannot Study

Conferences or meetings are fine, but if you enroll in a school of some kind, then you need a student visa. Enrolling in schools on a tourism visa is illegal.

Dual Intentions

You cannot enter the U.S. with the intentions to later study or work or to find a partner. Sure, this may happen naturally, but you cannot intend to do so and apply for a tourism visa. Find the correct visa and apply for it. If you follow the letter of the immigration law, you will find that your path will be less fraught with complications down the road.

Final Thought

Avoid issues when entering the United States by applying for the correct visa. Speak to your local embassy and attempt to enter the United States through the correct channels. If you or a loved one has been detained, contact US Immigration Bonds for more information.