"...nobody does a better job than Nolo." - USA Today
Nolo Logo

Since 1971, Nolo's goal has been simple: Make America's legal system accessible to everyone. Our website, books, software, online legal forms and lawyer directory help millions of individuals, businesses and nonprofits solve their legal problems each year.

Small text sizeMedium text sizeLarge text size Print this page
 

Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary

Legal Dictionary Home

visa
The literal meaning is a stamp placed in a foreign national's passport by an official at a U.S. consulate outside of the United States. All visas allow their holders to enter the United States within a certain period of time. Visas can be designated as either "immigrant visas" or "nonimmigrant visas." Immigrant visas are given to people who have earned U.S. permanent residence or a "green card." Nonimmigrant visas are given to people coming to the U.S. for a temporary stay. However, immigration law also sometimes talks about visas "becoming available," which refers not to the stamp itself, but to instances where a limited number of visas are given out each year, and people who want them must place themselves on a waiting list.
Dictionary

Search the whole dictionary:

Bestsellers

Browse all books, software & legal forms >

Find A Lawyer

Enter zip or city, state ("Boston, MA")

Attorney Profiles

Attorneys: Get Listed

Advertisement

Advertise Here

Nolo Partner

This service is operated by JustAnswer.
Nolo provides no guarantee of the information provided.