Visa guide: the difference between identity and visa

A visa is a document issued by an overseas American consulate or the State Council to foreigners to enter the United States. It is like a stepping stone to enable foreigners to legally enter the United States. There are two types of visas: immigrant visas and non-immigrant visas. Non-immigrant visa is printed on one page of passport. The immigrant visa is a separate piece of paper with a large envelope, which must be handed over to the immigration officer when entering the country. Some visas are one-off, while others are multiple-entry visas. In any case, every visa is valid, and the visa holder must use it to enter the United States before the visa expires. The valid date on the visa does not mean how long you can stay in the United States, but the last day you can apply to enter the United States. Having a visa does not mean that you can automatically enter the United States. Only after inspection and permission by the US Customs can it be considered as legal entry. Once you enter the United States, you don't have to worry about whether your visa is valid or expired. After leaving the United States, you need a valid visa to re-enter the United States.

Identity is determined by the US Immigration Service. Although the United States does not have a household registration system and does not restrict the free movement of foreigners, when foreigners enter the United States, the immigration officer at the airport will put a stamp on each foreigner's passport and entry-exit card (I-94), which will write the foreigner's identity and validity period in the United States (green card holders and immigrant visa holders do not need to fill in the entry-exit card). The identity of the seal is determined according to the visa type on the passport, but the validity period of the seal given by the immigration bureau is not determined according to the validity period of the visa. For example, F- 1 Students will be stamped with D/S, and the validity period of student identity will be subject to the validity period on the I-20 form; B-2 tourists who visit relatives often cover the validity period of 6 months; B- 1 Business visitors are often stamped with the validity period of 1 month. Although the entry visa holder does not need to fill in the entry and exit card (I-94), the immigration officer will stamp the green card on the inside of the passport and write down the number and category of the green card. Identity is not static. After entering the United States for three months, most people were allowed to apply to the Immigration Bureau to change their original status. If the validity of the original identity is coming soon, it is also allowed to apply to the immigration bureau for an extension. For example, a business visitor with a B- 1 visa is allowed to apply for an extension before the expiration if he can't complete the company affairs within the original validity period; Visitors who originally entered the country with a B-2 visa can apply for an extension before the expiration if they linger on the great mountains and rivers in the United States. If there are employment opportunities provided by American companies, it is also allowed to apply for conversion from B-2 to H-1B. Students who originally entered the country with an F- 1 visa can also apply to change to H- 1B if they find a job employer after obtaining an advanced degree from an American university. These applications should be approved as long as they meet the requirements. Of course, the transformation of some identities is limited, such as J- 1 into other identities, B- 1/B-2 into F- 1 and so on. A foreigner, regardless of his original status in the United States, has no status once he leaves the United States. The next time you come to the United States, it depends on what visa you use to enter the United States, and then the immigration officer will decide the identity and validity of this foreigner. It should be noted that if someone submits an application for change or extension of identity to the Immigration Bureau, if he leaves the United States while waiting for approval, the application for change or extension of identity will automatically become invalid. Therefore, visa and identity are two different things. The former is under the jurisdiction of the US Consulate in the State Council, while the latter is under the jurisdiction of the US Citizenship and Immigration Service under the US Department of Homeland Security, with different nature and functions.

The difference between identity and visa