visa

A visa is a conditional authorization granted by a government permitting a foreign national to proceed into the government’s country. In the United States, foreign visitors are generally required to have a visa before entering a U.S. port of entry, airport, or crossing a land border. There are two types of U.S. visas , immigrant visas, for permanent residency, and nonimmigrant residency, for temporary travel.

For more information, see: immigration

[Last reviewed in July of 2024 by the Wex Definitions Team ]

Wex

• CIVICS
• immigration law
• wex definitions
• foreign perspective
• legal education and practice