What is a visitor visa?
A visitor visa is granted to a foreigner whose aim is to travel to another country for sightseeing, casual visits, holidays, and for relaxation purposes.
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Purposes of visitor visa
- Conference
- Medical tourism (for treatment)
- Vacation/holiday
- Sports events (football, athletic etc)
- Attraction places
- Business meetings (meeting with business partners or signing a business contract etc)
Are visitor and tourist visas the same?
A visitor visa is also called a tourist visa in some countries because the purpose is to visit attractions and places of another country.
For instance, a foreigner who wants to visit top attractions places in the United States like the National Mall in Washington DC, the Statue of Liberty in New York City, and the Grand Canyon in Arizona would only need a visitor visa.
What is the duration of a visitor visa?
The duration of a visitor visa varies from country to country. For instance, a tourist visa in the US lasts for 90 days or less.
Below is the duration of a tourist visa in some countries around the world:
| Country | Duration of tourist visa |
| US | 90 days or less |
| Greece | 3 months |
| Canada | 6 months |
| Italy | 3 months |
| Germany | 90 days |
| Spain | 3 months |
| The Bahamas | 3 months |
| Ireland | 90 days |
| Australia | 90 days |
| Aruba | 180 days |
| UAE | 90 days |
| South Africa | 90 days |
| Jamaica | 90 days |
| Hong Kong | 180 days |
| Philippines | 59 days |
| Costa Rica | 90 days |
| Thailand | 60 days |
| Taiwan | 90 days |
| Brazil | 90 days |
| The UK | 6 months Long-term Standard Visitor visa: 2 years, 5 years, 10 years |
The UK Visitor Visa
The UK government allows regular visitors to apply for what the country calls a long-term Standard Visitor visa which can last two, five or 10 years.
US Visitor Visa
In the United States, visitor visas are nonimmigrant visas which are designed for foreign travelers who want to enter the US for two temporarily broadly divided into:
- Business
- Tourism
Business:
In the US, the business visitor falls under visa category B-1. The purpose of this visa covers:
- Someone who wants to come to the US to consult with their business associates
- A traveler who wants to attend a scientific, professional, and educational
- Someone who wants to negotiate a contract
- Settle an estate
Tourism:
This falls under visa category B-2. This covers the following:
- Tourism
- Holiday
- Medical treatment
- Visit with friends or relatives
- Participation in social events hosted by fraternal, social, or service organizations
- Participating in sports events
- Recreational course of study that is not for credit toward a degree
Note: Visitor and business visas in the United States are called nonimmigrant visa
Limitation of Visitor Visa
There are some travel missions that a visitor visa doesn’t cover. You can hide under a tourist visa to undergo a full-fledged degree programme.
Here are activities that require different categories of visas and that cannot be done with a visitor visa:
- Job opportunity or employment
- Degree programme or study
- Paid performances, or any professional performance before a paying audience
- Arrival as a crew member on a ship or aircraft
- Work as a foreign press
- Finally, a visitor visa doesn’t give the applicants US Permanent residency
Any traveller who uses a visitor visa to perform other missions will be deported.
Method of Application:
Application is done online, may have to attend a visa interview on a scheduled date in some countries. For the US, details of the application process can be found on U.S Department of State.
It is important to point out that some countries have immigration agreement that allows them to enter one another without a visa. For instance, an Italian travelling to the U.S doesn’t need a visa and could stay up to three months.
Summary:
A visitor visa is known as a tourist visa and it is designed for foreigners who want to visit another country for a very short period for sightseeing, medical, and business-related meetings.