Albrecht Periodic Table of U.S. Nonimmigrant Visas

No USCIS Petition Required

B-1 B-2

C-1 C-1D C-2 C-3

A-1 A-2 A-3

D-1 D-2

E-1 E-2 E-3

G-1 G-2 G-3 G-4 G-5

NATO-1 NATO-2 NATO-3 NATO-4 NATO-5 NATO-6 NATO-7

TN TD

F-1 F-2

J-1 J-2

M-1 M-2

N-8 N-9

USCIS Petition Required

H-1B H-1B1 H-2A H-2B H-3 H-4*

L-1A L-1B L-2

O-1 O-2 O-3*

P-1* P-2* P-3* P-4

R-1 R-2

Q-1

K-1 K-2 K-3 K-4

V-1 V-2 V-3

T-1 T-2 T-3 T-4

U-1 U-2 U-3 U-4

S-5 S-6

Legend

Travel Visas

Work Visas

Study / Exchange Visas

Family Visas

Special Visas

Full Dual-Intent Visas

Limited Dual-Intent Visas

* For P‑1, P‑2, and P‑3, Limited Dual-Intent does not extend to accompanying support personnel. For H‑4 and O‑3, Full Dual-Intent applies only through the principal: H‑4 with an H‑1B principal, O‑3 with an O‑1 principal (not H‑2A, H‑2B, H‑3, or O‑2).

* Notes

Parolees are excluded from the table. Under INA § 212(d)(5), parole is a discretionary release into the United States without formal admission; the parolee’s legal status is not comparable to that of a nonimmigrant on a temporary visa.

Visa Waiver Program (VWP) entrants are also excluded. They are admitted without a visa under INA § 217 and have only limited rights to change status, extend their stay, or contest removal; the table’s framework does not apply to them.

All visas in this table are classified by their relation to the dual-intent doctrine: whether they allow concurrent pursuit of permanent residence.

This table classifies visas by behavior, not only by statutory pedigree. As in a chemical periodic table, the organizing axis is an observable property: how the visa operates under the law as administered, not the label its statute carries. Only H‑1B, L‑1, and V are expressly carved out of the § 214(b) presumption of immigrant intent, but other visas behave as dual-intent and are classified accordingly. Some Full Dual-Intent visas share three behavioral properties: no foreign residence requirement, no limit on total stay, and no bar to approved or pending labor certifications or immigrant visa petitions. For example, the E‑1, E‑2, and E‑3 treaty visas meet all three, as does O‑1. Others expressly permit the pursuit of permanent residence after admission (T, U, K, S, N, V).

The Limited Dual-Intent category has no statutory basis; it is an empirical grouping for visas in the intermediate behavioral position: they require a foreign residence the holder does not intend to abandon, but tolerate approved or pending labor certifications or immigrant visa petitions. These are P‑1, P‑2, P‑3, P‑4, R‑1, and R‑2.

Visa index

Travel

B-1Temporary visitor for business

B-2Temporary visitor for pleasure

C-1Alien in transit directly through U.S.

C-1DCombined transit and crewman visa

C-2Alien in transit to UN headquarters district under Section 11(3), (4), or (5) of the Headquarters Agreement

C-3Foreign government official, members of immediate family, attendant, servant, or personal employee, in transit

Work

A-1Ambassador, public minister, career diplomatic or consular officer, and members of immediate family

A-2Other foreign government official or employee, and members of immediate family

A-3Attendant, servant, or personal employee of A-1 and A-2, and members of immediate family

D-1Crewmember departing on same vessel of arrival

D-2Crewmember departing by means other than vessel of arrival

E-1Treaty Trader, spouse and childrenFull Dual-Intent

E-2Treaty Investor, spouse and childrenFull Dual-Intent

E-3Australian citizens going to work in specialty occupations in the U.S.; their spouses and childrenFull Dual-Intent

G-1Principal resident representative of recognized foreign member government to international organization, and members of immediate family

G-2Other representative of recognized foreign member government to international organization, and members of immediate family

G-3Representative of non-recognized or nonmember government to international organization, and members of immediate family

G-4International organization officer or employee, and members of immediate family

G-5Attendant, servant, or personal employee of G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, or members of immediate family

IVisas for foreign media representatives

NATO-1Principal Permanent Representative of Member State to NATO and resident members of official staff or immediate family

NATO-2Other representatives of member State; dependents of Member of a Force entering under the NATO Status-of-Forces Agreement; Members of such a Force if issued visas

NATO-3Official clerical staff accompanying Representative of Member State to NATO or immediate family

NATO-4Official of NATO other than those qualified as NATO-1 and immediate family

NATO-5Expert other than NATO officials qualified under NATO-4, employed on behalf of NATO and immediate family

NATO-6Member of civilian component accompanying or attached to a Force under the NATO Status-of-Forces Agreement, and their dependents

NATO-7Servant or personal employee of NATO-1 through NATO-6, or immediate family

TNUnited States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA, formerly NAFTA) visas for Canadians and Mexicans

TDSpouse or child accompanying TN

H-1BSpecialty Occupations, Department of Defense workers, fashion modelsFull Dual-Intent

H-1B1Citizens of Chile and Singapore going to work in specialty occupations in the U.S.; their spouses and children

H-2ATemporary Agricultural Worker

H-2BTemporary worker: skilled and unskilled

H-3Trainee

H-4*Spouse or child of H-1, H-2, or H-3Full Dual-Intent

L-1AIntracompany Transferee — Executive or ManagerFull Dual-Intent

L-1BIntracompany Transferee — Specialized KnowledgeFull Dual-Intent

L-2Spouse or child of L-1Full Dual-Intent

O-1Extraordinary Ability in Sciences, Arts, Education, Business, or AthleticsFull Dual-Intent

O-2Aliens accompanying and/or assisting O-1 aliens

O-3*Spouse or child of O-1 or O-2Full Dual-Intent

P-1*Entertainment groups and individual or team athletesLimited Dual-Intent

P-2*Artists and entertainers in reciprocal exchange programsLimited Dual-Intent

P-3*Artists and entertainers in culturally unique programsLimited Dual-Intent

P-4Spouse or child of P-1, P-2, or P-3Limited Dual-Intent

R-1Religious workersLimited Dual-Intent

R-2Spouse or child of R-1Limited Dual-Intent

Study / Exchange

F-1Academic Student

F-2Spouse or child of F-1

J-1Visas for exchange visitors

J-2Spouse or child of J-1

M-1Vocational student or other nonacademic student

M-2Spouse or child of M-1

Q-1International cultural exchange visitors

Family

N-8Parent of alien classified SK-3 “Special Immigrant”Full Dual-Intent

N-9Child of N-8, SK-1, SK-2, or SK-4 “Special Immigrant”Full Dual-Intent

K-1Fiancé(e) of U.S. CitizenFull Dual-Intent

K-2Minor child of K-1Full Dual-Intent

K-3Spouse of a U.S. Citizen (LIFE Act)Full Dual-Intent

K-4Child of K-3 (LIFE Act)Full Dual-Intent

V-1Spouse of an LPR who is the principal beneficiary of a family-based petition (Form I-130) filed prior to December 21, 2000, and pending for at least three yearsFull Dual-Intent

V-2Child of an LPR who is the principal beneficiary of a family-based petition (Form I-130) filed prior to December 21, 2000, and pending for at least three yearsFull Dual-Intent

V-3Derivative child of a V-1 or V-2Full Dual-Intent

Special

T-1Victim of a severe form of trafficking in personsFull Dual-Intent

T-2Spouse of a victim of a severe form of trafficking in personsFull Dual-Intent

T-3Child of victim of a severe form of trafficking in personsFull Dual-Intent

T-4Parent of victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons (if T-1 victim is under 21 years of age)Full Dual-Intent

U-1Victim of Certain Criminal ActivityFull Dual-Intent

U-2Spouse of U-1Full Dual-Intent

U-3Child of U-1Full Dual-Intent

U-4Parent of U-1, if U-1 is under 21 years of ageFull Dual-Intent

S-5Informant of criminal organization informationFull Dual-Intent

S-6Informant of terrorism informationFull Dual-Intent