The Business Traveler's B-1 Visa

The Business Traveler's Guide to the B-1 Visa by Michael Phulwani and Dev Banad Viswanath If foreign national wishes to visit the United States for a brief business trip, they will most likely need to apply for a B-1 visa. A B-1 visa is a non-immigrant, temporary business visa. Foreign nationals traveling to the United States for business purposes are eligible for this visa. However, not to work. The following are examples of valid business uses:

• Settling an estate
• Negotiating a contract, 
• Participating in short-term training.
• Consulting with business associates 

Foreign nationals on a B-1 visa are prohibited from accepting paid or unpaid work. A person's status on a B-1 visa does not grant them permission to run a business or start a new one. Foreigners who want to visit the United States on a B-1 visa must also ensure that they have a valid passport. A U.S. Embassy will not transfer a valid visa from an expired passport to a new passport if the passport contains a valid visa. The foreign national will either need to apply for a new visa to be included in the new passport or carry both their old passport and the new passport that contains the valid visa.

A B-1 visa allows a foreign national to reside in the United States for up to six months, with a maximum of six months. However, the majority of B1 visa applicants will be granted authorization for three months. The reasoning is that on a non-working business trip, a person really doesn't need to be in the United States for more than a few months. A stay extension of up to six months may be granted after the initial stay has ended. One year is the maximum amount of time spent in B-1 status on a single trip. When entering the United States, a person is not required to have a return ticket, but they should bring proof that they have a reason to leave and return home at the end of their stay. A person must demonstrate that they intend to return to their foreign home within a predetermined amount of time in order to be granted a B-1 visa, which is one of the requirements. A person cannot stay in the United States indefinitely on a B-1 visa because it is a temporary visa.

Since 2014, there has been a decline in the number of B-1 visas issued. In 2014, the Department of State (DOS) reported that 44,880 B-1 visas were issued, but only 38,705 were issued in 2018; cards used at borders are included in those numbers. There has been a steady decline in the number of B-1 visas issued from 2014 to 2018. This could be connected to the Trump administration's stricter immigration rules and regulations.

A dependent visa cannot be obtained for children under the age of 21 or spouses of B-1 non-immigrants. Each dependent who will travel to the United States with the B-1 visa holder must apply for a B-2 visitor visa on their own and follow the rules of that visa.