United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) management system. The system involves the collection and analysis of biometric data, which are checked against a database to track individuals deemed by the United States to be terrorists, criminals, and illegal immigrants. US-VISIT is accessed by 30,000 users from federal, state, and local government agencies. Upon Presidential approval of the 2013 Continuing resolution the US-VISIT program officially became the "Office of Biometric Identity Management" (OBIM), save for portions of the agency which performed overstay analysis being transferred into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and biometric Entry and Exit operations which became a part of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) is a program of the U.S. federal government that allows nationals of specific countries to travel to the United States for tourism, business or while in transit for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa. The program applies to all U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as to Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, which also have an additional program with waivers for more nationalities. American Samoa has a similar but separate program.
United States nationality law details the conditions in which a person holds United States nationality. Individuals born in any of the 50 U.S. states or almost any territory are natural-born United States citizens. The sole exception is American Samoa, where individuals are typically non-citizen U.S. nationals at birth. Foreign nationals living in any state or qualified territory may naturalize after becoming permanent residents and meeting a residence requirement.
A K-1 visa is a visa issued to the fiancé or fiancée of a United States citizen to enter the United States. A K-1 visa requires a foreigner to marry his or her U.S. citizen petitioner within 90 days of entry, or depart the United States. Once the couple marries, the foreign citizen can adjust status to become a lawful permanent resident of the United States. Although a K-1 visa is legally classified as a non-immigrant visa, it usually leads to important immigration benefits and is therefore often processed by the Immigrant Visa section of United States embassies and consulates worldwide.
United States passports are passports issued to citizens and nationals of the United States of America. They are issued exclusively by the U.S. Department of State. Besides passports, limited use passport cards are issued by the same government agency subject to the same requirements. It is unlawful for U.S. citizens and nationals to enter or exit the United States without a valid U.S. passport or Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative-compliant passport-replacement document, though there are many exceptions, waivers are generally granted for U.S. citizens returning without a passport, and the exit requirement is not enforced.
A Canadian passport is the passport issued to citizens of Canada. It enables the bearer to exit and re-enter Canada freely; travel to and from other countries in accordance with visa requirements; facilitates the process of securing assistance from Canadian consular officials abroad, if necessary; and requests protection for the bearer while abroad.
The visa policy of the United States deals with the requirements which a foreign national wishing to enter the United States must meet to obtain a visa, which is a permit to travel to, enter, and remain in the United States. Visitors to the United States must obtain a visa from one of the United States diplomatic missions unless they come from one of the visa-exempt countries or Visa Waiver Program countries. The same rules apply to Puerto Rico, United States Virgin Islands, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, while different rules apply to American Samoa. Although the US visa policy applies to Guam and the CNMI, the two territories also have their own visa waiver program.
Visa requirements for Polish citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Poland. As of 11 April 2020, Polish citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 181 countries and territories, ranking the Polish passport 11th in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index.
A B visa is one of a category of non-immigrant visas issued by the United States government to foreign citizens seeking entry for a temporary period. The two types of B visa are the B-1 visa, issued to those seeking entry for business purposes, and the B-2 visa, issued to those seeking entry for tourism or other non-business purposes. In practice, the two visa categories are usually combined together and issued as a "B-1/B-2 visa" valid for a temporary visit for either business or pleasure, or a combination of the two. Citizens of certain countries do not usually need to obtain a visa for these purposes.
Citizenship of the United States is a status that entails specific rights, duties and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constitution and laws of the United States, such as freedom of expression, due process, the rights to vote, to live and work in the United States, and to receive federal assistance. The implementation of citizenship requires attitudes including allegiance to the republic, participation, and an impulse to promote communities. Certain rights are so fundamental that they are guaranteed to all persons, not just citizens. Not all citizens have the right to vote in all federal elections, for example, those living in Puerto Rico.
Visa requirements for United States citizens and non-citizen nationals are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of the United States.
Visa requirements for French citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of France. As of 10 December 2020, French citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 186 countries and territories, ranking the French passport 6th in the world in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index.
Visa requirements for German citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Germany. As of 7 April 2020, German citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 189 countries and territories, ranking the German passport 3rd in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index. Additionally, the World Tourism Organization also published a report on 15 January 2016 ranking the German passport 1st in the world in terms of travel freedom, with the mobility index of 160.
Visa requirements for citizens of the Republic of Lebanon are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other sovereign countries and territories placed on citizens of the Republic of Lebanon.
Visa requirements for Malaysian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Malaysia. As of 1 January 2021, Malaysian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 178 countries and territories, ranking the Malaysian passport 14th in the world according to the Henley Passport Index, making it the 2nd highest-ranked passport in Southeast Asia after Singapore, the 4th highest-ranked in Asia and the highest-ranked passport in the developing world and among Muslim-majority countries. Malaysia is also a part of ASEAN and has visa-free access to these countries and vice versa.
Visa requirements for Australian passport holders are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Australia entering with an Australian passport.
Visa requirements for Singaporean citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states which are imposed on citizens of Singapore.
The visa policy of the Philippines is governed by Commonwealth Act No. 613, also known as the Philippine Immigration Act, and by subsequent legislation amending it. The Act is jointly enforced by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI). Visitors from 157 countries are permitted visa-free entry for periods ranging from 14 to 59 days.
A CR-1 visa is a United States immigrant visa that allows a spouse of a US citizen to enter the US as a conditional permanent resident. The Department of State issues the CR-1 to spouses who have been married for less than two years; spouses who have been married longer receive the IR-1 visa.
The R-1 visa is a non-immigrant visa which allows travel to United States for service as a minister or other religious occupation. The institution must be a registered non-profit organization in the United States, or authorized for the use of a group tax exemption. The individual must have worked for at least the preceding two years as a member of a religious denomination, and work at least 20 hours a week for the institution while in the US. In addition to clergy, religious brothers, religious sisters, and lay missioners may receive visas.
