Every year, thousands of foreign entrepreneurs and employees of various industries and sizes visit America for business purposes. As the driver of the global economy, America has a lot to offer the business people. Thousands of entrepreneurs, practitioners, and theorists seek to visit America to communicate with partners and colleagues, conclude contracts, attend a professional exhibition or scientific symposium. For these and many other purposes, a business visa is issued to the United States.

Business visa, categories B1 / B2

In 2021, the business visa in the USA is valid for up to 3 years. It allows its holder to make multiple business trips to the United States for up to 180 days per trip. The length of the permitted stay in the United States for a specific business visit is determined by the border officer at the point of arrival. As a rule, for business trips, border control officers put down no more than 90 days of a possible stay. However, the decision depends on many factors, including the frequency and duration of past trips. A business visa to the United States allows you to make frequent visits to the United States, up to 7-10 trips per year.

Objectives of the visit for obtaining a business visa to the United States in 2021:

• negotiating and concluding contracts with companies in the United States;
• acquaintance with the technological features of the partners’ work;
• participation and visiting thematic exhibitions, conferences, seminars;
• participation in various sporting events, competitions.

The process of getting business visa in the USA

To obtain a business visa to America in 2021, you need to: 

1. fill out the DS-160 form; 
2. collect documents explaining the purpose of the trip; 
3. confirming your strong economic ties with your country;
4. go through a personal interview at the US Embassy. 

Please note that the B1 / B2 business visa is suitable not only for entrepreneurs and employees of companies operating in the international arena but also for scientists doing research, writing scientific papers, and speaking at various conferences and seminars. When applying for a business visa to America, all these applicants must be extremely careful and know the specifics of the visa application process and the requirements of the Embassy for applicants.

Documents for a business visa to America

The standard list of documents for obtaining a business visa in America:

• A business invitation from the host

It serves as the main document when applying for a business visa to America. The invitation is drawn up on the letterhead of the host company with the signature and stamp of the employee responsible for the visit. It is important to indicate who is inviting whom, to what extent, and for what purpose, at what stage is the cooperation, who will sponsor the expenses associated with the trip to America. If a business trip of several employees is planned, the invitation must reflect the name, position, and data of foreign passports of all applicants for a business visa to the United States. The original invitation is not required at the Embassy.

• Certificate from the place of work of the applicant for a visa

The certificate is drawn up for each applicant separately on the letterhead of the organization. The seal and signature of the head of the company are required. The position, salary, and length of service of the applicant in the company are indicated, the official duties of the employee are briefly described. A certificate from work for a business visa in the United States, as a rule, contains: 

• information about the field of activity of the organization; 
• the reasons for the need for a visit;
• the financial and organizational side of the trip. 

The documents are prepared in English. At the interview at the US Embassy, ​​it is required to provide original certificates.

• Documents explaining the purpose of the trip

To obtain a business visa to America in 2021, it is important to document the need to travel to America. The list of additional documents that should be taken for an interview is compiled for each application individually. Depending on the purpose of the trip, accompanying documents may include advertising brochures of the organization, a draft agreement or business plan with partners in the United States, advertising materials for an exhibition that is planned to be visited, etc. Such additional documents can influence the decision to issue a business visa.

• Documents for highly scientific companies

Employees of organizations operating in scientific or high-tech fields, to visit the States for business purposes, need to provide several additional documents to the Embassy. You will need: 

• a resume in English with information about education, work experience, job responsibilities, areas of scientific interest; 
• a list of scientific publications. 

In most cases of US business visa applications by academics, the Embassy will schedule an administrative review. Therefore, a visa must be issued in advance – at least 2 months before the trip.