Dk

does anyone know/have experience what type of visa i need when i am
visiting/presenting a paper on a conference? is it visa for pleasure
or business?
thanks

Arcadian Rises

    >From: [email protected] (dk

    >does anyone know/have experience what type of visa i need when i am
    >visiting/presenting a paper on a conference? is it visa for pleasure
    >or business?

Is the conference related to your profession? if yes, then it's business
because it helps you further your career.

If it's a hobby, then it's pleasure.

That was easy. Here's a harder one:

Immigration Officer:"Business or pleasure?"

Incoming alien: "I dunno, I go to a funeral, so I guess it's pleasure?

Gross50

Strictly speaking, I'm not sure if B1 and B2 are separate visa. I got a B1/B2 visa. At the POE, you get B1 or B2 stamped on your passport. I have both B1 and B2 stamped during different visits.

Lucy

"Arcadian Rises" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Immigration Officer:"Business or pleasure?"
    > Incoming alien: "I dunno, I go to a funeral, so I guess it's pleasure?

Heh heh. Whenever my husband and I go over to the UK to visit my family and
he gets asked if he's visiting for pleasure, he always says "No, I'm here to
see my in-laws."

crg

If you're coming to have surgery, that's considered "pleasure" under the law. That's a funny one.

Arcadian Rises

    >From: crg14624

    >If you're coming to have surgery, that's
    >considered "pleasure" under the law. That's a funny one.

So are the funerals. That's a lugubre one.

gbh56

Well, B-1/B-2 may be a dual visa (the visitor's visa is indeed stamped as B-1/B-2) however, being admitted as a B-1 and being admitted as a B-2 is not the same thing. The most obvious difference is that when admitted as a B-2 you always (or almost always) get a 6 months admission. Being admitted as a B-1 you USUALLY get 3 months but you may occasionally get a longer term if you convince an INS inspector at POE that your B-1 activities warrant spending more than 3 months in the US, or a shorter term as INS officer sees fit since, for B-1, there is no 6 month minimum admission prescribed by law, whichj is the case for B-2. There are also different rules on the money you are allowed to receive while in the US. More liberal rules apply to B-1 which allows travel, lodging and food reimbursements paid from US sources. With very few exceptions, you cannot get any money as a B-2.

So, yes. B-1 and B-2 may not be a separate visa, but you are admitted as either one or another depending on the circumstances of the particular trip.

gbh