The Visitor Visa and the Exchange Visitor Visa Compared

If you are planning to visit the United States in the future, then you may be wondering what the difference is between a visitor visa and an exchange visitor visa.  The differences are few. 

• A visitor visa is simply a standard visitor visa.  You would get this sort of visa if a family member sponsored you to come to the United States for a vacation. You can be in the United States on vacation for up to a year in most cases.
• An exchange visitor visa was created for professionals who have been accepted into one of the approved exchange programs that have been designated through a sponsoring organization. 

So in short, a visitor visa is individually sponsored and is for leisure and an exchange visitor visa is for professional reasons and is sponsored by a company.

Let’s say that you were a professor emeritus of Sociology in your home country, and George Washington University wanted to have you on board for the fall as a guest professor for undergraduate Sociology classes.  You would be sponsored by George Washington University to come to the United States as a professor on an exchange visitor visa.  However, if you were invited by your niece or nephew to come and visit the United States on a vacation, then you would only be granted a visitor visa. 

Purpose of the Visa

As always when it comes to the department of immigration granting visas, the intent of the recipient and the host is of the utmost importance:

• With a visitor visa, your sole intent should be to visit the United States and learn about its history and culture through travelling to different museums and historical places.  On a visitor visa, you are limited as to what you can do that falls outside of the scope of tourism. 
• On an exchange visitor visa, you are being sponsored to visit the United States due to your skill set and/or your professional expertise.

Getting Legal Help

In either case you should know why you will be travelling to the United States.  If you are unsure, then it may be best for you to consult with an immigration attorney just to make sure that you are applying for the right visa. An attorney can help you to gain better insight on both the visitor visa and the exchange visitor and can help you through the application process for either.