New York · est. 2013Saturday, September 5, 2026
Inside Immigration

Plain-language guides to US immigration, asylum and USCIS procedure.

Reference

Every visa, explained

91 classifications and statuses, from A-1 to the diversity lottery, each with who qualifies, what it allows, how long it lasts, what it costs in September 2026, and how to apply. If you do not know which one fits, describe your situation and the finder will point to the candidates.

Which visa fits my situation?Write a few sentences about who you are, where you are, and what you want to do. The finder reads the whole catalogue and names the two or three options worth a lawyer's time.

The catalogue

Nonimmigrant visas

62

Temporary stays: visitors, students, workers, exchange, diplomats, and the statuses that are not visas at all.

Immigrant visas and green cards

20

Permanent residence through family, employment, investment, the lottery, or special immigrant categories.

Protection and humanitarian status

7

Asylum, refugee status, TPS, and the remedies available to people already in proceedings.

Mechanisms

2

Adjustment of status and naturalization: the steps that turn one status into the next.