In order to maintain a legal status in a country like U.S, it is mandatory that the migrant understands the difference between “Visa” and “Status.” A very clear difference states that Visa is a kind of permission for a non-resident (non-citizen) to gain admission into a concerned country while “Status” is some kind of privileges and benefits, during his stay within the country, given to international travelers / immigrants at the time of taking admission into the country. A legal entry of an applicant in the US grants him a relevant “Status.”

In case of USA, a Status is defined under the Form I-94, which is received at the time of entry. The validity period of the “Status” is limited and defines the date till which the applicant can stay within USA. The duration is defined in the Form I-94. As soon as the applicant leaves the premises, the validity of “Status” expires automatically. So if the holder leaves the country before the validity of the “status” date, he cannot re-enter USA claiming that he did not utilize the remaining status period. Only exception will be a case, where he has a multiple entry visa, against which he can re-enter USA and on re-entry get fresh “Status” date.

Losing/ Violating Status: An applicant would be termed a violator of Status if he fails to fulfill the mandates set for him under a particular type of visa. For instance a B-2 Tourist would be termed as a Status Violator if he assumes employment under B-2 Tourist Visa, which is strictly prohibited.

To know more about your Status and Visa requirements, consult an Immigration and Visa expert today.