A G visa is a category of official visas issued to diplomats,

government official An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their su ...

s, and

international organization An international organization or international organisation (see spelling differences), also known as an intergovernmental organization or an international institution, is a stable set of norms and rules meant to govern the behavior of states a ...

employees who are visiting the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

temporarily for a governmental purpose. G visas may also be issued to

immediate family The immediate family is a defined group of relations, used in rules or laws to determine which members of a person's family are affected by those rules. It normally includes a person's parents, siblings, spouse, and children. It can contain other ...

members of the principal visa holder. G visas are issued by the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

. G visas are not issued to

heads of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...

, who are instead granted an

A-1 visa An A Visa is a category of non-immigrant visas allowing travel to the United States issued to ambassadors, diplomats, government officials, and their support staff. Types A-1 The A-1 visa is granted to many people such as ambassadors, ministers, di ...

Types

There are five visas in the G visa category: ;G-1 :The G-1 visa is for permanent members of a

diplomatic mission A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually den ...

from a recognized government, who are visiting a specific international organization (and for eligible family members). ;G-2 :The G-2 visa is for official representatives of a recognized government, who are attending meetings at a specific international organization (and for eligible family members). ;G-3 :The G-3 visa is for representatives of a government not officially recognized by the United States (and for eligible family members of the principal visa holder). ;G-4 :The G-4 visa is for persons who have been appointed to a position at an international organization in the United States, including the United Nations (and for eligible family members). ;G-5 :The G-5 visa is for employees or domestic workers of G-1, G-2, G-3, or G-4 visa holders who meet certain criteria.

Duration of status

An individual is generally allowed to retain G-1, G-2, G-3, or G-4 status for as long as the person is recognized by the

U.S. Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

Work authorization

G visas give work authorization to the primary holder of the visa. A family member with a G visa is eligible to apply for work authorization and only if the individual is a married spouse, an eligible domestic partner, an unmarried child under age 21, an unmarried child under age 23 who is a full-time student at a college or university, or an unmarried child of any age who is physically disabled or mentally disabled.G00203 Summary of Benefits Applicable to Headquarters-based Open and Term Staff
. ''World Bank Group''. September 7, 2018.

Types

Duration of status

Work authorization

Notes

References

See also