Visas for Members of the Overseas Media, Press, and Radio (I Visa) for the U.S.

When a national of an overseas country who desires to arrive, the United States should obtain a visa, either a nonimmigrant visa or immigrant permits. Media (I) visas are for agents of the overseas mass media, counting associates of the press, radio, motion picture, and print media, travelling provisionally to the United States to work in their occupation involved in descriptive or educational media doings, vital to the overseas media activity. Undertakings in the United States while on a media (I) visa must be for a media association having its home-based office in a foreign country. Doings in the United States must be descriptive and customarily allied with the news collection procedure and disclosing on existing events.

There are very particular prerequisites, said by U.S. immigration law, which must be reached by visa applicants to accomplish for the media visa. To be eligible for the media (I) visa candidates must prove that they are appropriately competent to be permitted a media visa. The claimant must be taking part in qualifying doings for a media association having its home-based workplace in a foreign nation. The visa authority will decide whether or not an undertaking succeeds for the media visa. Journalism on sports events is generally suitable for the media visa. Other specimens embrace, but are not partial to, the ensuing media correlated classes of undertakings:

• Primary staffs of overseas information media involved in capturing a news event or biopic.
• Affiliates of the media involved in the making or distribution of movie will be only competent for a media visa if the stuff being recorded will be utilized to broadcast information or news. Moreover, the leading source and distribution of funding must be out-of-doors in the United States.
• Reporters employed under the agreement. Individuals bearing a qualification allotted by a specialized journalistic association, if working under a deal on a product to be utilized overseas by a piece of information or educational form to broadcast information or bulletin not principally planned for commercial entertaining or marketing. Please consider that a legal job agreement is essential.
• Personnel of self-governing production firms when those staffs own a recommendation permitted by a specialized journalistic organization.
• Overseas reporters employed for a different division workplace or secondary of a U.S. network, newspaper or another broadcasting channel if the reporter is travelling to the United States to report on U.S. happenings individually for an overseas audience.
• Attributed spokesperson of tourist agencies, controlled, worked, or sponsored in whole or in part by a foreign administration, who involve primarily in broadcasting truthful visitor information about that nation, and who are not authorized to A-2 visa cataloguing.
• Technical manufacturing info. Workers in the U.S. workplaces of organizations, which allocate technical manufacturing info.

Freelance reporters will only be reviewed for an I visa if all of the resulting standards are encountered. The reporter or must:

• Own a testimonial allotted by a specialized journalistic association
• Be under an agreement to a broadcasting organization
• Broadcast material or news not principally planned for commercial entertaining or publicity.

Photojournalists are allowed to come in the United States with B-1 visas for the intention of taking photos, providing that they get no revenue from a U.S. foundation.

Residents from a nation partaking in the Visa Waiver Program, who desire to arrive the United States provisionally as spokesperson of the abroad media while taking part in their occupation as media or reporters, must first gain a media visa to come to the United States. They cannot visit without a permit on the Visa Waiver Program, nor can they visit on a tourist (type B) visa. Trying to do so can occur a rejection of entry to the United States by the authority of the United States.

To appeal for an I visa, you need to submit the following:

• A Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160) Form.
• A passport is lawful for travel to the United States with an effective date at least six months yonder your planned duration of stay in the United States (except country-specific treaties offer exceptions). If more than one person is incorporated in your passport, each individual wishing a permit must conform an appeal and hold a valid passport
• One (1) 2”x2” (5cmx5cm) photo taken in the last six months. 
• A money receipt demonstrating payment of your U.S. $160 non-repayable nonimmigrant visa request processing charge compensated in local currency. If a visa is permitted, there may be an extra visa issuance reciprocity charge, conditional on your citizenship.
• Evidence of job engagement:
  • Staff Reporter: A letter from your proprietor that show your name, your designation within the company, and the aim and duration of your stay in the United States.
  • Freelance Reporter under an agreement to a broadcasting organization: A copy of the deal with the broadcasting organization presenting your name, your designation within the establishment, the length of the agreement, and the aim and period of your stay in the United States.
  • Media Film Crew: A letter from your proprietor that shows your name, your designation within the company, the name and a short-term interpretation of the program being recorded, and the intention and period of your stay in the United States.
  • Self-governing Production Firm under an agreement to a broadcasting organization: A letter from the firm authorizing the work displaying your name, the name and a short-term interpretation of the program being recorded, the length of the agreement, and the duration of time needed for shooting in the United States.
  • Interview booking letter: you must affix the interview appointment memo approving that you scheduled an appointment. 

Step 1: Finalize the Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-160) form.

Step 2: Reimburse the visa application fee, which is the U.S $160. Pay the non-repayable visa application charge, if payment needed before your interview. When your visa is permitted, you may also pay an extra visa issuance fee, if relevant to your citizenship.

Step 3: Book your appointment. You will require the subsequent evidence to plan your meeting:

• The number of the valid passport
• The number of money receipt.
• The bar code number containing ten-digit code from your DS-160 validation page

Step 4: Appear to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate Office on the date and time of your visa interview. You should not forget to take a printed duplicate of your appointment letter, your DS-160 validation page, one photo taken within the last six months, your existing and all old passports, and the genuine visa fee payment receipt. Visa petition without all of these materials will not be acknowledged or received.

Subsidiary Documents for visa applicant: Subsidiary documents are only one of many aspects authorized personnel of the consulate will appraise in your interview. Each application is inspected independently and is conferred every contemplation under the law. You must bring the following documents to support your interview:

• Staff ID card
• A memo from your company representing the aim of your travel, the planned length of your stay, the number of years of your affliation with the company and the number of years of journalism involvement you have.

Subsidiary Documents for Dependents: If your husband or wife and child appeal for a visa later, a copy of your media visa need to be handed over with the visa appeal. Confirm that you do not bring any papers in a wrapped envelope to the Embassy for your interview.