Ask the Consul

April 2004

I recently received a 10-year tourist visa but my friend got a tourist visa that he can use only once. What can we do in the United States on our tourist visas and what is the difference between our visas?

A tourist visa may be used to visit relatives or friends, for sightseeing, to meet with business contacts, to participate in a conference or seminar, among other things.

Your 10-year visa does not mean that you may remain in the U.S. for 10 years. It means that you may use the visa over the course of 10 years to travel to the United States for short periods of time. The time you spend in the United States should be consistent with your stated plan. For example, if you want to go sightseeing in New York, you probably would be there for one or two weeks, not three months. On the other hand, if your company arranges a training program for you at a firm in the U.S., it may not be unreasonable for you to stay for two months.

You may not work in the United States on your tourist visa. There is a common misperception that it is all right to work in the U.S. for a little while, as long as you intend to return to Hungary. This is not the case. It is not just the construction worker or the hotel cleaner who is working illegally on a tourist visa. People who take care of sick or elderly persons in their home are considered under U.S. immigration law to be working illegally, whether or not they are paid for their services. Likewise, individuals who babysit or clean someone's home may not perform these services on a tourist visa.

Why did you get a long-term visa and your friend did not? Without knowing the specific circumstances of your case, it is difficult to say. Each case is adjudicated individually - that is why we conduct interviews of all visa applicants. The consular officer asks questions about your situation here in Hungary and then determines whether or not you are qualified for a U.S. visa. If you are, then the officer weighs all the factors to decide what kind of visa to issue to you. Each person's situation is different and that is why visas are valid for different lengths of time.