"I" Media Visa

Members of the foreign media travelling temporarily to the US for an assignment will require an “I” Media Visa.  The I visa is a temporary nonimmigrant visa which can be obtained quickly by qualified visa applicants. 
 
Media projects which qualify for the I visa must be used to disseminate information or news to a foreign audience.  The primary audience may not be the United States and the content of the project cannot be one that is not news or information related. 
 
Eligible I visa recipients can include members of a production company as well as on air talent provided their role is generally associated with journalism.  Certain members of a documentary film crew may qualify under the I media visa, while proof-readers, researchers, set designers, etc. will require a different visa category to enter the United States.  Additionally, actors involved in any recreation or similar projects will not qualify under the I visa, as they are more appropriately categorized under the O-1B visa category.
 
Keeping in mind with the requirement that the I visa must be informational in content, the various US consular posts will determine whether the project is essentially informational and whether it is generally associated with the news gathering process.
 
Sports reporting would be considered an appropriate project for an I visa candidate, however, any project depicting recreations or staged events, even when unscripted (ex. reality TV), are not appropriate under the I media visa.
 
I visas are typically issued for a period of five years but may not be used if the project ceases to qualify under the visa category.  To learn more about the I media visa and to speak with one of our US immigration lawyers, contact our office for a confidential consultation​.

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