B-1/B-2 visa: frequently asked questions

B-1 covers business activity: meetings, conferences, contract negotiation, training or consultations with partners. B-2 covers tourism, medical treatment and visits to family or friends. In practice the consulate usually issues them combined as B-1/B-2 in a single stamp.

No. Neither authorises paid employment from a US source or productive work in the country. B-1 permits limited business activity but not performing services that amount to holding a job. Doing so puts your status and future visas at risk.

Not always, but it is worth having in several scenarios: planned stays longer than 90 days, very frequent business travel, a denied ESTA, or history that complicates the Visa Waiver — such as travel to Cuba after 12 January 2021. The B-1/B-2 gives certainty that ESTA does not.

Visa validity and length of stay are different things. The visa may last up to ten years, but the CBP officer at the port of entry decides how long you may stay, normally up to six months. That period is recorded on the I-94, which is worth checking on arrival.

The MRV fee is US$185 and is not refunded if the visa is denied. Timing depends on appointment availability at the Santiago consulate, which has stretched to several months. Check availability before committing to travel dates.

The most common ground is section 214(b): failing to establish sufficient ties to Chile showing intent to return. There is no formal appeal, but you may reapply. Refiling without changing anything in the record almost always produces the same outcome.

It is possible in some cases through a change of status, but it is delicate. Entering on B-1/B-2 with a preconceived intent to stay and work can be treated as misrepresentation. For a Chilean with a job offer, the clean route is usually consular processing of the H-1B1.

Yes. Attending interviews, exploratory meetings or recruiting fairs is valid business activity under B-1. What it does not allow is beginning to perform services or receiving remuneration from a US source while in that status.