There are many reasons that a person may apply for and receive a visa to travel into the United States. While many of those reasons are related to employment and education, others concern entry so that individuals may be with members of their families or to escape dangers in their home countries.
Individuals who are living in Kentucky and who have nonimmigrant visas may wonder what happens when their visas eventually expire.
When a person’s visa expires, they are no longer legally allowed to stay in the country. If they do not take action to extend or reapply for a new visa, they may be barred from re-entering the country for up to a decade. To this end, it is advantageous for individuals to seek extensions to their visas before the run out.
An individual who has lived in the United States on a nonimmigrant visa may apply for an extension if they meet certain criteria. First, they must have been lawfully admitted into the country and must apply for their extension before their current visa runs out. Second, they must not be barred from reapplying. Criminal convictions may prevent some from extending their visas, and certain visas may require individuals to leave the United States before seeking to return.
It is possible for an individual in the country on a nonimmigrant visa to remain in the United States through an extension, but certain rules apply. In order to better understand the requirements of this process for one’s specific type of visa, help from a knowledgeable immigration attorney can be both helpful and important for moving the extension process forward.
