Visas
for Representatives of Foreign Media, Press and Radio
(I Visa)
What is an "I"
Media Visa?
A Media (I)
Visa is to be used by professional-level journalists
traveling in their media capacity to the United States
for short-term assignments.
Specific Requirements
for the Media (I) Visa
Due to the
high incidence of fraud in the applications for I
visas, the requirements are a bit more strict now.
In general, the requirements depend on whether the
applicant has had an I Visa before. If the applicant
has not had a Media Visa in the last year, he/she
must present proof of his/her journalistic work during
the last six months.
Required Evidence
for Interview:
- 1. All documents required for
a
tourist visa
- 2. Previous passports.
- 3. A letter from the employer
institution, including length of time in its service,
dates of the proposed trip, and the event to be
covered in the U.S.
If the
applicant has not had an I Visa in the last year,
he/she should present proof of his/her professional
work during the last six months.
Acceptable
proof includes but is not limited to:Originals of
his/her publications or programs:
- For print media, originals
of the publications in which each article has
been published. No clippings or photocopies will
be accepted.
- For television reporters, videos
of the aired segments.
- For radio journalists, cassettes
of the programs.
- For television cameramen,
producers and directors, videos of the sequence
of credits of the programs containing their names.
- For radio producers or other
off-air personnel, cassettes of the programs containing
the aired credits.
If the applicant
has had an I Visa in the last year, and plans to travel
to the U.S. for the same publication or program, he/she
must present proof of the work carried out during
the previous trip to the U.S. Such proof may include
originals of his or her publications or programs.
If the applicant
has had an I Visa in the last year, but plans to travel
to the U.S. for a different publication or program,
he/she must present proof of the end result of his/her
previous trip to the U.S., as well as proof of the
recent work done for the new company. Such proof may
include originals of his/her publications or programs.
The requirement of proof of work done for the new
company is similar to the requirement for a journalist
who has not had an I Visa, but does not need to cover
the entire six months.
For more information
about the Journalist (I) Visa, please see our Frequently
Asked Questions page. |
