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Travel Warning
You can apply for an I visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate with jurisdiction over your place of permanent residence. The Department of State establishes visa application processing and issuance fees.
As a representative of foreign media, you cannot travel to the U.S. and engage in your profession without an I nonimmigrant visa, even if you are a citizen of a country that participates in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP). If you attempt to travel to the U.S. without the appropriate visa, you may be denied admission by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at the port of entry (airport, seaport, or land border). There are limited instances under which you, as a foreign media representative, may be eligible to travel with a visitor’s visa.
At the port of entry, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer will determine if you can be admitted to the United States. The officer will review and stamp Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, which will contain your authorized period of stay. Admission as an I nonimmigrant is generally authorized for the duration of status (i.e., D/S on Form I-94), and no application for extension of stay is required to be filed as long as the media representative continues working for the same employer in the same information medium. If Form I-94 indicates a specific end date for your authorized period of stay, and you wish to stay beyond that specified end date, you must file a Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, in accordance with the form filing instructions, and submit any required evidence and applicable fees.
If you are an I nonimmigrant in this category wishing to stay in the United States to continue your I activities beyond the date specified on your Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, you must request an extension of stay by filing Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, for a period necessary to complete your I activities, not to exceed 90 days. You may submit multiple, sequential, timely-filed extension of stay requests, for extensions of up to 90 days if you can demonstrate activities or assignments consistent with the I classification for the requested period(s). You may remain in the United States while your timely-filed extension of stay application is pending. If you depart the United States while your extension of stay application is pending, USCIS may deny your request.
In terms of employment while your timely-filed extension of stay application is pending, you may continue your I employment with the same employer and in the same medium for 90 days (or the period of time you requested if it is less than 90 days) from the date your Form I-94 expired. As a general guideline, you must stop working if more than 90 days have passed since your Form I-94 has expired and your timely-filed extension of stay application remains pending. You may resume employment if the pending application is approved, but only for the length of time remaining from that application. At any time after the expiration of your Form I-94, the denial of an extension of stay application requires you to cease work activities and depart the United States immediately.
