United States Visa(6)The Logic Behind U.S. Visa Names — A to Z Letter Meanings and Numbering Rules Explained Why is the H1B spouse visa called H4? Why is the O1 spouse visa O3, not O2?

In the U.S. visa system, names often reveal the visa’s purpose — that is, the visa code itself can often be interpreted literally. For example, EB stands for Employment-Based immigration.

When it comes to numbers, the digit 2 is typically used for the spouse of the holder of visa 1:

• F1 is for international students, F2 is for their spouses.

• L1 is for intracompany transferee managers/executives, L2 is for their spouses.

But there are exceptions. For instance:

• The spouse of an O1 holder is issued an O3 visa — not O2.

• The spouse of an H1B holder gets an H4, not H2B.

So what’s the logic behind U.S. visa naming conventions? Are there patterns that can help you understand the meaning at a glance? Let’s explore the letter and number rules behind these codes.

1.Letter Meanings in Visa Categories

We’ll start with the letters before moving on to the numbers. Here's a breakdown from A to Z:

• A: Diplomatic visas — A for Ambassadorial.

• B: Business/Tourism visas — B for Business.

• C: Transit visas — C stands for Cross. (Although Transit is the official term, C is used due to historical reasons.)

• D: Crew member visa — D for Deckhand or Crew.

• E: Treaty trader/investor visas — E for Economic or Entrepreneurial.

• F: Academic student visa — F for Foreign Student.

• G: Visa for international organizations — G stands for Governmental or Global, used for roles related to the UN and similar bodies.

• H: Temporary work visa — H for Hire or Helper.

• I: Visa for media professionals — I stands for Information, related to journalism and media work.

• J: Exchange visitor visa — J for Journal, Joint, or Exchange.Since the letter E was already used for trade and investment visas (Economic or Entrepreneurial), it couldn’t be reused. The letter J was chosen instead, as it can stand for Journal (reflecting academic publications) or Joint (indicating joint programs between institutions in different countries), both of which are common in exchange visitor programs.

• K: Fiancé(e) visa — the letter K is a bit puzzling, but it likely comes from Kinsman or Kinship. While some think it means “blood relative,” that’s not quite right. Kin and relative both refer to family, including both blood and marital ties, but kin is more commonly used in legal contexts, while relative is used in everyday language.

  As for “blood relative,” here are the distinctions:

  • Legal/formal: Consanguinity

  • Informal: Blood relative

  • Medical/genetic: Biological relative

  • Literary/formal: Kindred

Time to wrap up the English mini-lesson and return to legal insights:

• L: Intracompany transferee visa — L for Lateral Transfer.

• M: Vocational student visa — M for Manual or Mechanical.
  (Unlike F visas for academic students, M visas apply to vocational training — think culinary school, electricians, cosmetology, etc.)

• N: Special immigrant visa — N for Non-Citizen Assistance, such as for refugees or international organization workers.

• O: Extraordinary ability visa — O for Outstanding.

• P: Artist/Athlete visa — P for Performer or Professional Athlete.

• Q: Cultural exchange visa — Q for Cultural Exchange Program, though also associated with Quality or Quest.

• R: Religious worker visa — R for Religious.

• S: Law enforcement informant visa — S for Security or Snitch. It applies to individuals who provide critical information to U.S. law enforcement agencies.

• T: Visa for victims of human trafficking — T stands for Trafficking, as in Human Trafficking.

• U: Visa for crime victims — U stands for Victim of Unlawful Activity, for those who assist in law enforcement investigations.

• V: Family unification visa — V for Visitor, though the choice is likely due to other letters already being in use.

Now, moving into two-letter codes, which are mostly for immigration-based categories:

• EB: Employment-Based immigration

• FB: Family-Based immigration

• IR: Immediate Relative immigration

2.Number Meanings in Visa Categories

Now let’s look at the numbers that come after the letters.

In general, 1 represents the principal visa holder, and 2 represents their spouse:

• J1 → Exchange visitor | J2 → Spouse

• L1 → Intracompany manager/executive | L2 → Spouse

• F1 → Academic student | F2 → Spouse

But sometimes, 1 indicates a higher tier within the same category, while 2 represents a lower tier. Examples:

• A1: Diplomat and their spouse

• A2: Non-diplomatic staff (e.g., military officers, admin personnel)

• A3: Personal employees of A1 or A2 holders

Other cases:

• B1: Business visitor

• B2: Tourist (not the spouse of B1, just a separate subcategory)

For H visas:

• H-1 :refers to specialty occupations requiring advanced skills, such as engineers, doctors, and IT professionals.

• H-2 :by contrast, covers jobs that require less specialized training — essentially labor visas.

• H-3 :for on-the-job training programs

• H-4: for dependents of H-1, H-2, or H-3 holders.

You might wonder about H-1B — what does the “B” stand for? The most accepted explanation is Business. There was once an H-1A visa for foreign registered nurses, but it was discontinued in 1997. Nurses now also fall under H-1B, meaning H-1A no longer exists.

The H-2 category is further divided:

• H-2A: Agricultural workers

• H-2B: Non-agricultural labor (e.g., factory jobs)

So overall, H-1 and H-2 distinguish between skilled and less-skilled roles, while the A/B subcategories further specify the job type.

Let’s also look at the O series:

• O1: Extraordinary ability talent

• O2: Assistant/support staff for O1

• O3: Spouse/dependents of O1

And E visas:

• E1: Treaty trader

• E2: Treaty investor

• E3: Specialized visa for Australian citizens

While U.S. visa codes generally follow identifiable patterns in letters and numbers, there are important exceptions.