| J-1 Professor, Research Scholar, Short-Term Scholar | Postdocs, research associates, visiting professors | Fast, inexpensive, dependents may work with authorization from USCIS. | May be subject to two-year home residency requirement or bars on repeat participation. | Typically 8 weeks or more. | Short-term scholar up to six months; Professor/Research Scholar up to five years. | $400 |
| J-1 Student Intern | Undergrads at an institution outside the U.S. visiting CSU to complete a required internship. | Fairly fast and inexpensive, permits employment of the student intern. | A bit more paperwork than other J-1 categories. | Typically 8 weeks or more. | Up to one year | $400 |
| J-2 | Dependent of an individual holding J-1 status | May engage in part-time or full-time study. Eligible to apply to USCIS for work authorization. | May be subject to two-year home residency requirement or bars on repeat participation. | Typically 8 weeks or more. | Limited in duration to length of J-1’s program. | $0 |
| H-1B Temporary Worker in a Specialty Occupation | Professional research staff and faculty. | May study if incidental to the primary purpose of the stay while maintaining valid status. | Longer process; more expensive. Employment permitted only with the petitioning organization through whom the visa classification was obtained. | Typically many months; can be expedited by paying an extra fee to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. | Three years initially; six years maximum. | $2460 - $4960 |
| H-4 | Dependent of individual in H-1B status | May engage in part-time or full-time study. | Not typically eligible for work authorization. | Processing time closely associated with the processing time for H-1B. | Three years initially; six years maximum | Costs typically paid by the H-1B employee. |
| B1/B2 | Visitor for business or tourism. | May be in the U.S. for a short period of time to engage in business activities, attend a conference, or for recreational purposes. | Employment is not permitted. An academic institution may pay an honorarium for academic activity lasting not longer than nine days at any single institution. | Typically just a matter of weeks depending on visa appointment wait time and processing time in the home country. | Up to six months. | Costs typically paid by the visitor. |
| Visa Waiver | Visitor for business or tourism. | Fast and inexpensive; May visit the U.S. for a short period of time to engage in business or tourism. | Only available to citizens of certain countries designated by the U.S. Department of State. Travel requires pre- registration in ESTA. | Pre-registration required only days before travel. | Up to 90 days. No extensions of stay or changes of status allowed. | Costs typically paid by the visitor. |
| TN | Professional staff and faculty | Fairly fast and inexpensive. May engage in incidental study while maintaining TN status. | Only available to citizens of Canada or Mexico and allows employment only in certain designated occupations. | Status conveyed when entering through a U.S. port of entry. | Up to three years; extendable. | Costs typically paid by the TN employee. |
| TD | Dependent of TN | May engage in part- or full-time study. | Not permitted to be employed in the United States. | Status conveyed when entering through a U.S. port of entry. | Up to three years; extendable | Costs typically paid by the TN employee. |
| E-3 | Professional staff and faculty | Fairly fast. Less expensive than other employment visas. | Only available to citizens of Australia. | Typically just a matter of weeks. Highly dependent on visa appointment wait time and processing time at the local U.S. Consulate. | Up to two years; extendable. | $250 if applying from abroad; $1960 if applying to extend or change status to E-3 in the U.S. |
| E-3D dependent | Dependent of E-3 employee | May engage in part- or full-time study. | | Processing time closely associated with the processing time for E-3 | Up to two years; extendable | Costs typically paid by the E-3 employee |
| O-1 | Professional staff and faculty | Can be a useful option when H-1B isn’t otherwise possible. | Requires documentation of extraordinary ability. Employment permitted only with the petitioning organization through whom the visa classification was obtained. | Typically many months; can be expedited by paying an extra fee to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. | Up to three years; extendable in one-year increments. | $1960 - $4460 |
| O-3 | Dependent of O-1 | May engage in part-time or full-time study. | Not permitted to be employed in the United States. | Processing time closely associated with the processing time for O-1 | Up to three years; extendable in one-year increments. | Costs typically paid by the O-1 employee |
