If you wish information on some of the lesser used nonimmigrant visas, call your INS local office for more information. Difference between a Visa and a Status A nonimmigrant visa is something you can see and touch. It is a stamp placed on a page in your passport. Your nonimmigrant visa gives you certain privileges. One of them is the right to request entry to the U.S., and that is a primary feature of all visas.
Visas are entry documents.
There are, however, other privileges that come with visas, such as permission to work, study or invest in the U.S. Different privileges are attached to different visas. Status is the name given to the particular group of privileges you receive after being allowed to enter the U.S. with your visa. Again, different groups of privileges go with different types of statuses and visas. However, the ability to enter the U.S. is not part of the status. Only the visa itself will give you the right to enter the U.S. 3.