Overview : G Visas for Representatives of International Organizations
Posted Jan 01, 2001

This article is another in our MurthyBulletin series presenting an overview of U.S. immigration law. We continue with the nonimmigrant (temporary) visa categories, the next one being the "G" classification: foreign nationals identified with certain international organizations, and their dependents.

Designated International Organizations :

The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) grants G status to aliens who are associated with international organizations that are recognized by an Executive Order of the President. The following organizations have been designated for this purpose: African Development Bank; African Development Fund; Asian Development Bank; Caribbean Organization (formerly Caribbean Commission); Commission for the Study of Alternatives to the Panama Canal; Commission for Environmental Cooperation; Commission for Labor Cooperation; Border Environmental Cooperation Commission; North American Development Bank; Customs Cooperation Council; European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; European Space Agency (formerly European Space Research Organization); Food and Agriculture Organization; Great Lakes Fishery Commission; Inter-American Defense Board; Inter-American Development Bank; Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (formerly Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences); Inter-American Investment Corporation; Inter-American Statistical Institute; Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission; Intergovernmental Committee for Migration (ICM) (formerly Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM)); Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization; International Atomic Energy Agency; International Bank for Reconstruction and Development; International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico; International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes; International Civil Aviation Organization; International Coffee Organization; International Committee of the Red Cross; International Cotton Advisory Committee; International Criminal Police Organization; International Development Association; International Fertilizer Development Center; International Finance Corporation; International Food Policy Research Institute; International Hydrographic Bureau; International Institute for Cotton; International Joint Commission-United States and Canada; International Labor Organization; International Maritime Satellite Organization; International Monetary Fund; International Organization for Migration (formerly Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration); International Pacific Halibut Commission; International Secretariat for Volunteer Service; International Telecommunications Satellite Organization; International Telecommunication Union; International Wheat Council; Multinational Force and Observers; Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency; North Pacific Anadromous Fish Mission; North Pacific Marine Science Organization; Organization of African Unity; Organization of American States (includes Pan American Union); Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development; Pacific Salmon Commission; Pan American Health Organization (includes Pan American Sanitary Bureau); South Pacific Commission; United International Bureau for the Protection of Intellectual Property; United Nations; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizations; United Nations Industrial Development Organization; Universal Postal Union; World Health Organization; World Meteorological Organization; World Intellectual Property Organization; and World Tourism Organization.

G Categories :

Aliens in the G category can enter the United States to perform duties relating to the above-mentioned international organizations and agreements. G status is further divided into the following categories:

G-1 - Principal resident representatives of a recognized foreign member government to an international organization, their staffs, and members of their immediate families.

G-2 - Other representatives of a recognized foreign member government to an international organization, and members of their immediate families.

G-3 - Representatives of a non-recognized or nonmember foreign government to an international organization, and members of their immediate families.

G-4 - International organization officers or employees, and members of their immediate families.

G-5 - Attendants, servants, or personal employees of G-1, G-2, G-3 and G-4 classes, and members of their immediate families.

"Immediate family'' includes persons who are closely related to the principal alien by blood, marriage or adoption, and who reside regularly in the alien's household. (In contrast, for most other visa categories, only spouses and minor children (under 21) can obtain dependent status.) "Attendants" are individuals who are paid from public funds of the foreign government or the international organizations, and accompany or follow the principal G visa holder, to whom they owe a duty or service. However, "Servants'' and "personal employees'' are paid from the principal's private funds and are employed solely in a domestic or personal capacity.

Eligibility for G Classification :

In order to be eligible for G classification, the principal applicant must be coming to the United States in pursuance of official duties and not on personal business or pleasure. 

Terms of Admission :

International organization visa holders in the G-1 to G-4 classifications are admitted without time limitation and are permitted to remain as long as the Secretary of State continues to recognize them as members of this class. There is no requirement that they must have a foreign residence to which they intend to return.

Attendants, servants, and personal employees, who are grouped under the G-5 category, are usually admitted initially for a period not exceeding three years. However, they may apply for extensions in two-year increments by attaching a written statement from the principal describing the current status and intended employment of the applicant.

Employment Authorization for Spouses and Dependents of G Visa Holders:

Employment by family members of G visa holders may be considered a violation of status, unless permission is obtained as follows. Dependents of G-1 and G-3 foreign nationals may apply for permission to work if there is a reciprocal work arrangement between the United States and the principal's state of nationality. However, a G-4 dependent of an officer or employee of an international organization may obtain approval to accept employment whether or not there is any such reciprocal work agreement in force.