The S-5 visa is a non-immigrant

visa Visa most commonly refers to: *Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Visa Plus, an interbank network *Travel visa, a document that allows ...

which allows travel to

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

for individuals who are witnesses, informants, or otherwise supplying information regarding a criminal organization and whose presence in the US is necessary for

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. The term ...

to pursue investigation or prosecution. The S visa class, including the S-5 and S-6 visas, was created in 1994 by the

Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, commonly referred to as the 1994 Crime Bill, the Clinton Crime Bill, or the Biden Crime Law, is an Act of Congress dealing with crime and law enforcement; it became law in 1994. It is ...

. An individual admitted on an S-5 may stay for a period of up to three years, must report their whereabouts to the

US Attorney General The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

quarterly, must not be convicted of a crime punishable by more than a year in prison, and must waive their right to contest deportation. Once a person admitted under an S visa has completed the terms of their classification, a federal or state law enforcement agency or the US Attorney General may submit an application for permanent residence on their behalf. The S-5 visa was created by

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

on October 1 2001 in response to the

September 11 terrorist attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerci ...

References

External links

8 CFR 214.2 (m)
Link to Title 8, Code of Federal Regulations.
Visa wait times
Visa wait times at consulates around the world United States visas by type {{US-law-stub