What is a visa ?

Updated Mar. 24, 2026Refreshed annually
The O-2 visa is a nonimmigrant visa issued for work. Nonimmigrant visas are admitted for people who intend to stay in the US temporarily. O-2 visas accounted for 0.13% of all issued visas in FY 2024.
In FY 2024,

13.9K

visas issued by the US were O-2 visas

The O-2 visa is designated for individuals who provide essential support to certain O-1 visa holders, specifically those in the performing arts, motion picture, or television industries. To qualify, the support person must have a longstanding and critical working relationship with the O-1 holder. The visa allows these support personnel to accompany the O-1 holder to the United States to assist in their professional activities.

The length of stay for an O-2 visa is typically tied to the duration of the O-1 visa holder's stay. Extensions are possible as long as the O-1 visa holder maintains their status and continues to require the support of the O-2 visa holder.

The State Department does not maintain a cap on O-2 visas.

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

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USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.