P1 visa symbol meaning.

What P1 means in 22 CFR 41.12

Section 41.12 of Title 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations is titled “Classification symbols”. It opens: “A nonimmigrant visa issued to an applicant within one of the classes described in this section shall bear an appropriate visa symbol to show its classification. The symbol shall be inserted in the space provided on the visa.” Table 1 to that section then lists each symbol with its class and the section of law. The row for P1 is:

The statute behind the symbol

The “section of law” column points to the Immigration and Nationality Act. Most rows cite INA 101(a)(15), codified at 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15), the definition of “immigrant”, which lists the classes of nonimmigrant aliens by letter and begins: “The term “immigrant” means every alien except an alien who is within one of the following classes of nonimmigrant aliens”.

The P1 row cites INA 101(a)(15)(P)(i). Subparagraph (P) begins with the foreign-residence phrase and then lists four clauses. Clause (i) reads:

“an alien having a foreign residence which the alien has no intention of abandoning who— (i) (a) is described in section 1184(c)(4)(A) of this title (relating to athletes), or (b) is described in section 1184(c)(4)(B) of this title (relating to entertainment groups);”

Source: INA 101(a)(15)(P)(i)

Reading the P1 row against its neighbours

Clause (i) does not define an athlete or an entertainment group in its own words. It points to two other provisions, “section 1184(c)(4)(A) of this title (relating to athletes)” and “section 1184(c)(4)(B) of this title (relating to entertainment groups)”. We did not read those provisions for this page, so the table label (“Internationally Recognized Athlete or Member of Internationally Recognized Entertainment Group”) is all that Table 1 and this page can tell you.

The other P rows are P2 (Artist or Entertainer in a Reciprocal Exchange Program, clause (ii)), P3 (Artist or Entertainer in a Culturally Unique Program, clause (iii)) and P4 (Spouse or Child of P1, P2, or P3, clause (iv)). Clause (ii) concerns a “reciprocal exchange program which is between an organization or organizations in the United States and an organization or organizations in one or more foreign states”. Clause (iii) concerns a program that is “culturally unique”.

The statute’s clause (iv) is the family clause. It covers “the spouse or child of an alien described in clause (i), (ii), or (iii)” who is “accompanying, or following to join, the alien”, which is why the single P4 row appears in the table for all three principal classes.

What this page does not tell you

A visa symbol is a label. Table 1 says what each class is called and where the classification comes from in law. It says nothing about who qualifies, what evidence is needed, how long anyone may stay, whether work is allowed or what an application costs. Those answers sit in other regulations and in agency guidance and they change, so use the lookup above to read the label and then take the question to the State Department’s visa pages (travel.state.gov, which blocked automated reading on November 2, 2026, so we have not cited its contents) or a licensed immigration attorney.

For other codes seen on immigration paperwork, see the EAD category code lookup, which covers a different code set, and the I-94 number format checker.

• O1 visa symbol meaning: O1, the symbol for a worker with extraordinary ability, which includes athletics.

Sources

Sources opened and read November 2, 2026.

• eCFR: 22 CFR 41.12 Classification symbols, Table 1 (current text; last amended 2023-09-12 per the eCFR version history) (read November 2, 2026)
• eCFR renderer API, the same section as machine-readable text (read November 2, 2026)
• Cornell Legal Information Institute: 8 U.S.C. 1101, definitions, subsection (a)(15) (read November 2, 2026)