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Explore visasDS-160Overview

N-8 / N-9Family of certain special immigrants (international organizations, NATO)

For certain parents and children of people who became permanent residents as international organization or NATO special immigrants (classes SK and SN).

At a glance

How you apply
For an N visa, you apply at a U.S. embassy or consulate; State Department guidance describes a visa interview. N visas are nonimmigrant (temporary) visas, but that guidance says they are processed similarly to immigrant visas. The consular officer must verify that you have a qualifying family relationship with a person who became a permanent resident (got a green card) as an SK or SN special immigrant
Checked Oct 18, 2026[1,2]
How long you can stay
Up to three years per admission, with extensions of up to three years at a time. N status ends on the date the child it depends on no longer counts as a child (unmarried and under 21)
Checked Oct 18, 2026[2,3]
Can family come
Your children can, as N-9: the children of an N-8 parent qualify, each for as long as they remain a child (unmarried and under 21). See Who qualifies
Checked Oct 18, 2026[2,3]
Can you work
Yes, with no restrictions on location or type of job; permission to work comes with N status. The card that shows it is an Employment Authorization Document (EAD), applied for on Form I-765. The EAD rule's N class, (a)(7), and the fee schedule's no-fee first EAD are worded for N-8 and N-9 relatives of the international organization (SK) group and do not mention the NATO (SN) group, so if your N status comes through SN, confirm with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) which EAD category and fee apply. See Staying, extending and working
Checked Oct 22, 2026[3,4,5]
Visa fee
22 CFR 22.1 does not name N visas. Its application fee for a nonimmigrant visa that is not based on a petition (other than E visas) is $185, and N is not among the classes it exempts, so that fee appears to apply. A visa issuance (reciprocity) fee may also apply, depending on your nationality. Confirm the amount with the embassy or consulate. See Fees Interpretation
Checked Oct 18, 2026[6]

What N-8 and N-9 are

High confidence N-8 and N-9 are nonimmigrant (temporary) classifications in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The State Department says the law created them to minimize family separations when certain parents and children of special immigrants are not eligible for special immigrant status themselves. They are tied to two groups of special immigrants who became permanent residents. The first group comes from certain international organizations (INA 101(a)(27)(I), visa symbols SK1 to SK4): retired officers and employees, their spouses, unmarried sons and daughters of current or former officers and employees, and surviving spouses of deceased officers and employees. The second is the parallel group for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), where NATO takes the place of the international organization and NATO-6 civilian status takes the place of G-4, the nonimmigrant status for international organization officers, employees and their immediate family (INA 101(a)(27)(L), symbols SN1 to SN4). Both groups are employment-based fourth preference (EB-4) special immigrants.[2,7,8,9,10]

Official N visa symbols, from 22 CFR 41.12 (eCFR current as of Oct. 1, 2026)
SymbolClassSection of law
N8Parent of an Individual Classified by DHS as SK3 or SN3INA 101(a)(15)(N)(i)
N9Child of N8 or of Individual Classified by DHS as SK1, SK2, SK4, SN1, SN2 or SN4INA 101(a)(15)(N)(ii)
Checked Oct 18, 2026[9]
The special immigrant classes N status is tied to: symbols and classes from 22 CFR 42.11; the last column follows the N8 and N9 definitions in 22 CFR 41.12 (eCFR current as of Oct. 1, 2026). Each section of law is listed together with INA 203(b)(4).
SymbolClassSection of lawFamily member who can get N status
SK1Retired International Organization EmployeeINA 101(a)(27)(I)(iii)Child (N-9)
SK2Spouse of SK1INA 101(a)(27)(I)(iv)Child (N-9)
SK3Unmarried Son or Daughter of SK1INA 101(a)(27)(I)(i)Parent (N-8)
SK4Surviving Spouse of a Deceased International Organization EmployeeINA 101(a)(27)(I)(ii)Child (N-9)
SN1Retired NATO6 Civilian EmployeeINA 101(a)(27)(L)Child (N-9)
SN2Spouse of SN1INA 101(a)(27)(L)Child (N-9)
SN3Unmarried Son or Daughter of SN1INA 101(a)(27)(L)Parent (N-8)
SN4Surviving Spouse of Deceased NATO6 Civilian EmployeeINA 101(a)(27)(L)Child (N-9)
Checked Oct 18, 2026[8,9]

Who qualifies

  • N-8 (parent): the parent of a person who became a permanent resident as the unmarried son or daughter of a current or former international organization officer or employee (SK3), or under the parallel NATO rule (SN3), but only if and while that son or daughter is still a child, meaning unmarried and under 21.[2,3,7]
  • N-9 (child): a child of an N-8 parent, or a child of a retired international organization officer or employee (SK1), of that person's spouse (SK2) or of the surviving spouse of a deceased officer or employee (SK4), or of the NATO equivalents (SN1, SN2, SN4). Each child can hold N-9 status only for as long as they remain a child. In the law's definition (INA 101(b)(1)), a child is an unmarried person under 21 who also fits one of the listed relationships, such as a child born in wedlock, a stepchild (the marriage creating the stepchild relationship must have happened before the child turned 18) or an adopted child (in general, adopted before age 16 and in the legal custody of, and living with, the adoptive parent or parents for at least two years).[3,7,9]

What the consular officer checks

  • Proof of your family relationship to the SK or SN special immigrant, through verifiable civil documents such as birth certificates.[2]
  • Proof of your relative's SK or SN status. If your relative comes with you to the visa interview, the officer can verify it from their Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551) or from a passport with a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) endorsement showing lawful admission for permanent residence. If your relative does not come, you give their name, date and place of birth and/or alien registration number (A-number), and the officer checks government records; if the officer cannot confirm that your relative currently holds SK or SN status, the officer asks a USCIS liaison officer for help.[2]
  • If you are applying as the child of an N-8 parent (deriving status from an N principal applicant), the parent's N status is verified through routine steps; for example, the officer can confirm the parent's N visa with the post that issued it, the parent can come with you, or you can present a copy of the parent's passport and N visa.[2]

Staying, extending and working

Each admission in N status is for no more than three years, and extensions are granted in increments of up to three years. To stay beyond your authorized period of admission, you must apply for an extension of stay in the manner and on the form USCIS prescribes, with the required fees. N status ends on the date the child it is based on no longer qualifies as a child: for an N-8 parent, the special immigrant son or daughter; for an N-9, the N-9 child.[2,3,11]

Fees

USCIS amounts from Form G-1055, edition 10/07/26, and 8 CFR 106.2 (eCFR current as of Oct. 1, 2026). Paper and online filing have different USCIS fees.
ItemAmountNotes
Form I-765, first work permit card (EAD), category (a)(7) for N-8 or N-9$08 CFR 106.2 and the fee schedule word this group as N-8 (parent of an SK3) and N-9 (child of an N-8)
Form I-765, renewal or replacement EAD$520 paper / $470 onlineN-8 and N-9 are not on the no-fee lists for renewal or replacement cards. A replacement for a card that has incorrect information because of a USCIS error, or that never arrived because of a USCIS or U.S. Postal Service error, has no fee
High confidenceChecked Oct 18, 2026[5,12]
State Department visa fees from 22 CFR 22.1 (eCFR current as of Oct. 1, 2026). 22 CFR 22.1 does not name N visas; the amounts below are our reading of its categories.
ItemAmountNotes
Visa application fee (State Department)$185 per personThe fee for a nonimmigrant visa that is not based on a petition (other than E visas). 22 CFR 22.1 sets separate fees for H, L, O, P, Q, R, E and K visas and exempts A, G, C-3, NATO and diplomatic visas, among others; neither list names N. Confirm the amount with the embassy or consulate
Visa issuance fee (reciprocity fee)Depends on your nationality (set on a reciprocal basis)Visa applicant, if one applies to your nationality
InterpretationChecked Oct 18, 2026[6]

N status and a later green card

Time in N status can count toward a green card in two of the special immigrant groups. An unmarried son or daughter of a current or former international organization officer or employee (SK3) qualifies only if, while maintaining G-4 or N status, they resided and were physically present in the United States for at least half of the seven years before applying for a visa or adjustment of status, and for a total of at least seven years between the ages of 5 and 21, and they apply no later than their 25th birthday. A surviving spouse (SK4) has the same half-of-seven-years rule, plus a total of at least 15 years of residence and physical presence before the officer's or employee's death, and the petition (Form I-360) must be filed no later than six months after the death. For a retired officer or employee (SK1), the law's residence rule names only G-4 status, not N status. For the NATO groups (SN), NATO-6 status takes the place of G-4. The EB-4 page explains these green card rules; an immigration attorney can apply them to your family's dates.[7,10,13]

Ask WELIVEINUSA Visa

Ask WELIVEINUSA Visa

Answers come from our sourced database and your own timeline, sorted into fact, public data, inference and unknown. No AI model is used in this version, so questions outside what we cover get an honest "not covered".

Questions people ask

My child got a green card as an SK3 but is now 21 or older, or married. Can I still get or keep N-8 status?

No. The law allows N-8 status for the parent only if and while the special immigrant son or daughter is a child, meaning unmarried and under 21, and N status ends on the date that son or daughter no longer qualifies as a child. This is so even though an unmarried son or daughter can apply for SK3 status up to their 25th birthday. An immigration attorney can check whether another status fits your family.[2,3,7,13]

Is an N visa the same as a NATO visa?

No. NATO-1 to NATO-7 are separate nonimmigrant classes in the State Department's classification table (22 CFR 41.12), for people connected with NATO: member-state representatives and their staff, NATO officials and experts, members of forces and civilian components under the NATO agreements, and personal employees, along with their families. N-8 and N-9 are for the parent or child of a person who has already become a permanent resident as an SK or SN special immigrant. The SN classes come from NATO-6 civilian employees: SN1 is a retired NATO-6 civilian employee, SN2 that person's spouse, SN3 their unmarried son or daughter and SN4 the surviving spouse of a deceased NATO-6 civilian employee.[8,9]

How long is an N visa valid, and is that the same as how long I can stay?

They are different. State Department guidance says an N-8 or N-9 visa has the same validity as a G-4 visa in the reciprocity schedule for your country, and your relationship and age can make it shorter. Separately, each admission in N status is for no more than three years, with extensions of up to three years at a time, and N status ends when the child it depends on is no longer a child.[2,3]

Related categories

Content last reviewed: Oct 18, 2026 · General information, not legal advice.

Sources

  1. 1.9 FAM 402.7 FIANCÉ(E) AND OTHER NIV FAMILY MEMBERS PROCESSED AS IF IMMIGRANTS – K AND N VISASU.S. Department of State (Foreign Affairs Manual) · USCIS Policy Manual · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  2. 2.9 FAM 502.7 OTHER IV AND QUASI-IV CLASSIFICATIONSU.S. Department of State (Foreign Affairs Manual) · USCIS Policy Manual · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  3. 3.8 CFR 214.2(n) - Certain parents and childreneCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  4. 4.8 CFR 274a.12 - Classes of aliens authorized to accept employmenteCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  5. 5.Fee Schedule (Form G-1055) - USCISUSCIS · Form / instructions · Checked Oct 12, 2026
  6. 6.22 CFR 22.1 - Schedule of fees for consular services (Department of State)eCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  7. 7.8 U.S.C. 1101 (INA 101) - Definitions, incl. 101(a)(15)(E), (H), (L), 101(a)(44), 101(a)(45)U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Law Revision Counsel · Statute · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  8. 8.22 CFR 42.11eCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  9. 9.22 CFR 41.12eCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  10. 10.9 FAM 502.5 SPECIAL IMMIGRANTSU.S. Department of State (Foreign Affairs Manual) · USCIS Policy Manual · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  11. 11.8 CFR 214.1 - Requirements for admission, extension, and maintenance of statuseCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  12. 12.8 CFR 106.2 - USCIS feeseCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  13. 13.Green Card for International Organization Employees - USCISUSCIS · Agency page · Checked Oct 18, 2026