Evidence of visa. Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, a nonimmigrant visa shall be evidenced by a physical visa placed in the alien's passport or by an electronic visa located in the Department's records. The appropriate symbol as prescribed in § 41.12, showing the classification of the alien, shall be entered on the visa.

Cases in which a physical visa is not placed in passport. In the following cases a physical visa shall be placed on the prescribed Form DS-232. In issuing such a visa, a notation shall be made on the Form DS-232 on which the visa is placed, specifying the pertinent subparagraph of this paragraph under which the action is taken.

The alien's passport was issued by a government with which the United States does not have formal diplomatic relations, unless the Department has specifically authorized the placing of the visa in such passport;

The passport requirement has been waived; or

In other cases as authorized by the Department.

Visa format. A machine-readable visa shall be in the format designated by the Department, and contain, at a minimum, the following data:

Full name of the applicant;

Visa type/class;

Location of the visa issuing office;

Passport number;

Sex;

Date of birth;

Nationality;

Number of applications for admission authorized, or the letter “M” for multiple applications for admission authorized;

Date of issuance;

Date of expiration;

Visa control number.

Insertion of name, petition, and derivative status notation. (1) The surname and given name of the visa recipient shall be shown on the visa in the space provided.

If the visa is being issued upon the basis of a petition approved by the Secretary of Homeland Security, the number of the petition, if any, the period for which the 'alien's admission has been authorized, and the name of the petitioner shall be reflected in the annotation field on the visa.

In the case of an alien who derives status from a principal alien, the name of the principal alien and of the petitioner shall be reflected in the annotation field of the visa.

Period of validity. If a nonimmigrant visa is issued for an unlimited number of applications for admission within the period of validity, the letter “M” shall be shown under the word “entries”. Otherwise the number of permitted applications for admission shall be identified numerically. The date of issuance and the date of expiration of the visa shall be shown at the appropriate places in the visa by day, month, and year in that order. The standard three letter abbreviation for the month shall be used in all cases.

Restriction to specified port(s) of entry. If a nonimmigrant visa is valid for admission only at one or more specified ports of entry, the names of those ports shall be entered in the annotation field. In cases where there is insufficient room to list the port(s) of entry, they shall be listed by hand on a clean passport page. Reference shall be made in the visa's annotation field citing the passport page upon which the port(s) of entry are listed.

Delivery of visa. In issuing a nonimmigrant visa, the consular officer should deliver the passport containing the visa, or the prescribed Form DS-232 which bears the visa, to the alien or to the alien's authorized representative. Any relevant evidence furnished by the alien in accordance with § 41.103(b) should be retained, as required or necessary.

Disposition of supporting documents. Original supporting documents furnished by the alien should be returned for presentation, if necessary, to the immigration authorities at the port of entry. Duplicate copies may be retained in the consular system, as required or necessary.

Review of nonimmigrant visa issuances. Nonimmigrant visa issuances must be reviewed, in accordance with guidance by the Secretary of State, by consular supervisors, or a designated alternate, to ensure compliance with applicable laws and procedures.