The U.S. has a high immigration rate as compared to other countries. Almost 40 million immigrants are living in the United States. U.S. immigration has its own rules and regulations. U.S. government allows people to immigrate from other countries on some principles like people with skills that are useful for the U.S. economy, allowing family members to live together, giving shelter to refugees, etc. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) is an immigration law policy that provides the guidelines for immigration. Almost 675,000 immigration visas are accepted by INA each year and there is no annual limit of accepting spouses, parents, and children visas. U.S. president decides the number of refugees to be accepted in the U.S. with the help of Congressmen. You can become a lawful permanent resident (LPR) of the U.S. by getting a U.S. immigrant visa and people already living in the U.S. can apply for “adjustment of status” to get citizenship. After becoming LPR, you can apply for any available job. You need to complete 3 to 5 years in the U.S. for citizenship. You can only obtain citizenship after becoming a lawful permanent resident. Non-immigrant visas (student visas or tourist visas, etc.) are also accepted by the U.S. government every year. You can apply for U.S. immigration under the following conditions.
Immigration of Family members
According to INA, if you are a U.S. citizen or LPR then you can apply for a U.S. visa for your certain family members. INA grants unlimited immigrant visas for immediate relatives of LPRs and U.S. citizens. If you are a citizen or LPR of the U.S. and have enough finances to support the family then you can apply for a U.S. visa. The family member who is applying for immigration should also fulfill the eligibility criteria. Following family members can apply for U.S. immigration.
1. Parents of the citizen
2. Minor Children of the citizen
3. Spouses of the citizen
If you have skills then the U.S. gives you an opportunity to apply for employment or a work visa. You can get a permanent or temporary employment visa based on your work type.
INA allows employers to hire people from other countries for work. They can submit a petition for a temporary U.S. visa. Workers are allowed to work for the company that hired them. There is a different type of non-immigrant visa for temporary workers.
1. L-1 visa: This type of visa allows companies to reassign employees to different
countries.
2. R-1 visa: Religious workers can apply for R-1 visas for their temporary visits to other
countries.
3. O-1 visa: People who have extraordinary abilities or skills, can apply for an O-1 visa.
4. P visas: This type of visa allows athletes, entertainers, etc. To work in another country.
5. H visas: This type of visa is for both special and ordinary skilled people.
6. A-visas: Diplomatic employees can apply for A visas.
Eligibility criteria and duration vary according to the type of visa. If the employment is terminated or their visa expires, they have to leave the country.
INA only allows a specific number of immigrants from a country. Usually, 7% of the overall number of immigrants are allowed from each country by INA. It is not to make sure that specific countries make up 7% of immigration but it is to prevent any country from dominating the immigration flow. It allows all the countries to apply for immigration equally.
The U.S. allows a large number of refugees to immigrate every year. They cannot go back to their homelands due to persecution fear. It can be caused by their race, political or religious opinion, etc. They can get U.S. refugee protection by submitting their admission application. Their refugee status depends on the level of risk, they currently are facing or if they are a member of a special group that concerns the U.S. government. The president of the U.S. decides the number of refugees admission with the help of congressmen every year. The number of refugees admission decreased after the 9/11/2001 incident. The number of admissions returned to the previous level after president Bush incorporated new security measures and the number goes up during Obama’s presidency. The number again fell during Trump’s presidency. Asylum is for the people who are already living in the United States and need protection. They need to apply within one year of their arrival. After living for one year in the United States, refugees, and asylees both can apply for permanent residency.
If you want to become a U.S. citizen then it’s necessary to get lawful permanent resident status first and stay in the United States for 3 to 5 years depending on the circumstances. You must be 18 years old and prove continuous residency and good moral character to apply for citizenship. You also need to pass all the English and civil exams to fulfill eligibility criteria. After fulfilling the requirements, you can get citizenship by paying your application fees.
At Abid Associates Law Firm, we have a team of experts that can help you with your immigration needs. We can help you with the U.S. immigration process. Consult with us now!
info@abidassociates.com
