Some Basic Facts About US Immigration

by Mike Selvon

The statistics say that each year there are more people who decide to leave their homeland and make their way to America for the purpose of immigrating. However, if you are interested in US immigration, it is a good idea to take a bit of time to learn about the process before starting on your journey.

Each year there are also movies and other media that can make it seem like something that is exciting, glamorous and downright simple. But, the reality can be considerably different than the Hollywood portrayals. It should be remembered that there is also a good deal of controversy surrounding emigration, especially from certain countries and certain parts of the world.

It is easy to get excited about the prospect of immigrating to America. Before making a final decision to go through with US immigration, be sure to seek out good information, advice and input from others, so that you know what the entire process entails.

It is simply not for everyone, as much as some people would like to think it is. In order to be assimilated into the United States as an immigrant, some people discover that it is much more difficult to leave their home country behind, as well as family, culture, tradition and national pride.

It is a costly matter and many people find that it is just too expensive to be able to emigrate to America. The fees required to submit the necessary forms to start the process have recently been raised.

For example, Form I-130 Petition is the form to use for an alien relative and costs $355 USD to submit, while the Form I-485 Register Permanent Residence costs $930 USD to file and a filing for the adjustment of status is the same. These and the many other required fees add up quickly, often making it prohibitive for many people to even get the process of US immigration started.

Some people find the process so intimidating, especially if there is a language barrier, that they seek out immigration help from a US immigration attorney. While such an attorney can often help to speed up and smooth out the process, the cost to retain an attorney for help with US immigration is often not an option for many.

Unless you plan to be emigrating with your complete family or at least those in your immediate family, it can end up being a wrenching experience, especially if you come from a close-knit family. For those who are accustomed to seeing their extended family members regularly, US immigration can be a very emotionally difficult undertaking.

Instead of being nearby for frequent family gatherings, when you move abroad the expense of travel often limits family interaction significantly.

If emigrating from a non-English speaking country, life in the US might be more challenging unless you are already very comfortable with the English language. Knowing at least some basics in English will definitely help you assimilate into the culture more quickly, should you decide that US immigration is the right step for you.

About the Author
Everyone wants a US Citizenship, and Mike Selvon's portal will expand your knowledge on the US immigration basics. Visit us and leave a comment at our immigration to us blog where a free gift awaits you.

US Immigration And Customs Enforcement Agency Has Broad Investigative Powers

by Mike Selvon

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement service, also called ICE, has recently become the investigative department that is by far the largest such unit and is a component of the Department of Homeland Security, or the DHS. One of the main responsibilities of ICE is to find the vulnerable areas of the US borders, eliminate the problems and make the borders as secure as possible.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is also responsible for much of the security associated with the US borders in aspects of economics, transportation issues and the overall security of the infrastructure.

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is also responsible for enforcing approximately 400 federal statues inside of the US borders. As well, it has agent attaches who are posted at all of the primary United States embassies overseas.

Because of this and the US immigration policies, ICE and the special agents of the agency, are considered to be empowered with the broadest investigative authority that exists within the US federal government.

The mission statement of ICE is to protect the United States of America and to uphold the public safety by identifying and targeting the money, people and/or materials that are used in support of both terrorist and criminal activity within the US. The ICE agency motto is, "Integrity, Courage and Excellence."

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is under the direction of an Assistant Secretary. This position is by appointment and considered a sub-cabinet level.

The ICE Assistant Secretary is appointed by the President of the United States and then must be confirmed by a vote of the US Senate. Therefore, he or she reports to and is under the direction of the Secretary of Homeland Security.

ICE was formed under the provisions of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 which was passed after the tragic events of September 11, 2001. When the Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, was formed in accordance with the Homeland Security Act, all of the functions and authority of several different revenue and border enforcement agencies were brought together and rebuilt as the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

As a result of this restructuring, ICE is the investigative arm of the DHS. It is the largest in manpower and resources and it is also the second largest contingent of support and contribution to the efforts of the Unites States' Joint Terrorism Task Force, second only to the contributions of the FBI.

Because of the way the various agencies were restructured under the new DHS, the newly formed ICE is now made up of intelligence resources from the US Customs Service, combined with the law enforcement functions of the Immigration and naturalization Service and the US Federal Protective Service. As a result, ICE is now responsible for protecting all federal government buildings within the borders of the United States.

Since the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement department has been given such a huge law enforcement responsibility and with such board authority that it has, the hiring process for new agents is competitive and rigorous, and the standards are very high.

About the Author
Everyone wants a US Citizenship, and Mike Selvon's portal will expand your knowledge on the US immigration and customs agency. Visit us and leave a comment at our immigration to us blog where a free gift awaits you.

Immigration Research (II)

By: Dave Lympany

A huge step forward is to identify the area you wish to settle in and then tie in your (and your partners) skills to see if any of the local industry is likely to hire you. You can easily research any of the local companies by using the yellow pages (link), town/city chamber of commerce and the main job searching sites and see who is in commutable distance and whether they are likely to be hiring. If the area of your dreams does not have the industry that applies to your skills is there anything you can offer the companies that are there or do you need to change your plans and move to where the work is?To be honest, we moved to the area of our dreams and now I have a lengthy commute to work – this becomes an issue in the winter and provides a longer work day.

Would I change it? No, but I think plenty of other people would.All this is in YOUR control before you move and forewarned is forearmed as they say. It is always better to know what lies ahead, if your qualifications transfer (do you have to retrain) will there be a chance of work in my chosen profession. Etc. so you can plan for it. Once you have moved, you are at the mercy of the local job market and if your settling funds diminish as fast as ours did then it won’t take long for the panic to set in!!Another vital aspect of your move is the budget – the chances are you will be selling most of your possessions and moving with your life savings. Choose a conservative exchange rate to work out your settling funds and make sure you account for all of your expenses to move (legal fees for house sales/purchases, shipping/storage, house deposits, replacement of goods you sold to move, flights, hotels, pet shipping costs, rented accommodation, insurance.)

This is where your research will pay extra dividends. If you know the area you want to settle in, housing costs, local taxes, which are the most likely employers and what they are paying, then you can fairly accurately forecast your budget. The following table demonstrates our average monthly outgoings for an 1800 square foot family house:Life insurance ($250,000 on each parent) = $60Pet Insurance (for a Dog) = $30Local taxes (approx 1% of house value) = $215Cell Phone (family plan 2 phones) = $55Local town bill (water, recycling, sewage) = $65Gas (heating + hot water) = $75Electric (power and cooking) = $70House phone (long distance + features) = $80Cable TV and high speed internet = $110.00Total monthly = $760.00

Then add your mortgage/rent (allow $1,000 for a family house) and living costs (family of four about $250 per week) and it soon adds up. Your wages will see the Canadian Pension Plan, EI and federal/Provincial taxes deducted along with any Provincial healthcare premium that may be applicable. Total deductions will be around 45% of your salary (depending upon the Province you move to) so always bear that in mind too. This is a conservative estimate with everything rounded up but is an honest picture of the level of outgoings you can expect to see. Add in activity costs if you have kids - hockey equipment is expensive with the season ice fees normally in excess of $500.00 and you see the picture.

This is an illustration based upon our experience and will be different for each area – believe me, the effort involved with this research will pay you back and then some!!!More detailed information and links to great resources can be found at http://www.onestopimmigration-canada.com/immigration.html

About the Author:
The author immigrated to Canada in 2003 and has constructed a free information website http://www.onestopimmigration-canada.com about Canadian Immigration and life in Canada based on his family’s experiences.

Immigration Research (I)

By: Dave Lympany

Probably the most important question and possibly the hardest to answer is “is this the right thing to do”?

This, of course, is the question only YOU can answer and it depends a lot on your family. If you’re single then there are your parents, siblings, and other close family and friends you may miss who have to be informed. If your married (or separated) with a family then it’s a totally different scenario. If your kids are old enough to understand then they have to be fully informed and you have to listen to them. Both partners need to be 100% committed to the idea – a half hearted attempt or negative attitude will make the transition even harder.

This is a deeply personal subject and we experienced it first hand. Before we had kids we had visited Canada and I wanted to go for it – my wife wasn’t sure and didn’t want to leave her parents. About 3 years later after another visit to a different part of the country everything changed, we had a son and the town that was visited was everything we had dreamed of to raise our kids. The lifestyle available was vastly superior to the way we were living and obtainable by ordinary people. My wife came back to the UK and announced that she was 100% behind a move and we set the ball rolling straight away – the rest they say is history!!!!

So, once you are all in agreement, then you are past the first step. The real “fun” starts here!!You need to consider your options very carefully -which Visa class do you qualify to apply for and if there is more than one that fits, which is the best for you? In Canada there are 6 standard classes of visa and then a seventh separate class if you are applying to live in Quebec. All of the main 6 visa types are administered by the Citizen and Immigration Canada (CIC) department which was established in 1994 to handle all the Citizenship and Immigration procedures. Quebec runs its own immigration system!Read each of the types of visa and go through them in great detail – always err on the side of caution and be conservative in your assessment of your case. I was applying for the skilled worker class under the old system (70 points – the latest system is a pass mark of 67) and assumed that with my wife’s sister living in Canada (married to a Canadian) I would score an extra 5 points and bring my total to 74.

After several months of assumptions I checked it and found that I wouldn’t be entitled to the points and so failed to meet the pass mark. Then we hired Kerry Martin of Access Migration to act on our behalf and she eventually secured the permanent residency for us.The skilled worker class is by far the most popular choice of application and is currently taking 18 – 24 months for applications to be processed. (This is always changing so check www. For the up to date info) The CIC site has an excellent self assessment tool for you to use – if you pass easily then you shouldn’t have a problem with the application. If you don’t reach the pass mark or are close/don’t want to do it on your own; then I would recommend hiring an Immigration professional (Lawyer or consultant). Do ensure they are registered with the CSIC AND in good standing before you hire anybody to represent you. Both Kerry Martin and Phil Mooney offer free, no obligation assessments and are qualified consultants registered with the CSIC. Kerry can only represent UK nationals and Phil offers his services to clients worldwide.

If you are short of points there are several ways of earning more – learning second language skills (English or French) is possibly the quickest method. Gaining work experience will take the appropriate number of years as will any educational improvements you may need. Definitely don’t submit your application until it is complete and check it over several times to avoid submitting an application with mistakes. They will most likely be found and will then delay your application while they are sorted out.

Always give EVERYTHING that you are asked to provide and to be honest try to give more – extra evidence of work history, personal character references, other qualifications or skills – to give too much info shouldn’t affect the application, not enough definitely will!!

Okay, you have chosen the visa, compiled the application and submitted it – what next? Well, depending upon the type of visa you have applied for you can check the CIC website for the approximate processing times and see how long you have to wait. This time could be several years so you can spend it very proactively and improve your chances of a successful resettlement.

If your educational levels are in need of a boost you would be able to complete some fairly high level courses in 2 years. The major problem is that whatever course you do – make sure it can be transferred to Canada. The chances are the process will be lengthy with a fair chance it won’t work. The best option would be to enroll on internet courses with Canadian colleges – then the resulting qualification is Canadian.Another option is to learn new skills (typing. Welding, electrics, auto maintenance) most skilled trades are in very short supply in Canada and even if it isn’t your chosen career, they pay well and would give you an excellent start in the Canadian workforce. It is always easier to find the career you want from a well paid job. It is most unlikely that your trade skills will transfer directly across to the Canadian system as there are separate legislative/licensing agencies for most trades across each Province so expect to have to retrain and/or sit exams prior to be allowed to work in that profession.