Wednesday, April 30, 2008

A Simple Primer For Immigration To The United States

by Daniel Millions

In the last several years, the United State's immigration policies have become topics of much debate. Regardless of your personal opinion on the matter, there are certain truths that we must consider. U.S. Immigration policies and regulation have become more stringent for those who are seeking to visit, work or immigrate in the United States. Below, you will find some important yet basic tips for understanding and hence limiting immigration pitfalls.

There are two ways by which an individual may legally enter the United States; a non immigrant visa, which is for the purpose of a temporary stay, or an immigrant visa which is used to enter the United States permanently.

A visa is a permission given by the U.S. Government for a person to enter the United States. Visas are granted to those who are visiting the U.S. on the grounds of the purpose of the visit. The length of stay permitted will be dependent on the purpose of the beneficiary's activities in the U.S. Visas will also restrict the beneficiary's actions while visiting the United States, such as prohibiting employment or education.

There are several ways to obtain an immigrant visa, these include but are not limited to: family petitions, employment based visas, and the visa diversity lottery program. There are few exceptions such as those granted refugee status and the beneficiaries of a derivative asylee status. For those who qualify and have the financial means to do so an investment opportunity in the United States may lead to temporary or legal permanent residency.

Under the non immigrant visa track, the applicant receives a visa for a certain amount of time. If the visa is based for work or school it will be given for the amount of time needed to complete such objective. The visa has an expiration date that can be extended if circumstances change. The provision of a visa does not guarantee that the holder will be allowed to enter the United States at a given time. Certain visas based on employment and education may require an annual renewal and do not extend till the completion of the objective.

Under the immigrant visa track, the beneficiary will be granted a visa to enter the United States and that will allow them to stay until they are able to complete the process for Lawful Permanent Residence. While most immigrant visas go to family members, there are a significant amount of immigrant visas that are allowed to those entering through employment and investment visas.

Once an individual has been a legal permanent residence for over five years, they may apply to naturalize and become a United States Citizen. This process has many requirements which include a showing of good moral character.

United States immigration policies and regulations are often lengthy and complicated, the application process is expensive and errors are often irreparable. For this reason it is best to seek the advice and assistance of an attorney prior to applying for immigration benefits.

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A Simple Primer For Immigration To The United States

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Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Support And Education To Immigrants Is Supplied By The US Citizenship And Immigration Services

by Mike Selvon

Early in the year of 2003, the various services and benefit functions that were part of the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service, or the INS, were placed under the direction of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It was then renamed the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, which is also now referred to as USCIS.

The USCIS is now responsible for administering all of the functions of immigration and naturalization adjudication. As well, it is responsible for establishing the policies and priorities related to immigration services.

One of the many various functions of the newly formed US Citizenship and Immigration Services, includes providing information to those who are interested in immigrating to the United States and becoming US citizens, as well as providing resources to immigrants.

The USCIS oversees and manages all of the many functions that are related to immigration, including: processing of visa petitions by immigrants; making rulings on naturalization petitions; adjudicating applications for asylum and for refugees; arbitrating procedures and rulings that are performed at the various service centers; handling all other adjudication requirements as required by the circumstances.

The department of US Citizenship and Immigration Services is comprised of approximately fifteen thousand employees. Some are employees of the United States federal government and some are independent contractors.

Roughly speaking, this large staff works out of 250 field offices and headquarters located around the globe. They serve the needs of people from all parts of the world who are interested in emigrating from their native countries to the United States.

Part of the responsibilities of the USCIS include providing resources for potential immigrants and for the various organizations that support and serve them. In the instance of immigrants, the USCIS primarily focuses their efforts on two key periods of time in an immigrant's journey.

The time when an immigrant first becomes a permanent resident and the point at which he or she is ready to formally begin the naturalization process, which will lead them toward integration into the US culture and society.

For the newly arrived immigrant, there is a vast amount of information and resources available at the official website of the department of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, which can be located at USCIS. On this site, there is a comprehensive guide that can be downloaded. It provides practical immigration information designed to help new immigrants easily transition into the everyday lifestyle of the US.

This helpful guide is entitled "Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants," and it is available in eleven different languages. The guide also covers some basic US civics information which introduces the new immigrants to the United States system of government. This is information that they will need to learn to function well in their new country.

For those already in the process of naturalization, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services website also offers an array of educational materials in a section titled "Civics and Citizenship Study Materials." These learning resources have been provided to assist immigrants in preparing for the US citizenship test, while also encouraging additional civic education.

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

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Support And Education To Immigrants Is Supplied By The US Citizenship And Immigration Services

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Friday, April 04, 2008

US immigration and visa System

by munish

Immigration refers to the movement of people from one country to other. While the movement of people has existed throughout human history at various levels, modern immigration implies long-term, legal, permanent residence in that country. Short-term visitors and tourists are considered non-immigrants. Immigration across national borders in a way that violates the immigration laws of the destination country is termed illegal immigration.

Under this definition, an illegal immigrant is a foreigner who either illegally crossed an international political border, be it by land, water, or air, or a foreigner who legally entered a country but nevertheless overstays his/her visa in order to live and/or work therein. Among all the countries, immigrating to the United States of America is consistently one of the most popular choices for overseas nationals wishing to make a new start, further their career, or join family members overseas. With huge cultural diversity and geographical variety, applying for immigration to the USA can provide a wealth of opportunities for potential US immigrants.

A citizen of a foreign country, wishing to enter the U.S., generally must first obtain a visa, either a non-immigrant visa for temporary stay, or an immigrant visa for permanent residence. The type of visa you must have is defined by immigration law, and relates to the purpose of your travel. A visa allows you to travel to the United States as far as the port of entry (airport or land border crossing) and ask the immigration officer to allow you to enter the country. Only the immigration officer has the authority to permit you to enter the United States. He or she decides how long you can stay for any particular visit.

Immigration matters are the responsibility of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. There are two categories of U.S. visas: immigrant and non-immigrant. Immigrant visas are for people who intend to live permanently in the US. Non-immigrant visas are for people with permanent residence outside the U.S. but who wish to be in the U.S. on a temporary basis such as for tourism, medical treatment, business, temporary work or study.

Approximately 28.4 million foreign-born people live in the United States, representing 10.4 percent of the U.S. population. International visitors and immigrants add greatly to USA’s cultural, education and economic life, according to American Demographics, adding about $10 billion a year to America's economic output. More important is the contribution immigrants and their children make just by being there to provide workers and leaders for the future.

If today's immigration totals hold steady, it will account for about two-thirds of U.S. population growth over the next 50 years. Gerald Cipolla & Associates specialize in immigration attorney us , and H1B visa services. For more detail visit http://www.immigrationvisaus.com/

About the Author
Immigration refers to the movement of people from one country to other. While the movement of people has existed throughout human history at various levels, modern immigration implies long-term, legal, permanent residence in that country. Short-term visitors and tourists are considered non-immigrants. Immigration across national borders in a way that violates the immigration laws of the destination country is termed illegal immigration. Under th

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US immigration and visa System

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