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When applying for U.S. immigration,
there are two main categories for visas. The first
type of visa is the Non-Immigrant or Temporary
Residence Visa while the other type is the Immigrant
Visas-Permanent Residence Visa. To be apply to
obtain any of these visas, the requirements of
the immigration authorities need to be met. The
following are several categories
To qualify one would need to satisfy certain parameters
as laid by the immigration authorities, a few
of the categories are given below:
Green
Card
GETTING A
GREEN CARD THROUGH RELATIVE
The applicant qualifies for a Green Card if he
or she has a close family member who is a Citizen
of United States or Green Card holder of the same.
You can qualify for a Green Card through relatives
if you fall into one of the following categories:
immediate relative of a US Citizen
preference relative of a US Citizen or Green Card
holder, or
accompanying relative of someone in a preference
category
GETTING A
GREEN CARD THROUGH AN ADOPTION
To obtain a Green
Card through adoption, it must take place before
the child is 16 years of age and that he or she
has lived in the parent's legal custody for two
years before applying for the green card unless
the child is an orphan.
GETTING GREEN
CARD THROUGH AN ADOPTION OF ORPHANS
A child may obtain
a green card as an orphan only if a US citizen
is adopting him or her. A child is an orphan if
both natural parents are either deceased or have
permanently and legally abandoned the child.
GETTING GREEN
CARD THROUGH YOUR FIANCÉ (E): K-1 VISAS
If you intend to marry
a US citizen, your fiancé may bring you
to America for the wedding through K-1 visa. It
is a nonimmigrant visa but it can be converted
into a green card. The Beneficiary and their minor
dependents may come to USA in order to marry a
US citizen
GETTING A
GREEN CARD THROUGH EMPLOYMENT
In order to qualify
for a green card through employment:
you must have a job offer from a US employer
you must possess the education and experience
relevant to the job offered, and
If you are already in US, you must be in valid
legal status.
The following categories
may seek to obtain an Employment based Green Card
based on the following order of preferences
- first preference as priority workers
- second preference as workers with advanced
degrees or exceptional ability
- third preference as skilled or unskilled workers
without advanced degrees
- fourth preference as religious workers and
various miscellaneous categories of workers
and other individuals
- fifth category as individual investors willing
to invest $1,000,000 in a United States business
or $500,000 in economically depressed areas
GETTING A
GREEN CARD THROUGH INVESTMENT
US Green cards can
be obtained by making an investment, anyone who
invests a minimum amount of 1 million US dollars
by setting up a new business or expanding one
that already exists. The investor must be active
in the management of the Company. The required
amount of the investment may be reduced to $500,000
if the business is located in rural area.
GETTING A
GREEN CARD AS A SPECIAL IMMIGRANT
Special immigration
green cards are available under different situations
to the people who are
- The workers for recognized religious organizations
- Foreign medical graduates who have been in
the USA for a long time
- Foreign workers who were formally long-time
employees of the US government
- Retired officers or employees of certain
international organizations who have lived in
the US for a certain period of time
- Foreign workers who have been an employee
of the US consulate in Hong-Kong for a minimum
of 3 years
- Foreign nationals who have been declared as
dependent in juvenile courts in USA
GETTING GREEN
CARD THROUGH ASYLUM
To qualify as a refugee,
you must have an experience of persecution in
the past or have well founded fear of persecution
in the future in your home country on the basis
of race, religion, membership in a social group,
nationality or political opinion. {TOP}
GETTING
H-1B VISAS
To obtain H-1B Visa,
there are four requirements that needs to be met:
- you must be coming to USA to perform services
in a specialty occupation with a college degree
or its equivalent in work experience, or to
be a distinguish fashion model
- you must have a job offer from a qualified
US employer
- you must have a valid background to qualify
for the job you have been offered for {TOP}
GETTING
H-2B VISAS
You can qualify for
an H-2B visa if you are come to USA to accept
a temporary or seasonal non-agricultural job from
a US employer and you have the valid background
or skills or abilities required by that employer.
H-2B visas are aimed
at skilled and unskilled workers, compared to
H-1B visas, which are intended for college-educated
workers. To get an H-2B visa, it must be proved
that there is no qualified Americans available
to take the job you have been offered. {TOP}
GETTING
H-3 VISAS
You can qualify for
an H-3 visa if you are coming to USA for on-the
job training to be provided by an American Company.
The purpose of the training should be to improve
your skills in your career in home country. Similar
training opportunities must be available there.
In that case there are no quota restrictions.
{TOP}
GETTING
L-1 VISAS
You qualify for an
L-1 visa if you have been employed outside the
USA as a manager, executive or person with specialized
knowledge for at least one year, and you are transferred
to the USA to be employed in a position that utilizes
your special knowledge and skills.
The purpose and design of this Visa is to provide
practical guidance to the foreign business owner,
executive, or manager in establishing a United
States branch or subsidiary of an existing foreign
business.
The initial visa granted to a non-US business
owner who is a manager or an executive is known
as the L-1A visa, and is granted for a period
of twelve months. It is a temporary visa, and
not to be misunderstood with permanent residency,
which confers a permanent immigration status with
far greater implications.
The initial twelve-month L-1 period is reserved
for those instances in which the subsidiary or
affiliate office in the United States is newly
created or functioning for less than twelve months.
It should be noted that this visa could certainly
be processed in a number of different ways, using
different forms of corporate relationships (for
example by purchasing an existing business, or
entering into a strategic partnership with an
existing business or establish a new business).
But, by and large, the most commonly used formula
involves the creation of a new entity in the United
States, which will serve as the base of operations
for the foreign executive or manager to initiate
operations in that new market. {TOP}
GETTING
E-1 VISAS The E-1
classification is
authorized for a national of a country with which
the United States has a commercial treaty, who
is coming to the U.S. solely to engage in trade
of a substantial nature principally between the
United States and the alien's country of nationality.
The trade involved must be international exchange
(successfully negotiated contracts binding on
all parties) of items of trade between the U.S.
and a treaty country. Title to the trade item
must pass from one treaty party to the other.
{TOP}
GETTING
E-2 VISAS
The E-2 classification
is authorized for a national of a country with
which the United States has a commercial treaty,
who is coming to the United States solely to direct
and develop the operations of an enterprise in
which he or she has invested, or is actively involved
in the process of investing, a substantial amount
of capital.
The alien must demonstrate
that he controls the enterprise by showing ownership
of at least 50% of the entreprise, by possessing
operational control through a managerial position
or other corporate device or by other means. {TOP}
GETTING
STUDENT VISA : F-1 AND M-1 VISAS
If you are coming
to USA to study full time in a program leading
to a degree, diploma or certificate, you must
be entering a US government approved school to
qualify for a visa. You have enough money to study
full time without working. You must be able to
speak, read and write English well enough to understand
the course work. You must prove that you intent
to return to your home country when your program
of studies is over. Both F-1 and M-1 visas are
issued for the estimated length of time it will
take to complete your proposed program of studies.
M-1 students will receive a maximum period of
one year. F-1 students will last longer than vocational
or non-academic programs for M-1 students. {TOP}
GETTING
EXCHANGE VISITORS: J-1 VISAS
You can meet the requirements
for a J-1 exchange visitor visa if you come to
USA as a student, scholar, trainee, teacher, professor,
research assistant, medical graduate or international
visitor who is participating in a program of studies,
training, research or cultural enrichment specifically
designed for such individual by the United States
Department of State through its bureau of Educational
and Cultural Affairs (ECA). You must already be
accepted into the programs before you can apply
for the visa. You must have enough money to cover
your expenses while you are in the USA as an exchange
visitor. You must have sufficient knowledge of
English in your subject and you must intend to
return home when your status expires. {TOP}
GETTING
O-1 VISAS
- The persons of proven extraordinary abilities
in science, arts, education, business or athletes,
outstanding professors and researchers and multinational
executives or managers are eligible for O-1
visas and do not require labour certification
- Evidence of internationally recognized prizes
or awards.
- Membership in an association in the field
for which requires outstanding achievement of
their member, as judged by recognized national
or international experts.
- Published material about the person in professional
or major trade publications or other major media.
Participation as a judge of the work of others.
- Evidence of original scientific, scholastic,
artistic, athletic or business-related contribution
of major significance.
- Authorship of scholarly articles in the field.
- Artistic exhibition or showcases.
- Performance in a leading or cultural role
for organization that have a distinguish reputation.
- High salary in relation to others in the
field. {TOP}
GETTING
P-1 VISAS
Entertainment companies
that have been nationally recognized as outstanding
for a long time are eligible for P-1 visas. P-1
visas can be issued based on the expertise of
a group. P-1 visas are not available to individual
entertainers but only to member of group with
international reputation. Evidence of that reputation
must be shown with the following:
- Proof of one year performing
- regularly employed by the same group
- group's international awards or prizes
- group's leading role in production
- groups published material showing the outstanding
achievements
- proof of large box office receipts or ratings
(commercial or critically acclaimed successes)
- proof that your group commands a high salary.
{TOP}
GETTING
R-1 VISAS
The R-1 classification
applies to a religious worker. this is an alien
coming to the U.S. temporarily to work:
as a minister of religion,
as a professional in a religious vocation or occupation,
or
for a bona fide nonprofit religious organization
at the request of the organization, in a religious
occupation which relates to a traditional religious
function.
The applicant (religious worker) must have been
a member of a religious denomination having a
nonprofit religious organization in the United
States for atleast two years immediately prior
to the application date. To be eligible, the U.S.
petitioning organization must be a nonprofit religious
organization granted (or eligible for) tax exempt
status, and must demonstrate that it can and will
provide for all of the R-1 beneficiary's financial
and physical needs. {TOP}
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