Immigration Visa Process

People born in other nations, who are interested in taking up permanent residence in the United States, must first apply for and obtain an immigrant visa. This is the first step to becoming a lawful, permanent resident of the United States. When individuals or families make the complex decision to immigrate to the United States, they will need to be aware of a few variants that could affect their status as a lawful U.S. immigrant. US Immigration Bonds wants to help educate individuals who wish to become permanent U.S. residents.

The following is a fleshed out criteria and eligibility discussion for those who are looking to immigrate to the United States, including the different types of immigrant visas, required forms, and the steps to the immigration process. For the most part, immigrants wish to receive visas with their family or employment based visa categories, so these will be the key focus for the following information provided by our nationwide immigration bonds specialists.

The immigration sponsor will be responsible for starting the immigration process by filing a petition on the foreign citizen’s behalf with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). To be considered eligible for an immigration visa, you will need to be sponsored by a U.S. citizen relative, U.S. lawful permanent resident, or a prospective employer.

Immigration based upon family status:

A United States citizen can file an immigration visa for the following family members:

• Spouse
• Son or Daughter
• Parent
• Brother or Sister

A lawful permanent resident of the U.S. (even green card holder) can file for an immigrant visa petition for:

• Spouse
• Unmarried Son or Daughter

Employment based immigration visa:

A U.S. employer can elect to have certain skilled workers obtain employment based immigration visas.  In some highly specialized fields, U.S. law allows for prospective immigrants to sponsor themselves. In addition, the law will provide a certain number of specialized immigrant categories and investor programs.

To begin your employment based immigration visa process, the providers of Florida immigration bonds explain that the first step must be for the sponsoring family member to file an I-130 Petition for Alien Relative with the USCIS.

The Visas Category Allowance:

U.S. law limits the number of visas allotted per year in regards to certain immigrant visa categories, with certain limitations by every country. Whenever the number of qualified applicants exceeds the allotted immigration visa, they will be placed on a waiting list and will be issued an immigration visa in chronological order in which the petitions were filed. The date your petition was filed is known as your ‘priority date’.

Other Visa Category Information:

The providers of immigration bonds in Miami, Florida know that the majority of people receive visas from the family or employment based visa categories, but there are other categories from which immigrants can receive their immigration visas.

• A U.S. citizen applies for citizenship for a foreign fiancé to be married in the United States.
• An orphan is adopted abroad and is brought to the United States.
• Immigrant visas that cover special types of workers or special circumstances.