Throughout history, the appeal of the United States as a nation where immigrants could settle and find freedom, new opportunities and more promising lives has made this one of the most desired destinations for people of all regions of the world.
Immigrants have played an important role in boosting economic growth and allowing many industries to reach new levels. Immigrants also tend to come to America to start businesses, giving jobs to many. They also generate innovation and new product ideas, file patents and have a significant impact on GDP.
Is it true that the United States is being flooded with immigrants?
Recent measurements of the number of immigrants coming into the country, point to the fact that immigration is well below the historical average. What’s more, the rate of immigration today is way lower than that of previous historical periods.
What are the main principles of US immigration law?
The body of law that governs current US immigration policy is the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), and its four main principles are:
- Admitting workers with skills that are necessary and valuable to the US economy
- The reunification of families
- Protecting refugees
- Promoting diversity
What type of visa can you get if you want to work legally in the United States?
If you are an immigrant with a valuable skill, you can obtain either a temporary or a permanent visa.
Temporary visas
These visas allow employers to hire and petition foreign individuals for specific jobs and periods. If you receive one of these visas, you should know they are tied to this job and make it difficult to switch to other types of employment. Within this category, there are over 20 types of visas, such as:
- H visas for different highly-skilled and lesser-skilled workers
- R-1 visas for religious workers
- P visas for skilled performers, entertainers, and athletes
- A visas for diplomatic employees
Some of these visas offer a pathway to permanent resident status while others do not.
Permanent immigration
Permanent visas imply that the applicant already has a valid employment visa and now wants to move to stay here permanently. Depending on the immigrant’s current visa, the sponsor must follow certain steps delineated by de Department of Labor to prove that the applicant indeed has the skills that make them an eligible candidate to stay here permanently. In other cases, it is possible for the applicant to file the petition personally.
Is there a limit as to how many visas are granted per country?
At this time, the law indicates that the total number of persons applying to immigrate permanently to the United States from a single country cannot be greater than 7% of the total number of people immigrating in a single year.
Can you qualify for a diversity visa?
The lottery for Diversity Visas was created in 1990. Its geared towards immigrants that come from countries with very low numbers of applicants. This means countries with less than 50,00 immigrants coming in within the past 5 years.
To be eligible, you must have a high-school education and a minimum of 2 years working in a profession that calls for at least a 2-year training program.
Florida immigration attorney Saman Movassaghi Gonzalez can guide you in your quest to obtain the right visa. Set up an appointment today.
