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Immigration

US Immigration: Overview of the process
An immigrant, otherwise known as a "lawful permanent resident", is a foreign national who has been granted the privilege of living and working permanently in the United States.
The US immigration system is primarily based on family reunification, needed work skills, creation of employment and recognition of refugees. There is also a lottery for people who come from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.

If you want to become an immigrant you must go through a multi-step process:
(1) You must be eligible for US immigration under one of the paths to lawful permanent residency: Family Immigration, Employment Immigration, Investment Immigration Lottery, Adoption or Refugees.
(2) The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) must approve an immigrant visa petition for you. This is usually filed for you by your sponsor (an employer or a relative).
(3) If you are looking to become a lawful permanent resident based on employment, your US employer may need to submit a labor certification request with the Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. Those who want to become immigrants based on employment must wait for an immigrant visa number to become available according to the preference system. Immediate relatives of US citizens, which includes parents, spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21, do not have to wait for an immigrant visa number. An immigrant visa number will be immediately available for immediate relatives of US citizens. Other relatives must wait for a visa to become available according to the preference system.
(4)An immigrant visa number through the State Department must be immediately available to you, even if you are already in the United States.
(5) If you are already in the United States, you may apply to adjust to permanent resident status after a visa number becomes available for you.

U.S. law limits the number of immigrant visas that are available every year. As a result, you may not get an immigrant visa number immediately after your immigrant visa petition is approved. In some cases, several years could pass between the time your immigrant visa petition gets approved and the State Department gives you an immigrant visa number. Because U.S. law also limits the number of immigrant visas available by country, you may have to wait longer if you come from a country with a high demand for U.S. immigrant visas.

Got questions? Let one of our experienced immigration lawyers at elegalplans.com help guide you through the immigration process.