United States is one of the most popular countries and it has been drawing the attention of foreigners for ages. Many wish to relocate to the United States and it is the dream country for many. There are several reasons why foreign nationals select America when it comes to immigration.
United States is made up of immigrants and people believe that the country offers lots of opportunities. However, it is not so easy to immigrate to the United States. There are different ways to immigrate to the USA and the ones looking to immigrate, must be aware of the requirements and the options.
One can immigrate to America and get a US Green Card, by securing a job in the country. This option is open to highly skilled foreign nationals. United States is short of skilled workers in science, technology, engineering, maths and few other fields. Hence, US employers who are in short supply of workers can hire foreign workers and sponsor them for lawful status.
The other way most people choose to immigrate to the United States is through marriage. This is one of the easiest ways and foreign nationals who get married to US citizens can easily get Green Cards.
Green Card lottery is the other way through which you can get an immigrant visa and get into the United States. This is a program that the US Congress conducts every year and this program is open to people who are citizens of under-represented countries.
Do you have a family member in the United States?
You can immigrate to America if you are a family member of a US citizen or a permanent resident. That family member must however, be willing to sponsor you financially and for lawful status. To sponsor you, your family member must file Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative. You can easily immigrate to your dream country if you are a US citizen’s immediate relative as there are no annual caps on the number of immigrant visas issued to the spouses, minor children and parents of US citizens.
Married adult children and siblings of US citizens also can immigrate to the USA through family based immigration but they cannot immediately get immigrant visas. They will be put on a waiting list and the wait time for them to obtain Green Cards will depend on their home countries, the visa availability and on their marital status.
You can get an immigrant visa, if your spouse or your parent is a permanent resident of the United States. Immediate relatives of permanent residents will have to wait for few years to immigrate to the country as immigrant visas will not be immediately made available to them. If you are a permanent resident’s spouse or a child, you can get a Green Card but you need to wait and the wait time will depend on your country of citizenship.
You can immigrate to the United States through family based immigration, if
- you are a US citizen’s spouse, parent or child.
- you are a US citizen’s unmarried child (above age of 21), married child or a sibling.
- you are the spouse or minor child of a Green Card holder.
Are you highly-skilled and do you have a job offer in America?
If family based immigration is not the best option for you, you can go for employment based immigration. But this may not be applicable to everyone. You need to possess specific job skills and a US employer must be willing to hire you and sponsor you for a Green Card. You need to hold a college degree in a specialty occupation and the US employer who is offering you a permanent job must be willing to file applications and paperwork for a labor certification. The sponsoring employer must also pay the legal fees for you. You can easily get a Green Card if a US employer sponsors you, but you may have to wait for few years to get a permanent resident card.
You can become a permanent resident if you are an investor and if you invest $1 million in a US business venture. This is one of the quickest ways to immigrate to the USA.
Through the following ways you can immigrate to the United States based on a job offer.
Green Card through an employment offer : In this case, a US employer must file Form I-140 and sponsor you.
Green Card based on investment : To get an investment based Green Card, you need to make a significant investment in a business venture in America.
Green Card through self petition : This is meant for “Aliens of Extraordinary Ability” and for people who have been granted National Interest Waivers. Such individuals can petition for themselves and get Green Cards.
Permanent resident status through special categories of jobs : There are certain specialized jobs and if you manage to get one such job in America, you can get a US Green Card.
Green Card Lottery
Any foreign national who belongs to an under-represented country, can take part in this Diversity Visa lottery program. This program helps people who do not have job offers or relatives in America, to sponsor them for US Green Cards, to immigrate to the United States. Every year 50,000 Green Cards are being issued to people who take part and win the Green Card lottery program. If you do not qualify for a family based or an employment based Green Card, you can go for the Green Cad lottery. But remember that your country of citizenship must be in the list of countries that are eligible to take part in this program. Moreover, you need to meet other eligibility requirements to take part in this program.