Do you plan on migrating or just immigrating, making your stay in the country more long-term? The legal situation regarding immigration is quite complex; however, if one knows the recent changes to the law, it will be far easier to manage. In this information age, changes in immigration laws are constant, particularly with reference to Visas, Green Cards and Citizenship. Here is how it can be done. Let me explain about this in this article.
What Are Visas?
Visas can be described as travel documents that permit you to be in a specific country legally for some purpose for a given period. They are of different categories based on the purpose for the entrance into the country.
Types of Visas
- Tourist Visas
- Student Visas
- Work Visas
- Family Visas
Different visas come with various regulations and the application processes also differ from one visa to the other. Now, it is time to discuss the most typical types that exist in the modern world.
Tourist Visas
A tourist visa is for people who plan to take a trip to a country for a period not exceeding a specific number of days, which may be for business or tourism, for instance. It often has restricted working options or does not allow the holder to attend school. The validity of tourist visas is limited to a few months, depending on the country that you are coming from.
Student Visas
Students who want to study in another country require a student visa. To apply for this visa, one should be a student in one of the institutions, such as a school or a university. These visas provide the holder permission to remain in the country up to the period of course study and a bit more in case the student is required to understudy or undertake an internship.
Work Visas
Persons who have been offered employment in another country require work visa. Usually, the employer assists the candidate with the application formalities. There are various types of these visas including the work visa for temporary jobs, seasonal work visa, and the work visa for long-term employment. The kind of work visa that is needed depends on the nature of the job that the person is going to do, as well as the duration they intend to stay.
Family Visas
Family visas enable individuals to reunify with some of their relatives residing in another nation. This is true for many couples and their offspring, as well as some parents for their kids. It is, therefore, essential to note that the process car taken depending on the country of the recipient and the relationship between the applicant and the family member.
What Are Green Cards?
A green card is a permanent residency that gives a person permission to reside and work in the United States of America. Something like the keys to the kingdom, it allows you to remain in the country as long as you want and be afforded many of the same privileges as any member of that country.
How Can I Secure a Green Card?
There are several ways to obtain a green card:
- Through Family
- Through Employment
- As a Refugee or Asylee
- In this case, we use the Diversity Visa Lottery.
Family-Based Green Cards
If you have a relative who holds a green card or an individual who has a U .S citizenship, they can help you to get a green card. People with immediate relatives like spouses, children, or parents who are U.S. citizens are typically processed faster and with fewer requirements than members of other classes of relatives.
Employment-Based Green Cards
If you have an employment offer from an employer located in the USA, you are eligible for a green card through employment. This category is subdivided into many subclasses, including priority workers like those with abilities or professors, new commercial workers, professionals, postgraduate degree holders, and skilled or even unskilled workers.
Refugee or Asylee Status
Immigrants forced to leave their countries due to persecution or violence in their countries can apply for refugee or asylee status, which in turn grants them a green card. This implies demonstrating that the person has a reasonable belief that they will be persecuted for qualities such as ethnicity, faith, country of origin, politics, or group they belong to.
Diversity Visa Lottery
Each year the U. S. government will conduct a lottery for individuals from the countries that are not privileged to have many people who emigrate to the U. S. in order to give a green card. This program is formally referred to as the Diversity Visa Lottery, which is a way in which a choose number of applicants is chosen to be granted green cards to the U. S., which is directed at diversifying the immigrants in the United States.
Current Changes in Green Card Laws
In recent years, some transitions have been made in the procedures of green cards and their processing durations. Some of the changes are new and more stringent rules on the eligibility criteria to apply for an FSA, longer time to process the FSA application, mainly as a result of rigorous security checks, and changes in the forms and documents that applicants have to complete and submit. Being aware of such updates is wise to ensure that you do not run into any problems with your application.
What Is Citizenship?
Residency, followed by citizenship, is the last destination in the immigration process. This entitles you privileges and obligations of a person within a country, such as the right to vote, carry a passport, gain from government entitlements and the right to seek government employment.
How to become a U.S Citizen?
It could also be called ‘The Measures to be followed for Attaining the U. S Citizenship. ’
- S. citizenship can be attained in a few ways, namely:
- By Birth
- Through Naturalization
- Through Parents
Naturalization Process
One of the acceptable methods of becoming a holder of American citizenship, if one was not born as such, is through getting naturalization. Here’s how:
- Meet the Eligibility Requirements
- The next operation entails the completion of form N-400. This is the Application for Naturalization and this form is duly signed to the section G.
- Attend a Biometrics Appointment
- The last is rather apparent – just conducting the Interview, and then the Oath of Allegiance must be taken.
Eligibility Requirements for Naturalization
To be eligible for naturalization, you must have the following are things that you should meet:
- Be of legal age, that is, should be above 18 years of age.
- They would have wished that the applicant had stayed on a green card for approximately five years or that the applicant had been married to a U. S. citizen for around three years.
- Live in the U. S for at least twelve months and have been physically present in the U.S.
- Bi- communicational indeed implies that in order to be employed one has to be proficient in both written as well as spoken English.
- It means that, in effect, Brandon should have some minimal knowledge about the history of the USA and some knowledge of civics.
- Be a moral person
Recent Changes In Citizenship Laws
Over time, the requirements of naturalization have undergone some shifts, for instance, the English and civics tests. For example, currently, more number of questions come in the civics part, and an applicant has to answer more of them correctly. Their occurrence is thus useful when aligning toward the naturalization process.
Conclusion
Still, such an entrepreneur must be aware of the newest rules as to visas, green cards or even citizenship because the procedure may be pretty intricate. At the same time, at the primary level, the idea is quite clear. Whether the case is a trip, studying, working, or immigration, it is advisable to know your possibilities and changes. You are welcome, dear reader and thank you for getting this far; good luck on your journey!