The topic of who a green card holder or a U.S. Citizen may sponsor seems to be a very popular one. Thus far, it has drawn the most comments and questions to date. I wrote the original post in December 2007 to help folks identify which relatives they could sponsor. That information has not changed, so make sure you read that post. What does change from time to time are the current wait times. Current wait times or "priority dates" are updated every month by the State Department in a document known as the Visa Bulletin. Times can advance, but they can also go backwards which can be very ...
This is Part II in a three-part series on options for F-1 students after graduation and OPT. Part I focused on H-1B visas. Part II focuses on other non-immigrant visa options including L-1 Intra-Company Transferee visas and O-1 Persons with Extraordinary Ability visas.
Since the L-1 visa requires that the employee must have been employed by the foreign employer for at least one year out of the last three years, it may not be likely for a student to have had this prior experience, but it is possible. Requirements for the L-1 visa follow:
Non-Immigrant Visas: L-1- Intra-Company ...
In an employment-based permanent residence (green card) process, both employer and employee must qualify under U.S. immigration laws. On the one hand, the U.S. employer needs to demonstrate that there are no U.S. Citizens or permanent residents in the state who are ready, willing and able to do the work that the foreign employee is being hired to do at the prevailing wage. On the part of the employee, he/she must demonstrate that he/she is qualified for the position in terms of either academic, work experience or a combination of both.
There are 3 steps to obtaining a Green Card ...
NOTE: After you read this post, see the February 2009 update with current wait times from the Visa Bulletin.
The answer depends on whether you are a permanent resident (green card holder) or a U.S. Citizen. U.S. Citizens can sponsor additional family members that green card holders cannot sponsor. Additionally, U.S. Citizens can petition for a fiance/fiancee to come to the U.S. to be married, while a green card holder is not given the same privilege. The person filing the petition is called the Petitioner. The person you are filing for is called the Beneficiary.
Your ...
Why Become a U.S. Citizen?
Some permanent residents have held their green cards for decades and for various reasons have not applied for citizenship through the process known as naturalization. One client had been wavering back and forth for about 30 years as to whether or not he should apply. When he came to meet me for his immigration consultation he brought in the various versions of the forms that changed over the decades and showed me a history of the fee increases over time. He had finally felt it was time to become a citizen after seeing how the forms had only gotten longer and ...
The deadline to have the opportunity to apply for permanent residence under the 2009 U.S. visa lottery program is less than two weeks away on Sunday, December 2, 2007; 12 noon Eastern Standard Time (11 a.m. Central Standard Time).
The visa lottery is formally known as the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program. The U.S. government makes available up to a maximum of 55,000 diversity green cards annually. 5,000 of these visas are reserved for a visa program for certain Central American nationals, leaving 50,000 visas available to be drawn at random from a pool of applicants who meet specific ...
Winning the visa lottery would be the equivalent to some as winning a multi million dollar jackpot. Just with any other type of lottery though, as the saying goes, "you gotta play to win..."
Find out about how to apply for the 2009 visa lottery.
The visa lottery is formally known as the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program. The U.S. government makes available up to a maximum of 55,000 diversity green cards annually. 5000 of these visas are reserved for a visa program for certain Central American nationals, leaving 50,000 visas available to be drawn at random from a pool of applicants ...
