Ready to move to the USA? Here’s the insider’s guide you need! U.S. Immigration Made Easy covers every possible way to legally enter and live in the United States. The author explains how the immigration system really works, showing you how to qualify for: -work visas -student visas -refugee status -green cards -citizenship -and more Step-by-step instructions show how to fill out and file forms and how to approach the enormous USCIS bureaucracy. Thoroughly updated and revised, the 12th edition covers the latest legislation, and provides new information to help you understand your rights and protect your applications from bureaucratic hassles. It also shows you where to find the most up-to-date forms you need on the Internet.

Where to Begin on Your Path Toward Immigration Introduction If you're considering immigrating to the United States, or are helping someone who is, then this book was written for you. Unlike many books about immigration law, this one was written for real people, not for lawyers. We try to give you a realistic view of your immigration possibilities and how to succeed in reaching your chosen goals. If you've already tried to research how to immigrate to the United States, you may have come away more confused than enlightened. We've heard immigrants ask frustrated questions like, "Are they trying to punish me for doing things legally?" or "I can't tell whether they want to let me in, or keep me out!" The trouble is, the U.S. immigration system is a little like a mythical creature with two heads. One head is smiling, and granting people the right to live or work in the United States, temporarily or permanently—especially people who: will pump money into the U.S. economy (such as tourists, students, and investors) can fill gaps in the U.S. workforce (mostly skilled workers) are joining up with close family members who are already U.S. citizens or permanent residents, or need protection from persecution or other humanitarian crises. This creature's other head wears a frown. It is afraid of the United States' being overrun by huge numbers of immigrants, and so it tries to keep out anyone who: doesn't fit the narrow eligibility categories set forth in the U.S. immigration laws has a criminal record is a threat to U.S. ideology or national security has spent a long time in the U.S. illegally or committed other immigration violations is attempting fraud in order to immigrate, or will not earn enough money to stay off government assistance. Not surprisingly, these two heads don't always work together very well. You may find that, even when you know you have a right to visit, live, or work in the United States, and you're trying your best to fill out the applications and complete your case properly, you feel as if you're being treated like a criminal. The frowning head doesn't care. It views you as just another number, and as no great loss if your application fails—or is, literally, lost in the files of thousands of other applications. Have you heard people say that a U.S. citizen could simply invite a friend from overseas to live here? Those days are gone. Now, every immigrant has to find a legal category that he or she fits within, deal with demanding application forms and procedures, and pass security and other checks. The good news is that huge numbers of people successfully come from other countries to the United States every year—approximately one million receive green cards, and 30 million receive temporary visas (mostly tourist visas, but also, including a number of other visas such as labor and student visas). With the right information and preparation, you can be one of them. This book will help you: determine your eligibility learn what difficulties you'll have to overcome strategize the fastest and safest way to make your way through the application process deal with bureaucrats and delays, and know when it's time to consult a lawyer. Almost everyone should at least attend a consultation with an experienced immigration attorney before submitting an application. Unless your case presents no complications whatsoever, it's best to have an attorney confirm that you haven't overlooked anything. However, by preparing yourself with the information in this book, you can save money and make sure you're using a good attorney for the right services.

 

Ready to move to the USA? Here’s the insider’s guide you need!

Part I. Getting Started: U.S. Immigration Eligibility and Procedures 1. Where to Begin on Your Path Toward Immigration A. Roadmap to U.S. Immigration B. Immigration Eligibility Self-Quiz C. The Typical Application Process 2. Are You Already a U.S. Citizen? A. Acquisition of Citizenship Through Birth to U.S. Citizen Parents B. Automatic Derivation of U.S. Citizenship Through Naturalized Parents C. Obtaining Proof of U.S. Citizenship D. Dual Citizenship 3. Can You Enter or Stay in the U.S. at All? A. Particularly Troublesome Grounds of Inadmissibility B. Avoiding or Reversing an Inadmissibility Finding 4. Dealing With Paperwork, Government Officials, Delays, and Denials A. Getting Organized B. How to Obtain and Prepare Immigration Application Forms C. How to Obtain Needed Documents D. Before You Mail an Application E. Dealing With Delays F. Attending Interviews with USCIS or Consular Officials G. Procedures for USCIS Interviews H. What to Do If an Interview Is Going Badly I. What to Do If an Application is Denied J. When All Else Fails, Call Your U.S. Congressperson 5. Special Rules for Canadians and Mexicans A. Canadian Visitors and Other Nonimmigrants B. Special Work Privileges for Canadian and Mexican Visitors C. Simplified Procedures for Students and Exchange Visitors D. Preflight Inspections for Canadians 6. How and When to Find a Lawyer A. When Do You Need a Lawyer? B. Where to Get the Names of Good Immigration Lawyers C. How to Avoid Sleazy Lawyers D. How to Choose Among Lawyers E. Signing Up Your Lawyer F. Paying Your Lawyer G. Firing Your Lawyer H. Do-It-Yourself Legal Research Part II. Introduction to Permanent U.S. Residence (Green Cards) A. Categories of Green Card Applicants B. How Many Green Cards Are Available? 7. Getting a Green Card Through Family Members in the U.S. A. Are You Eligible for a Green Card Through a Relative? B. Quick View of the Application Process C. Step One: Your U.S. Relative Files the Visa Petition D. Step Two: You Wait for an Available Visa E. Step Three: You Submit the Green Card Application F. Step Four: You Enter the U.S. With Your Immigrant Visa G. Removing Conditional Residence in Marriage Cases 8.Getting a K-1 Visa to Marry Your U.S. Citizen Fiancé A. Do You Qualify for a K-1 Visa? B. Quick View of How to Apply for a K-1 Visa C. Step One: Your U.S. Citizen Fiancé Submits a Visa Petition D. Step Two: You Follow Instructions from the National Visa Center E. Step Three: You Apply at a U.S. Consulate F. Step Four: You Enter the U.S. on Your Fiancé Visa 9. Getting a Green Card Through Employment 10. Getting a Green Card Through the Diversity Visa Lottery 11. Getting a Green Card as an Investor 12. Getting a Green Card as a Special Immigrant 13. Humanitarian Protection: TPS, DED, Asylee, and Refugee Status 14. After Your Approval for a Green Card Part III. Nonimmigrant (Temporary) Visas 15. Getting a Business or Tourist (B-1 or B-2) Visa 16. Getting a Temporary Specialty Worker (H-1B) Visa 17. Getting an H-2B (Temporary Nonagricultural Worker) Visa 18. Getting a Temporary Trainee (H-3) Visa 19. Getting an L-1 (Intracompany Transferee) Visa 20. Getting an E-1 (Treaty Trader) Visa 21. Getting a Treaty Investor (E-2) Visa 22. Getting a Student (F-1 or M-1) Visa 23. Getting a J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa 24. Getting a Visa as a Temporary Worker in a Selected Occupation (O, P, or R Visa) Glossary Index

"Highly recommended.... Instructive and explanatory."

 

"Thoughtfully organized… a vast amount of useful information."

 

"Well worth the investment -- considerably less than what one would pay for an hour’s consultation with a lawyer."

 

Ms. Bray is an author and legal editor at Nolo. Her specialties include real estate, immigration law, and nonprofit fundraising. Ms. Bray also edits a number of Nolo's small business and small claims court books. Ms. Bray's working background includes solo practice, nonprofit, and corporate stints, as well as long periods of volunteering, including an internship at Amnesty International's main legal office in London. She received her law degree and a Masters degree in East Asian (Chinese) Studies from the University of Washington. When she's not at work she enjoys hiking the East Bay hills, attempting to cook Asian noodle dishes, and going to open houses.

 

U.S. Immigration Made Easy by Ilona Bray
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