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Immigration Law Questions

Greenville, Spartanburg, South Carolina

The following are several questions and answers about immigration law. Additional questions can be answered by a qualified immigration attorney.

What are the different ways in which a person can come to the United States?

In order to enter the United States, you must possess an immigrant or non-immigrant visa. An immigrant visa is the visa issued to anyone who wants to permanently work or live in America. A non-immigrant is issued to someone who resides permanently outside the U.S., but is coming here on a temporary basis such as work, travel, school or medical treatment. There are also other ways to enter the U.S., such as by acquiring refugee status, or being paroled in this country.

What are the ways I can achieve citizenship through naturalization?

These ways include:

• Being born in the U.S., regardless of whether your parents are citizens, green card holders, tourists or illegal immigrants.
• Being born outside the U.S. when at least one of your parents are U.S. citizens.
• By virtue of the naturalization of your parents.

What are some ways I can jeopardize my immigrant or non-immigrant status?

There are many ways to jeopardize this status. Some include:

• Certain criminal convictions
• Failure to file a change of address form
• Failure to register
• Committing visa fraud or another fraudulent act regarding immigration

How can someone obtain an immigrant visa through employment?

U.S. immigration law allows 140,000 individuals to immigrate to America year for employment purposes. Employment-based immigrant visas are divided into five preference groups:

• Priority workers
• Professionals with advanced degrees
• Professionals with bachelor’s degrees
• Skilled and unskilled workers
• Special immigrants (such as certain religious workers, overseas employees of the U.S. government, or members of the U.S. Military)
• Investors

Some categories require an offer of employment; others do not. If you are required to have an offer of employment, your employer must file for the visa, not the immigrant.

How can I obtain an immigrant visa so I can live here permanently?

There are three main ways to do this:

• By having a family member who is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident file a family-based immigrant visa petition
• Through employment
• By entering and “winning” an immigrant visa through the annual Diversity Visa lottery

If you are facing an immigration issue and you live in Spartanburg or Greenville, South Carolina, the immigration attorneys of the Dick James Law Firm can assist you. We provide free consultations and can help you and your family enter or remain in the United States. Please contact our law firm today.