Immigration Immigration Law
The immigration laws in the United States have experienced uneven progress. During colonial times independent colonies created their immigration laws.The first attempt to naturalize foreigners was through the Naturalization Act of 1790. However many years later the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed to stop the immigration of Chinese people. The Immigration Act of 1924 put a quota on how many immigrants are permitted, based on nationality. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 led to the creation of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
The five major departments of the federal government involved in the immigration process are the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, the Department of State, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Health and Human Services. Of the five, the Department of Homeland Security, which replaced the Immigration and Naturalization Service, enforces immigration laws and bestows benefits on aliens. It is subdivided into three distinct departments: US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Customs and Border Protection.
A United States Permanent Resident Card, also known as a green card (due to its color in the earlier versions), is an identification card attesting to the permanent resident status of an alien in the United States of America. Green card also refers to an immigration process of becoming a permanent resident. The green card serves as proof that its holder, a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR), has been officially granted immigration benefits, which include permission to reside and take employment in the USA. The holder must maintain permanent resident status, and can be removed from the US if certain conditions of this status are not met.
Green cards were formerly issued by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). During a re-organization process, that agency was absorbed into and replaced by the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Shortly after that re-organization, BCIS was renamed to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which still retains the responsibility for issuing green cards.
An alien with a green card application can obtain two important permits while the case is pending. The first is a temporary work permit known as the Employment Authorization Document (EAD), which allows the alien to take employment in the United States. The second is a temporary travel document, advance parole, which allows the alien to re-enter the United States. Both permits confer benefits that are independent of any existing status granted to the alien. For example, the alien might already have permission to work in the United States under an H-1B visa.
Every year, the Federal government conducts a Diversity Visa Lottery. The lottery grants citizens of other countries legal entry into the United States. However only countries "with low rates of immigration to the United States" are allowed to apply. Presently there are two different types of visas: one for people seeking to live in the US; termed Immigrant Visas, and the other for people coming for limited durations, such as tourists or on business trip, and those are termed Non Immigrant Visas. The former visa has “per country-caps”, and the latter does not.
The United States allows more than 1 million aliens to become Legal Permanent Residents every year, which is more than any other country in the world.
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"All you need is love..." und ein kompetentes Team von Anwaelten die sich mit den aktuellen Vorschriften des amerikanischen Immigration Law auskennen. Bei dem Letzteren sind wir von Byrne, Davis & Hicks, P.C. Ihnen gerne behilflich.
Sie sind nicht Amerikaner(in) und wollen einen Amerikaner(in) heiraten, oder umgekehrt? Kein Problem! Unser Team in Charlotte und Atlanta hilft Ihnen gern bei der Stellung der richtigen Antraege, dem Ausfuellen aller wichtigen Formulare, etc. Melden Sie sich einfach bei uns und wir helfen weiter.
Vorab finden Sie eventuell folgenden Kurzinformation hilfreich:
The Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, provides U.S. citizens with two options for facilitating the immigration of future spouses to the United States: the K-1 fiance visa and the alien-spouse immigrant visa. In many cases, the processing time for a fiance visa is shorter than that for an alien spouse. Fiance visa processing can take several months from the filing of the petition to the final adjudication of the visa. Total processing time for the alien-spouse visa can take 6-12 months depending on individual circumstances. If your alien fiance is already in the United States and plans to adjust status in the U.S., contact the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).
Marriage In the United States: Fiance Visa
U.S. citizens may file an I-129F petition with INS for the issuance of a K-1 fiance visa to an alien fiance. A citizen exercising this option must remain unmarried until the arrival of the fiance in the U.S., and the wedding must take place within three months of the fiance's arrival if he/she is to remain in status. Also, the alien and U.S. citizen must have met personally at least once in the two years before the petition was filed. Please note that legal permanent residents may not file petitions for fiance visas. They must marry abroad and then file an I-130 petition for the immigration of a new spouse.
Marriage Abroad: Alien-Spouse Visa
If a U.S. citizen marries an alien abroad, an I-130 petition must be filed after the marriage to begin the immigration process for the alien spouse. This can be filed either with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in the United States, or, under certain circumstances, at U.S. Embassies or Consulates abroad. U.S. Embassies and Consulates have differing policies on approving I-130s and should be individually contacted about the availability of this service. Many posts have their own web pages which include this information and which can be accessed through the U.S. Embassy and Consulate page. Prior to departure from this country, the U.S. citizen should contact the INS or appropriate foreign service post to ascertain exactly what documents will be necessary to file the immigrant petition for a new spouse.
For more information on and assistance with the K-1 fiance visa as well as the alien-spouse immigrant visa, please contact the Atlanta office or Charlotte office of Byrne, Davis & Hicks, P.C.
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Die Beibehaltungsgenehmigung (BBG) ist ein Bescheid in Form einer Urkunde nach § 25 II Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz, StAG.
Sie berechtigt dazu, die Staatsangehörigkeit eines anderen, im Bescheid genannten Landes anzunehmen, ohne die deutsche Staatsangehörigkeit zu verlieren. Seit dem 28. August 2007 ist die Beibehaltungsgenehmigung nicht mehr nötig, wenn die Person die Staatsangehörigkeit eines EU-Mitgliedstaates oder der Schweiz annimmt.
Voraussetzungen für die Erteilung einer Beibehaltungsgenehmigung sind unter anderem, wenn
- der Antragsteller nachvollziehbare Gründe hat, aus denen der angestrebte Erwerb der anderen Staatsangehörigkeit in seiner/ihrer konkreten Situation für ihn/sie von Vorteil ist und
- er/sie fortbestehende Bindungen an Deutschland hat, die das Nebeneinander zweier Staatsangehörigkeiten rechtfertigen und
- das andere Staatsangehörigkeitsrecht die doppelte Staatsangehörigkeit zulässt.
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Das dual citizenship Seminar in Kooperation mit der German American Chamber of Commerce, North Carolina Chapter, war ein grosser Erfolg!
Falls Sie nicht in Charlotte dabei sein konnten, Sie sich für das Thema "Doppelte Staatsbürgerschaft und Beibehaltungsgenehmigung" interessieren, bieten wir Ihnen die Möglichkeit, die Power-Point-Präsentation anzufordern.
Wir betreuuen Sie gerne bei beiden Schritten der Doppelten Staatsangehörigkeit:
- Beibehaltungsgenehmigung durch das Bundesverwaltungsamt in Köln
- Einbürgerung durch die US Einwanderungsbehörde
Wichtig ist in jedem Fall, dass Sie nicht den Antrag auf Einbürgerung in den USA stellen, bevor Sie nicht die Beibehaltungsgenehmigung bekommen haben. Sie verlieren dann die deutsche Staatsangehörigkeit.
Dieses war auch Thema einer parlamentarischen Anfrage im Bundestag.
Bei weiteren Fragen steht Ihnen gerne Reinhard von Hennigs jederzeit zur Verfügung law @ bdhlaw.net. Wir bieten Ihnen auch eine Erstberatung an, ob Sie bei erster Durchsicht die Voraussetzungen fuer die doppelte Staatsangehoerigkeit haben.
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In der Vergangenheit hatte die amerikanische Einwanderungsbehörde (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, USCIS) bekannt gegeben, dass ein Zweiphasenprogramm für eine sogenannte E-verified Maßnahme nunmehr umgesetzt wurde. Gleichwohl gibt es noch immer Probleme bei der Anwendung.
Hierbei handelt es sich im Wesentlichen um eingebürgerte Amerikaner. Dieses führte in der Vergangenheit dazu, dass Personen, die eine sogenannte work authorization haben, nach der Einbürgerung nunmehr als nicht mehr zur Arbeit authorisiert ausgewiesen werden. In der Vergangenheit führte dieses zu Komplikationen mit dem Datenabgleich zwischen der Einwanderungsbehörde und der amerikanischen Sozialversicherungsbehörde. Diese Projekte sollen nunmehr verbessert werden.
Sollten Sie in der Vergangenheit eingebürgert worden sein und sollte es bei Ihrer Sozialversicherung zu Problemen geführt haben so bitten wir Sie entweder, sich mit der amerikanischen Einbürgerungsbehörde in Verbindung zusetzen oder sich an uns zu wenden, damit wir Ihnen helfen können.
Das in der Zukunft neue System soll die Echtzeitdaten zwischen den Behörden abgleichen und auf dieser Art und Weise solche Komplikationen vermeiden. Im Übrigen ist das Programm ebenfalls dazu geeignet, über das Internet eine normale Arbeitserlaubnis mit der amerikanischen Einbürgerungsbehörde abzugleichen.
Mehr Informationen finden Sie unter http://www.uscis.gov/e-verified.
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Immigration allows once a year to enter a
lottery to obtain a Green Card. The online
entry registration period for the DV-2011
Diversity Visa lottery is open until noon,
Eastern Standard Time (EST), Monday, November
30, 2009.
Entrants apply on Form DS-5501, Electronic
Diversity Visa Entry Form available only
during the DV open registration period.
Die Chancen fuer jemanden aus Europa betragen etea 2,15%, Bewerber aus Europa machen 19% der Gesamtbewerber aus oder absolut 1,216,000, davon bekamen 26,149 PErsonen die Green Card oder eben 2.15% (Stand der DV 2009)
Auch dieses Jahr werden wieder 50,000
Greencard
Weltweit und 5,000 in Lateinamerika verlost.
Die "Permanent Resident Card",
umgangssprachlich "Green Card", wurde auf
Initiative von Präsident Reagan zum Erhalt der
Nationalitäten-Vielfalt ab dem Jahre 1987
auch in Form der Diversity Visa Lottery
vergeben. Einwohner von Ländern mit hohen
Einwanderungsquoten in den letzten Jahren,
werden von der Lotterie ausgeschlossen.
Dies
betrifft dieses Jahr unter anderem
Einwanderungswillige aus UK mit Ausnahme
Northern Ireland, Polen, Brasilien
und dem chinesischen Festland.
Für Antragssteller aus Deutschland stehen
aber die Chancen wie immer gut.
The DV required a qualifying occupation. The
Department of Labor (DOL) database groups job
experience into five "job zones". While many
occupations are listed on the DOL Website, only
certain specified occupations qualify for the
Diversity Visa Program. To qualify for a
Diversity Visa
on the
basis of your work experience, you must,
within the
past five years, have two years of experience
in an
occupation that is designated as Job Zone 4
or 5,
classified in a Specific Vocational
Preparation (SVP)
range of 7.0 or higher.
Also see an important fraud warning, and
more
on the Diversity Visa Program on the State
Departments web site:
http://travel.state.gov/
Please note there are websites looking very
official but they are really not an official US
governmental site.
If you have questions how to file your
application, please contact Reinhard von
Hennigs via
Diese E-Mail Adresse ist gegen Spam Bots geschützt, Sie müssen Javascript aktivieren, damit Sie es sehen können
or call: +1 (404)
266 7270.
Good luck! Let me know if you need help with the
application or check out bdhlaw.net .-
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| Green Card Lottery (Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery Instructions) |
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Did you ever dream to win a Green Card in a lottery? If so, you may be one of the 55.000 lucky winners, if you follow thew instructions and file no later than November 30.
Immigration allows once a year to enter a lottery to obtain a Green Card. The online entry registration period for the DV-2011 Diversity Visa lottery is open until noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST), Monday, November 30, 2009. Entrants apply on Form DS-5501, Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form available only during the DV open registration period.
Auch dieses Jahr werden wieder 50,000 Greencard Weltweit und 5,000 in Lateinamerika verlost.
Die "Permanent Resident Card", umgangssprachlich "Green Card", wurde auf Initiative von Präsident Reagan zum Erhalt der Nationalitäten-Vielfalt ab dem Jahre 1987 auch in Form der Diversity Visa Lottery vergeben. Einwohner von Ländern mit hohen Einwanderungsquoten in den letzten Jahren, werden von der Lotterie ausgeschlossen. Dies betrifft dieses Jahr unter anderem Einwanderungswillige aus UK mit Ausnahme Northern Ireland, Polen, Brasilien und dem chinesischen Festland. Für Antragssteller aus Deutschland stehen aber die Chancen wie immer gut.
If you have questions how to file your application, please contact Reinhard von Hennigs via law @ bdhlaw.net or call: +1 (404) 266 7270.
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Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery Instructions
The USCIS online entry registration period for the DV-2011 Diversity Visa lottery is open between noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), Friday, October 2, 2009, and noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-5), Monday, November 30, 2009.
Entrants apply on Form DS-5501, Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form available only during the DV open registration period.
If you have questions how to file your application, please contact Reinhard von Hennigs via email: law @ bdhlaw.net or call: +1 (404) 266 7270.
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LEGAL UPDATE:
The Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 is a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
form. It is used by an employer to verify an employee's identity and to
establish that the worker is eligible to accept employment in the
United States. Recent Employee Bulletins by the USCIS explain many questions and
concerns that employees have had over the years about the I-9 process,
such as the limitation of an employer's ability to discern from the
many old ID's, the many various forms of ID, discovery of possibly
questionable ID, etc.
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| Immigration works overtime |
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Naturalization Interviews are now to be conducted on Saturdays, Sundays and after normal business hours on weekdays. During the Fiscal Year 2007, USCIS received a significant increase in naturalization applications (Form N-400).
To address the increase, USCIS is expanding work hours and adding staff to complete these filings within our processing time goals. If you have received a notice from USCIS that your naturalization interview has been scheduled on a Saturday, Sunday, or after traditional business hours, the notice is correct and you should appear at the scheduled time.
If you need to get any support or advice for the interview, please contact Reinhard von Hennigs at our Charlotte office +1 704 333 5230.
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Die Erhöhung der Visagebühren, die Initiative für Erhöhung der H1-B und GreenCard Quoten, die Elektronische Bearbeitung von H, L, O, P und Q Visa-Anträgen und neue Regelungen bei Antragstellung für familienbezogene Einwanderung.
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| Einwanderungstest |
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Nachdem wir in vergangenen Newslettern über einen Naturalization Test in Deutschland berichtet haben, ist Gegenstand dieses Newsletters der Naturalization Test in den USA. Aber was ist Naturalization? Was ist ein Naturalization Test? Welche Fragen erwarten einen Antragssteller bei einem Naturalization Interview?
Naturalization heißt Einbürgerung. Bei dieser Prozedur wird einem ausländischen Bürger die amerikanische Staatsbürgerschaft zugesprochen. Zuvor muss er jedoch die Voraussetzungen hierzu erfüllen. Diese beinhalten folgendes: der Antragssteller muss eine gewisse Zeit kontinuierlich seinen Wohnsitz in den USA haben sowie physisch anwesend sein. Des Weiteren muss der Wohnsitz in einem besonderen USCIS Bezirk gewesen sein, bevor er seinen Antrag einreicht. Er muss ferner die Fähigkeit nachweisen, englisch reden, schreiben und sprechen zu können. Auch wird historisches und politisches Wissen verlangt. Zudem ist ein guter Charakter erforderlich. Schließlich muss man den Prinzipien der U.S. Verfassung zustimmen sowie eine positive Einstellung gegenüber den Vereinigten Staaten haben. Die zuletzt genannten Faktoren sowie ein guter Charakter sind die wichtigsten Voraussetzungen. Die anderen Faktoren können bei gewissen Antragsstellern, wie z.B. bei einem Ehepartner eines US-Bürgers, gegebenfalls modifiziert oder sogar ganz auf sie verzichtet werden.
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Certain requirements are to be met for a photograph to be accepted by US Immigration (USCIS):
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Photo not older than 6 month
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Frame subject with full face, front view, eyes open
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Make sure photo presents full head from top of hair to bottom of chin; height of head should measure 1 inch to 1-3/8 inches (25 mm to 35 mm)
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Make sure eye height is between 1-1/8 inches to 1-3/8 inches (28 mm and 35 mm) from bottom of photo
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Photograph subject against a plain white or off-white background
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Position subject and lighting so that there are no distracting shadows on the face or background
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Für alle, die sich mit dem Thema Auswanderung in die USA und Green Card Lotto beschäftigen, fand ich dann dieses lesenswerte Tagebuch, das ist zwar nicht ganz tagesaktuell, doch sind gerade die ersten Einträge ein ganz gutes Test um festzustellen, was alles in den USA anders ist, vom Bankkonto bis zu Sozialversicherung.
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US Einbürgerungstest |
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Arbeitsmaterial zum Einbürgerungstest findet sich in diesem Link auf unserer Webseite. Allen, die diesen Test vor sich haben, ist zu empfehlen, diese Materialien herunterzuladen und vor allem auch durchzuarbeiten.
Es kommt immer wieder vor, das Personen diesen Text nicht bestehen, weil diese die Vorbereitung nicht ernst nehmen. Die Mitarbeiter der USCIS nehmen unserer Erfahrung nach durchaus Rücksicht auf die intellektuellen Fähigkeiten des Bewerbers. Das bedeutet aber im Umkehrschluss auch, dass Personen mit einem deutschen Hochulabschluss sich auch ein paar "schwerere" Fragen gefallen lassen müssen.
Der Test umfasst die folgenden Themen:
English.
Your English skills will be tested in the following ways:
* Reading. To test your ability to read in English, you must read one sentence, out of three sentences, in a manner suggesting to the USCIS officer that you understand the meaning of the sentence.
* Writing. To test your ability to write in English, you must write one sentence, out of three sentences, in a manner that would be understandable as written to the USCIS officer.
* Speaking. Your ability to speak English is determined by your answers to questions normally asked by USCIS officers during the naturalization eligibility interview regarding the information on your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization.
Civics.
During your interview, the USCIS officer will ask you to orally answer a set of civics questions. You must answer 6 out of 10 civics questions correctly to achieve a passing score. The list of questions can be found below or see the links to the left.
Sollten Sie hierzu Rückfragen haben, so melden Sie sich am besten deutlich vor Ihrem Interview bei uns.
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has established a streamlined, standardized process for receiving requests for accommodations from customers with disabilities. Customers in need of accommodations from field offices and Application Support Centers should now call the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) at
-
1-800-375-5283
-
TDD: 1-800-767-1833
USCIS changed that customers have now a central point of contact for requesting accommodations and that across the country.
Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ( ADA) governs Public Entities (and public transportation). See this link for a tool kit for ADA compliance. Please also review more background about the ADA below.
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U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) advises customers that, due to a tremendous increase in the number of applications filed, the processing of fee payments and entry of cases into our tracking system has been running behind schedule.
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The monthly bulletin of the US Citizen and Immigration Service summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during November 2009.
Only applicants who have a priority date earlier than the cut-off date may be allotted a number. Consular officers are required to report to the Department of State documentarily qualified applicants for numerically limited visas; the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security reports applicants for adjustment of status.
For more details see:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_4576.html
Section 201 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) sets an annual minimum family-sponsored preference limit of 226,000. The worldwide level for annual employment-based preference immigrants is at least 140,000. Section 202 prescribes that the per-country limit for preference immigrants is set at 7% of the total annual family-sponsored and employment-based preference limits, i.e., 25,620. The dependent area limit is set at 2%, or 7,320.
Section 203 of the INA prescribes preference classes for allotment of immigrant visas as follows:
FAMILY-SPONSORED PREFERENCES
First: Unmarried Sons and Daughters of Citizens: 23,400 plus any numbers not required for fourth preference.
Second: Spouses and Children, and Unmarried Sons and Daughters of Permanent Residents: 114,200, plus the number (if any) by which the worldwide family preference level exceeds 226,000, and any unused first preference numbers:
A. Spouses and Children: 77% of the overall second preference limitation, of which 75% are exempt from the per-country limit;
B. Unmarried Sons and Daughters (21 years of age or older): 23% of the overall second preference limitation.
Third: Married Sons and Daughters of Citizens: 23,400, plus any numbers not required by first and second preferences.
Fourth: Brothers and Sisters of Adult Citizens: 65,000, plus any numbers not required by first three preferences.
EMPLOYMENT-BASED PREFERENCES
First: Priority Workers: 28.6% of the worldwide employment-based preference level, plus any numbers not required for fourth and fifth preferences.
Second: Members of the Professions Holding Advanced Degrees or Persons of Exceptional Ability: 28.6% of the worldwide employment-based preference level, plus any numbers not required by first preference.
Third: Skilled Workers, Professionals, and Other Workers: 28.6% of the worldwide level, plus any numbers not required by first and second preferences, not more than 10,000 of which to "Other Workers".
Fourth: Certain Special Immigrants: 7.1% of the worldwide level.
Fifth: Employment Creation: 7.1% of the worldwide level, not less than 3,000 of which reserved for investors in a targeted rural or high-unemployment area, and 3,000 set aside for investors in regional centers by Sec. 610 of P.L. 102-395.
If you have any questions or need additional information please contact Reinhard von Hennigs via email rvh @ bdhlaw.net or call our offices.
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The monthly bulletin of the US Citizen and Immigration Service summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during November 2009.
Consular officers are required to report to the Department of State documentarily qualified applicants for numerically limited visas; the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security reports applicants for adjustment of status.
For more details see:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_4576.html
Otherwise please contact Reinhard von Hennigs via email rvh @ bdhlaw.net or call our offices.
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Select List of the Various Types of United States Visas
A-1 Foreign government officials and families: ambassadors, public ministers, career diplomats, or consular officers
A-2 Foreign government officials and families: other foreign government officials or employees
A-3 Foreign government officials and families: attendants, servants, or personal employees of A-1 and A-2 classes
B-1 Temporary visitors: for business
B-2 Temporary visitors: for pleasure
C-1 Transit aliens: aliens in transit
C-2 Transit aliens: aliens in transit to the United Nations
C-3 Transit aliens: foreign government officials and families in transit
E-1 Treaty traders and investors: treaty traders
E-2 Treaty traders and investors: treaty investors
E-3 Treaty traders and investors: Australian Free Trade Agreement
EB-5 Immigrant Immigrant investors
F-1 Students and exchange visitors: academic students
F-2 Students and exchange visitors: spouses and children of academic students
F-3 Students and exchange visitors: Canadian or Mexican national academic commuter students
G-1 Representatives to international organizations and families: principals of recognized foreign governments
G-2 Representatives to international organizations and families: other representatives of recognized foreign governments
G-3 Representatives to international organizations and families: representatives of nonrecognized or nonmember foreign governments
G-4 Representatives to international organizations and families: international organization officers or employees
G-5 Attendants, servants or personal employees of representatives
GB Temporary visitors: for business, visa waiver, Guam
GT Temporary visitors: for pleasure, visa waiver, Guam
H-1B Dual-intent Temporary workers and trainees: specialty occupations
H-1B1 Dual-intent Temporary workers and trainees: Chile and Singapore Free Trade Agreement
H-1C Dual-intent Temporary workers and trainees: registered nurses participating in the Nursing Relief for Disadvantaged Areas
H-2A Temporary workers and trainees: seasonal agricultural workers
H-2B Temporary workers and trainees: seasonal nonagricultural workers
H-3 Temporary workers and trainees: industrial trainees
H-4 Dual-intent Temporary workers and trainees: spouses and children of H-1, H-2, and H-3 workers
I-1 Representatives of foreign information media and families
IR-1 Immigrant Immediate relative of U.S. citizen: Spouse of a U.S. citizen.
IR-2 Immigrant Immediate relative of U.S. citizen: Unmarried child, under 21 years of age, of a U.S. citizen.
IR-3 Immigrant Immediate relative of U.S. citizen: Orphan adopted by U.S. citizens, whose adoption was finalized outside the U.S.
Note: In order for an IR-3 visa to be issued, U.S. regulations require that both adoptive parents take part in the overseas adoption and actually meet with the child in the child's home country. If only one parent travels to pick up the child, the child will be issued an IR-4 visa instead.
IR-4 Immigrant Immediate relative of U.S. citizen: Orphan whose adoption by a U.S. citizen will be finalized in the citizen's home jurisdiction.
IR-5 Immigrant Immediate relative of U.S. citizen: Parent of a U.S. citizen; the citizen must be at least age 21.
J-1 Nonimmigrant Students and exchange visitors: exchange visitors
J-2 Nonimmigrant Students and exchange visitors: spouses and children of exchange visitors
K-1 Dual-intent LIFE Act: fiances(ees) of U.S. citizens
K-2 Dual-intent LIFE Act: children of fiances(ees) of U.S. citizens
K-3 Dual-intent LIFE Act: spouses U.S. citizens, visa pending
K-4 Dual-intent LIFE Act: children of U.S. citizen, visa pending
L-1 Dual-intent Intracompany transferees: principals
L-2 Dual-intent Intracompany transferees: spouses and children of intracompany transferees
M-1 Students and exchange visitors: vocational students
M-2 Students and exchange visitors: spouses and children of vocational students
N-1 to N-6 NATO officials and families
N-8 and N-9 Immediate relatives of certain SK-3 special immigrants
O-1 Temporary workers and trainees: extraordinary ability or achievement
O-2 Temporary workers and trainees: accompanying and assisting in performance of O-1 workers
O-3 Temporary workers and trainees: spouses and children of O-1 and O-2 workers
P-1 Temporary workers and trainees: internationally recognized athletes or entertainers
P-2 Temporary workers and trainees: artists or entertainers in reciprocal exchange programs
P-3 Temporary workers and trainees: artists or entertainers in culturally unique programs
P-4 Temporary workers and trainees: spouses and children of P-1, P-2, and P-3 workers
Q-1 Temporary workers and trainees: workers in international cultural exchange programs
R-1 Temporary workers and trainees: workers in religious occupations
R-2 Temporary workers and trainees: spouses and children of R-1 workers
T-1 Victims of human trafficking
T-2 Victims of human trafficking: spouse of victim
T-3 Victims of human trafficking: children of victim
T-4 Victims of human trafficking: parents of victim who are children
TD Temporary workers and trainees: spouses and children of NAFTA workers
TN Temporary workers and trainees: NAFTA professional workers
V-1 LIFE Act: spouses of permanent residents, visa pending
V-2 LIFE Act: children of permanent residents, visa pending
V-3 LIFE Act: dependents of V-1 and V-2, visa pending
WB Temporary visitors: visa waiver, business
WT Temporary visitors: visa waiver, pleasure
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