Entry through a visa
Immigrants have a few options to legally immigrate to the U.S. but visas are the most common means. There is a wide variety of visas for temporary or permanent immigration. The visa an immigrant applies for depends on several factors including the reason for their visit, the duration of their stay and how long they plan on working in the states. In 2015, the U.S. stat department issued over 615,000 permanent (immigrant) visas and over 10 million temporary (nonimmigrant visas).
If you are in New Hampshire, USAttorneys recommends you speak with an immigration lawyer when you need help with a visa application for yourself or a
Immigrants who want to visit or work in the U.S. temporarily can apply for one of the following nonimmigrant visas:
- Travel visa
- H-2B – Issued for temporary work in the agricultural and hospitality industries.
- H-1B- Issued to highly-skilled workers with a bachelor’s degree or higher.
- H-3B- Trainee or special education visitor
Immigrants who want to immigrate to the U.S. and apply for a green card can apply for one of the following immigrant visas:
- IR1 and CR1- Spouse of U.S. citizen
- K-1 Fiancé of U.S. citizen
- DV- Diversity visa
For a complete list of visas visit the State Department at:
Immigration laws in New Hampshire
Immigration enforcement is under federal jurisdiction but state and local law enforcement agencies assist through a program called Secure Communities. Officers in cities that participate in the program take the fingerprints of any immigrants they arrest and enter it into a federal database to find out their immigration status. If an immigrant is undocumented, they can be held until they can be picked up by ICE.
There are over 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., so enforcement is a top priority for immigration agents. Immigrants should always get authorization before crossing a U.S. border illegally or overstaying a visa because there are severe legal and personal consequences for being undocumented. Those consequences include incarceration, deportation and being torn away from family and friends.
Other means of authorized immigration
The U.S. like many nations give humanitarian relief to people living in countries plagued by war or violence. There are two types of humanitarian immigrants can apply for:
Asylum- Refugees who live in war torn countries, are in danger of being harmed or persecuted because of their religious belief, political affiliations or lifestyle. Refugees are allowed to come to the U.S. for their personal safety after they go through a rigorous and thorough vetting process.
To see if you are eligible for asylum visit the USCIS website.
Humanitarian parole- Humanitarian parole is a temporary relief program offered to immigrants in countries that have been hit by a natural disaster or experience another event that makes living condition unsafe. This type of immigration relief ends when conditions in the recipients’ native country improve.
Green cards and citizenship
Many immigrants in New Hampshire want to become legal permanent residents (green card holder) or U.S. citizens. The USCIS gave legal permanent residency to 990,553 immigrants and naturalized 645, 949 immigrants, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
If you have questions about immigrating to Michigan, USAttorneys recommends you get the advice of a legal expert. Set up a consultation with an immigration lawyer in Michigan.
