About the Process to Becoming a Legal Immigrant

The Statue of Liberty says "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..." so it is no surprise that thousands of people from all over the world immigrate to the United States each year in search of a better life. The United States welcomes immigrants who choose to legally enter the country.

The Facts

Most people traveling from other countries are required to have a visitor Visa to legally enter the United States. Citizens of some countries are allowed to visit with only a passport due to the Visa waiver program, but this is certainly a small group only including about 30 countries such as France and Japan as well as the United Kingdom and Australia. Visitors from a country that participates in the United States Visa waiver program are only allowed to stay in the country for 90 days regardless of whether they are in the country for business or pleasure. Immigrants who intend to stay in the United States for longer than ninety days will most likely need to obtain a Visa or a green card. A green card does not make a person a citizen of the United States. It simply allows them to legally live and work in the country. Green cards expire after ten years so a person must complete the naturalization process to become a citizen of the United States before the expiration or file a renewal application to extend their green card privileges. You must complete the naturalization process to become a citizen of the United States. This includes filing an application for citizenship and passing the citizenship test as well as being able to speak and write in English and uphold good moral character.

Type

There is more than one kind of Visa a person can obtain depending on their reason for coming to the United States. The B-1 Business Visa allows foreign visitors entering the country for business purposes to stay in the country for six months. There are also tourist Visas and Visas for people who are entering the country to receive medical treatment.

Benefits

There are many benefits to entering the United States legally including avoiding the possibility of deportation. Benefits of becoming a citizen of the country include being allowed to vote in elections and run for public office as well as being eligible for public aid and social security benefits. Another benefit of becoming a United States citizen is that it will make it easier to help other members of your family immigrate to the country. As a matter of fact, once you become a citizen any of your unmarried children are automatically allowed to move to the United States.

Time Frame

An individual is eligible to complete the naturalization process and become a citizen of the United States once they have had their green card for 5 years.

Effects

Many people argue that the immigration process in the United States is too difficult and therefore results in a massive amount of illegal immigration. Some believe that the process should be made much easier and less complicated to deter people from immigrating into the country without legal permission.