Archive for the ‘General’ Category

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) keeps the immigration records of immigrants in the U.S. Some—but not all—of these records are made available under the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act (FOIA), which you can use to get a person’s immigration file from the USCIS. But you’ll need to get permission from that […]

If you are a US citizen or a permanent resident and if you seek to bring your family member to the United States, you can do so by sponsoring that relative for lawful status in the country. To sponsor a family member and get him/her a Green Card, you will have to start the application […]

According to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), a non-immigrant can change his/her temporary status to permanent resident status, if he/she meets all the requirements for a US Green Card, in a particular category. This process, of adjusting non-immigrant status to permanent resident status, is known as adjustment of status. Form I-485 must be filed […]

To work in the United States, you need to be legally authorized to work here. You must be a US citizen or a permanent resident to legally work in the country. If not, you need to obtain an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) to work here. This document will help you to establish that you are […]

Travel documents are identification documents issued by the American government. These documents will help the individuals in America to travel abroad and to return to the United States. A passport is the most common travel document. But US passports are meant only for citizens of the United States. United States does not prevent permanent residents […]

President Obama’s deferred action program has now turned one and this program is meant for the undocumented youth who entered into the country as minors. Form I-821D is the USCIS form that must be filed by the undocumented youth who are eligible for deferred action status. Forms to Request Deferred Action The application filing process […]

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a blanket status that the United States grants the citizens of certain designated foreign countries. The Secretary of Homeland Security designates certain countries that have experienced major disruptions, for TPS and grants the citizens of such countries temporary immigration status. Haiti, El Salvador, Honduras, Somalia, Syria and Sudan are some […]

The Senate immigration reform bill includes a legalization provision and it would grant the country’s undocumented residents provisional residency. This bill would create a new status, the Registered Provisional Immigrant (RPI) status and after the legislation of the Gang of Eight is signed into law, undocumented immigrants could apply for this status. This status would […]

The immigration reform bill that was passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee, includes amendments that would keep families together. This bill would prevent children from entering foster care, when their undocumented parents are placed in immigration detention or removed from the country. 25 percent of the US child population comprises of the children of immigrants […]

Many people in the United States, US citizens and Green Card holders wonder whether they can bring their relatives to the country. Many believe that, if one family member immigrates to the United States and settles there, that member can help the other members of his family to get Green Cards. But this is not […]