Obtaining an Immigrant Visa in the USA
The great age of mass immigration came to an end in the 1920s following the arrival of an unprecedented number of people from eastern, central and southern Europe. A system was then introduced with high quotas for the countries of northwest Europe , and low quotas elsewhere. In the 1960s this was recognised to be a system inappropriate for a nation attempting to rid itself of the legacy of a deeply racist history. Instead, immigration was ended for everyone, except for those able to present themselves as legitimate exceptions. The guiding principles for being allowed to enter became:
- refugee
- family reunion
- to help the USA (skills, investments, etc).
In theory at least there are no special preferences beyond these necessary for the ordinary conduct of business, commerce, trade, tourism, certain humanitarian concerns and the needs of the US economy. In practice, though, reality is a little more complicated. To start the process call 0898 200 290 and request immigration visa details (this is a charged call to the visa section of the US Embassy).
Refugees
These have an automatic right of entry. In practice anti-communist refugees (such as the first wave of Vietnamese boat-people) have been welcome (if they had some US link), whereas those from right-wing regimes are not (hence Cuban refugees are welcome but not those from Haiti). Economic refugees are most definitely NOT welcome these days.
Family Reunions
There is a complex preference system to allow in about half a million immediate relatives of US citizens (children, spouse and parents). Children must be unmarried and under 21.
The preference system was reorganised in 1990, and complicated transitional arrangements are in place. Even so the US Congress can and will change precise numbers and quotas. There are strong immigrant lobby groups, such as the Cubans and the Irish, who can and do exert pressure for rule changes as important elections approach. So the preference systems outlined below are presented only in their barest formats, to suggest how-complicated the rules have become, and why so many people use a specialist lawyer.
To Help the US Economy
Applicants whose arrival within the USA would substantially benefit the US economy have specific quotas. About a quarter of a million skilled and professional workers, plus investors, can be recruited overseas, though usually to fill specific job and investment shortages. Skilled foreign professionals have always been welcome within the US economy - a brain drain that has invigorated the US job market for generations. But the number of visas issued can change dramatically as the US attempts to match the number of arrivals to the number and type of jobs available, or worse still, that will probably be available.
Such changes in visas issued means that even those with appropriate skills can suddenly find they cannot enter the USA, whereas they could have done last year and might be able to next year.
