The purpose of this agency is to facilitate the procedures that need to be followed by those who are not U.S citizens. This agency is for those who are seeking to emigrate from their country of origin and therefore are seeking US immigration.

As an agency of the U.S. government, many people find themselves feeling very much intimidated by the United States Immigration and Naturalization system that must be dealt with if they wish to successfully navigate the process of US immigration.

United States immigration law can be very complex and confusing, especially to those who are seeking to emigrate from countries where English is not the native language. In these instances, sometimes the best way to deal with the intimidation factor of the United States Immigration and Naturalization process is to seek out the help of a US immigration attorney, if one can be afforded.

Otherwise, there can be long delays in the undertaking of US immigration procedures as emigrants apply for US citizenship. A US immigration attorney can help to be sure all required forms are completely and accurately filled out and that all of the procedures are carefully followed. Just having someone on hand to be sure such things are properly handled is a great advantage.

The other advantage to seeking out immigration help, whether from a US immigration attorney or from one of the many businesses that offer immigration services, is that they can greatly assist in the avoidance of missteps in the process of immigration. Missteps can be extremely costly, both in money if the U.S. forms have to be resubmitted and in the loss of time, which can be even more frustrating for some people.

If you decide that a US immigration attorney is what you need in order to become a U.S. citizen and immigrate to America, then you want to take some time to find the best attorney possible to make sure everything runs smoothly.

A good US immigration attorney will have a competent staff. Both the attorney and the staff will go out of their way to be friendly and accommodating in order to make you feel comfortable. Since this is such an enormous decision that has long-term ramifications for both your immediate and extended family, your immigration attorney can also help you to be sure that you are making the right decision. This is important before investing huge sums of money on the paperwork and the lawyer’s fees which will be required to successfully work with the United States Immigration and Naturalization service.

Even though the thought of approaching the United States Immigration and Naturalization process can be intimidating and even unsettling, with the right information and good help, you should be able to successfully become the newest US immigrant if you decide that is where your destiny lies.

By Travel Editor

According to US immigration law, an immigrant is defined as a person who is desiring to enter a country other than their native homeland, with the intention of eventually becoming a resident permanently and undertaking to live or work, or both, in their new country.

Further, those who are intending to emigrate from the land of their birth and become an immigrant and eventually a full-fledged citizen of the Unites States are those who want to be able to live inside the borders of the U.S., either for an extensive period of time or permanently.

The US citizenship test is just one part of the process that those who apply for US citizenship must undertake. There is also a rather significant amount of paperwork that must be filed in the application process. A good deal of patience is required as the paperwork works its way through the grind of the plodding government wheels of progress.

While the US citizenship test is a concern and a challenge for many, it is not the only obstacle to gaining the coveted status of citizen of the United States of America. As well as needing the patience to await approvals of the applications and for the forms to be processed, there is also the cost involved in filing the required forms.

The fee structure for the required forms has recently been moderately raised. The submission costs for US immigration forms is significant and often creates a roadblock for people wishing to immigrate. Some examples of the costs are: Form I-130 is $355 and used for alien relative applicants; Form I-485 is $930 and used for applying for permanent residence status or to file for an adjustment of status. With these kinds of costs just for filing the proper forms, it is easy to see why trying to gain US citizenship is simply too expensive for many people.

Another common impediment to many people from non-English speaking countries is the language barrier. Sometimes the best way to work around that particular issue is to use the services of a US immigration attorney or to seek out assistance from an immigration help service. Many of these businesses are designed to help people through the immigration process and have a staff who are fluent in a variety of languages to help overcome the language issue. However, these services do add another layer of cost to the applicant.

Once you get the process started with the correct forms and with whatever type of help you deem important to help you get through the US immigration process, you will have plenty of time while the paperwork is being processed to study for the US citizenship test. The test is the final hurdle of the process.

By Travel Editor

While having a basic understanding is very helpful, if you are in need of fuller understanding and implementation of US immigration law, it is a wise and prudent course to seek out the counsel of a US immigration attorney. Such a qualified and experienced immigration attorney can be invaluable in explaining how many of the subtle nuances that are found in US immigration law will have an enormous impact on your business.

The broad working definition of immigration, in accordance with US immigration law, is that it can be described as one entering a country that is not their homeland country. Additionally, this person has the intention of becoming a resident on a permanent basis in the new country, in order to both live and work.

Those who intend to emigrate from their homelands and immigrate to the United States are those who have the intention of staying within the boarders of the United States for an extended time period. Usually on a permanent basis and often with the intention to apply for US citizenship.

The overall scope and purpose of US immigration law covers a wide range of issues and concerns faced by the current citizens and the government of the United States. Even during the very first days of the establishment of the country of America, it was obvious that there would have to be some kind of limitations on the persons that would be allowed to immigrate. With the homeland security issues since the tragedy of September 11, 2001, and recent political turmoil over the topic, the limitations have changed and become somewhat more stringent.

Some of the stated purposes of US immigration laws are as follows: grant and define immigration status; control the admission of new aliens to the US; establish criteria for removing aliens and under what circumstances they are to be deported; outline the terms for an alien being allowed to stay on US soil; provide immigrants and aliens with various benefits and rights; set up a system for administrative and judicial review of immigration procedures and proceedings; create criminal and civil liability and power to enforce US immigration policy.

Such a diverse and wide ranging group of topics is part of what can make US immigration law very confusing in its complexity. Of particular importance, especially to employers, is understanding how these different aspects of the law all work together, which is as important as understanding the law as a whole.

It is also crucial to have a grasp of how the United States Constitution, the US congress, the Immigration and Nationality Act and the various government agencies that are responsible for interpreting and enforcing the law all work together and have an impact on the implementation of US immigration law.

A full understanding of the US immigration law also requires a foundation in the source of the laws and the standard implementation of the policies by the different agencies that participate in enforcing the statues.

By Travel Editor

The requirement is that an American relative is the one who would need to initiate the petition for a visa to start the immigration process. This would be done on behalf of the foreign relative who is wanting to emigrate from their home country.

The adjustment of status application is the paperwork that is filed by an alien who is already physically within the borders of the United States, or a resident alien, for the purpose of changing his status in the US from non-immigrant status to immigrant status. This is also known as permanent resident status.

Immigration to the US is based on a petition of a relative and can sometimes take quite a long time to process. For example, it can take up to 12 years for a brother or a sister of a US citizen to successfully go through the process. However, the process of immigration to the United does not take as long if both the US citizen who initiates the petition and the foreign beneficiary are considered by the US immigration service to be “immediate relatives.”

An immediate relative, according to US immigration law, is defined as a spouse of an American citizen, an unmarried child of an American citizen who is under 21 years of age and the parents of any American citizen.

All other relatives, for the purposes of immigration, and including children of an American citizen who is over the age of 21, are required to wait for what is known as their visa priority date to arrive, in order to receive a visa number.

Should the foreign relative who is seeking to immigrate, already be within the borders of the US, then a close relative has previously filed the Alien Resident Petition on their behalf. This means that they will be able to become a legal permanent resident without having to go through the consular process for an immigrant visa by means of a US Embassy overseas. They can simply apply for an adjustment of status while in the US.

The primary benefit of seeking out the adjustment of status application (I-485), is that it means the alien has already reached the last step toward acquiring a green card. Once that application is approved, the alien has gained the status of permanent resident in the US. Additionally, there are two other significant benefits that come to the hopeful immigrant while waiting for the I-485 application to be processed. The first is that the alien is allowed to apply simultaneously for advance parole and the second is that the alien is also able to immediately apply to receive a work permit.

It should be noted that not everyone can apply for adjustment of status. Those who have ever been out of status, who have unlawfully been present in the US, who have worked without proper authorization, who have tried to use fake documents to enter the states or who were deported should consult with a US immigration attorney for assistance with this application.

By Travel Editor

Elis Island was, for many, a portal to a new life through which they would pass and begin their journey. Hundreds of thousands of individuals fled persecution, poverty or inhumane conditions to come to the United States for a chance to live the "American dream" of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In this article, we will cover some of the basic questions regarding immigration that many have.

Who is in charge of immigration?

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service is the agency responsible for the legal processing of individuals wishing to become a United States citizen. Other agencies that work in conjunction with the USCIS are the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Naturalization Service and a variety of state and local law enforcement agencies.

What are the legal repercussions for illegal aliens?

Illegal immigrants, or known as illegal aliens, face deportation if they are discovered within the country illegally. There are circumstances where the individual or family is allowed to stay but those are solely up to the decision of the federal government.

What is the impact of illegal immigration?

Illegal immigration can severely affect the economic status of the community. The effects can range from criminal activity, illegal workers working for wages far beneath the minimum standard wage set forth by the state as well as a burden on the healthcare system if they do not have healthcare insurance.

Immigration seems to be a highly combustible political debate. What are the reasons behind this?

Many people are vehemently against immigration because they feel that American jobs are being taken from the American worker because so many immigrants are willing to work for far less. They also believe that higher crime rates and an increase of government assistance are contributing to the decline of society. Whether or not this is true is debatable. For every argument against allowing immigrants entrance into the US, there are arguments for them being allowed. The current controversy centers more on the influx of illegal immigrants rather than individuals seeking legal admittance to the United States.

By Travel Editor

The USCIS is now responsible for administering all of the functions of immigration and naturalization adjudication. As well, it is responsible for establishing the policies and priorities related to immigration services.

Two important functions of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, under its new formation, is providing the information that people from around the world seek in order to begin to take steps toward immigrating to the United States and proceeding through the process of becoming US citizens. Also, it must create resources to help those who have just recently immigrated.

The USCIS oversees and manages all of the many functions that are related to immigration, including: processing of visa petitions by immigrants; making rulings on naturalization petitions; adjudicating applications for asylum and for refugees; arbitrating procedures and rulings that are performed at the various service centers; handling all other adjudication requirements as required by the circumstances.

The department of US Citizenship and Immigration Services is comprised of approximately fifteen thousand employees. Some are employees of the United States federal government and some are independent contractors. Roughly speaking, this large staff works out of 250 field offices and headquarters located around the globe. They serve the needs of people from all parts of the world who are interested in emigrating from their native countries to the United States.

Part of the responsibilities of the USCIS include providing resources for potential immigrants and for the various organizations that support and serve them. In the instance of immigrants, the USCIS primarily focuses their efforts on two key periods of time in an immigrant’s journey. The time when an immigrant first becomes a permanent resident and the point at which he or she is ready to formally begin the naturalization process, which will lead them toward integration into the US culture and society.

For the newly arrived immigrant, there is a vast amount of information and resources available at the official website of the department of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, which can be located at www.USCIS.gov. On this site, there is a comprehensive guide that can be downloaded. It provides practical immigration information designed to help new immigrants easily transition into the everyday lifestyle of the US.

This helpful guide is entitled "Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants," and it is available in eleven different languages. The guide also covers some basic US civics information which introduces the new immigrants to the United States system of government. This is information that they will need to learn to function well in their new country.

For those already in the process of naturalization, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services website also offers an array of educational materials in a section titled "Civics and Citizenship Study Materials." These learning resources have been provided to assist immigrants in preparing for the US citizenship test, while also encouraging additional civic education.

By Travel Editor

Those who are wanting to emigrate from their homelands and those who will benefit from either of these two types of USA visas will subsequently qualify to live and/or work in the United States.

The applications for these USA visas are subject to a strict annual quota of 675,000 only. There is a preference system in place for the issuing of these visas and there are four categories of preferences for family-sponsored immigration and five types of preferences for employment-sponsored immigration.

The annual cap on the number of family sponsored immigrants is 535,000. As well, there is a set minimum of 226,000, that must be issued within any given year. That leaves a total of 140,000 USA visas that are issued annually for the employment related category. While these numbers are the current quota levels, the US federal government and the US Citizenship and Immigration Services department has made it clear that these numbers for the preference categories are subject to adjustment and change as needed.

The non-preference categories of USA visas are the following: Sons and daughters of US citizens who are unmarried. This type of visa is limited to a maximum of 23,000 to be issued in a year. This category also includes divorced adult daughters or sons of US citizens.

The adjudication of a son or daughter is different than the adjudication of a child, even though both are the offspring of a US citizen. For the purpose of US immigration, a child is considered to be an unmarried daughter or son who is under the age of twenty-one. A child of a US citizen is allowed to enter the US without any consideration of the numerical quota for that type of visa. Therefore, the daughter or the son of the US citizen can be any age over 21, to qualify for a US visa application in this category.

Another category of preference in USA visas is that of the spouse and the unmarried sons and daughters of legal and lawful US citizens or legal permanent resident aliens. This preference category does not take age into consideration, with regard to qualifying for this type of visa. There is a minimum of 114,000 visas of this type that are allotted for each year. This number may be augmented through the usage of any unused visas out of the first preference category.

Statistics have shown that approximately seventy-seven percent of the USA visas are provided for the spouses and for the children of permanent legal resident aliens in the US. This leaves the other twenty-three percent of the visas to be issued to the unmarried daughters and sons of US citizens or legal resident aliens.

A son or daughter of a US citizen who has been divorced is usually allowed to live within the US and also to work in the US, under the status of being an immigrant beneficiary who has been sponsored by a US citizen or by a permanent resident alien.

Another preference category for USA visas is for the brother or sister of a US citizen. The annual limitation for this category of visa is 65,000, but this number can also be augmented with other types of visas which have not been used under the other categories of family-based preferences.

By Travel Editor

The country of the United States of America was founded on the principle of having open doors and open arms to the nations of the world, inviting all to come and partake of the many benefits and advantages of being an American citizen.

However, the political climate in the US since the terror strikes of September 11th, 2001 have helped to create a situation which has made it more challenging for people to navigate through the process of attaining US citizenship and immigration.

Even with the political turmoil on U.S. soil regarding US immigration policy, the fact remains that there still is a process in place for those who are wanting to emigrate from their homeland and become a new US citizen.

Assisting those in the process of attaining US citizenship and immigration status are a number of different companies that offer US immigration help and services for a fee. The fees and the services vary greatly, so it may take some diligent research on the part of the hopeful immigrant to find just the right immigration services that can facilitate their needs, while still being affordable.

There are also many of these services that have a US immigration attorney on staff or on retainer for consultation. He or she is available to help with the United States immigration law which is often confusing and complex and which changes frequently as the political winds change with public opinion and new security concerns.

The best businesses that are available to assist people in navigating through the maze of details and paperwork that must be taken care of in the pursuit of US citizenship and immigration, are those who help to educate their emigrant clients in the process. They can outline for you the best and quickest way to become a US citizen. The best of these services have well-designed systems in place which have been developed over many years of helping people gain the status of American citizen.

One of the best ways to find the right service for this major undertaking is to talk to people who have used a service of this kind and who have successfully gained their US citizenship and immigration status. Any reputable immigration services company will have a list of clients who can attest to the quality of assistance they received.

Part of the system that these companies have in place will help their clients prepare in many ways for naturalization. One of the key components of this preparation is getting ready to take the US citizenship test which every applicant for US citizenship and immigration must pass.

Although immigrants will say that it is worth the wait, the fact is that going through the US citizenship and immigration process can be a lengthy ordeal that tries peoples’ patience. Depending on your current location, you can expect the process from beginning to end to take somewhere between six months to two years, maybe more.

By Travel Editor

Each year there are also movies and other media that can make US immigration seem like something that is exciting, glamorous and downright simple. But, the reality can be considerably different than the Hollywood portrayals. It should be remembered that there is also a good deal of controversy surrounding emigration, especially from certain countries and certain parts of the world.

Before making the important decision to try for US immigration, there are many different issues and aspects to the process that you would do well to be aware of and consider before you decide on this course of action.

US immigration is simply not for everyone, as much as some people would like to think it is. In order to be assimilated into the United States as an immigrant, some people discover that it is much more difficult to leave their home country behind, as well as family, culture, tradition and national pride.

US immigration is a costly matter and many people find that it is just too expensive to be able to emigrate to America. The fees required to submit the necessary forms to start the process have recently been raised. For example, Form I-130 Petition is the form to use for an alien relative and costs $355 USD to submit, while the Form I-485 Register Permanent Residence costs $930 USD to file and a filing for the adjustment of status is the same. These and the many other required fees add up quickly, often making it prohibitive for many people to even get the process of US immigration started.

Some people find the process so intimidating, especially if there is a language barrier, that they seek out immigration help from a US immigration attorney. While such an attorney can often help to speed up and smooth out the process, the cost to retain an attorney for help with US immigration is often not an option for many.

Unless you plan to be emigrating with your complete family or at least those in your immediate family, it can end up being a wrenching experience, especially if you come from a close-knit family. For those who are accustomed to seeing their extended family members regularly, US immigration can be a very emotionally difficult undertaking. Instead of being nearby for frequent family gatherings, when you move abroad the expense of travel often limits family interaction significantly.

Someone emigrating from a country that is non-English speaking, might find that life in the United States can be very challenging unless one has a good working grasp of the English language. Having at least the basics of the language will help one to settle in more quickly, if indeed the decision to apply for US immigration is the right choice.

By Travel Editor

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is also responsible for much of the security associated with the US borders in aspects of economics, transportation issues and the overall security of the infrastructure.

In addition, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement department has the responsibility of enforcing over 400 different United States immigration law federal statutes within the borders of the United States and also has attaches located at all the major US overseas embassies.

Because of this and the US immigration policies, ICE and the special agents of the agency, are considered to be empowered with the broadest investigative authority that exists within the US federal government.

The mission statement of ICE is to protect the United States of America and to uphold the public safety by identifying and targeting the money, people and/or materials that are used in support of both terrorist and criminal activity within the US. The ICE agency motto is, “Integrity, Courage and Excellence.”

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is under the direction of an Assistant Secretary. This position is by appointment and considered a sub-cabinet level. The ICE Assistant Secretary is appointed by the President of the United States and then must be confirmed by a vote of the US Senate. Therefore, he or she reports to and is under the direction of the Secretary of Homeland Security.

ICE was formed under the provisions of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 which was passed after the tragic events of September 11, 2001. When the Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, was formed in accordance with the Homeland Security Act, all of the functions and authority of several different revenue and border enforcement agencies were brought together and rebuilt as the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

As a result of this restructuring, ICE is the investigative arm of the DHS. It is the largest in manpower and resources and it is also the second largest contingent of support and contribution to the efforts of the Unites States’ Joint Terrorism Task Force, second only to the contributions of the FBI.

Because of the way the various agencies were restructured under the new DHS, the newly formed ICE is now made up of intelligence resources from the US Customs Service, combined with the law enforcement functions of the Immigration and naturalization Service and the US Federal Protective Service. As a result, ICE is now responsible for protecting all federal government buildings within the borders of the United States.

Since the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement department has been given such a huge law enforcement responsibility and with such board authority that it has, the hiring process for new agents is competitive and rigorous, and the standards are very high.

By Travel Editor