Many Americans find love with people from other countries. In some cases, the relationship may progress to the point where they decide to make things permanent and get married. If you want to bring your fiance into the United States, it’s important to know about the fiance visa. What is the fiance visa? The fiance visa is also known as the K-1 nonimmigrant visa and is one of the family visas that potential immigrants can obtain. It allows you, as an American citizen, to bring your foreign fiance into the country so that you can get married. The purpose of…

Starting September 4, 2021, USCIS is extending the time that receipt notices can be used to show evidence of status from 18 months to 24 months for petitioners who properly file Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence (for marriage-based green card holders), or Form I-829, Petition by Investor to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status (for EB-5 green card holders). Conditional permanent residents who properly file Form I-751 or Form I-829 will receive a receipt notice from USCIS that can be presented with their Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card (also known as a Green Card), as evidence of…

If you are a naturalized citizen or permanent resident who wants to bring family members into the country, you will have to get them a visa. There are different options available for your family members. It’s important to know what these visas are and who are eligible for them. What is family-based immigration? As a person living permanently in the United States, you will eventually want your family members to join you. In this situation, you can rely on family visas to bring over various members of your family. Certain criteria must be met in order to apply. The foreign…

For same-sex couples and others expanding their families through in vitro fertilization, surrogacy or other assisted reproductive technologies, changes by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) may offer some relief. The USCIS updated its policy guidance on Aug. 5, 2021, determining what it means for a child born abroad to be born “in wedlock.” USCIS updates meaning of “in wedlock” In the past, couples that used in vitro fertilization or surrogacy to have children may have faced difficulties when seeking family visas for their child especially same-sex couples, where only one parent is likely to have a genetic tie to…

Receiving a visa authorization is not automatic in the United States even for those who are qualified in high-need employment fields. The USCIS has significant latitude to deny visa authorization under certain circumstances. The nature of the criminal act matters in all final visa decisions when a criminal record exists. However, sometimes visa applicants with marginal criminal issues can still be approved with acceptable American citizen sponsorship, such as a farmer who wants a particular applicant to work for them. But those with serious criminal histories will have difficulties. Drug crime record The first unacceptable criminal activity is drug use,…

The American Immigration Lawyer’s Association (AILA) has released the following helpful information about the International Entrepreneur Parole Rule. This is a new option for foreign business people and investors to consider when looking for ways to immigrate and conduct business in the U.S. In 2021, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) relaunched the International Entrepreneur Rule (IER), allowing it to exercise its discretion to grant temporary entry to foreign nationals who will provide a “significant public benefit” to the United States based on their role as an entrepreneur of a recently formed start-up business. Threshold Requirements To qualify, the entrepreneur…

Lawful permanent residents and US citizens in the State of Washington can bring their families from abroad using the US Consulates in the countries where their international family members reside. Consular processing is an instrumental part of bringing international families from abroad to live and work in the US. Listed below are a few of the main steps which must be taken in the hopes of attaining a US visa. 1. What is your qualifying basis for requesting a green card? The US offers several types of visas and has that information and qualifying conditions on the State Department website.…