Immigration.
What a word that fills many with turmoil and others with indifference.
Mostly what we hear today about immigration is what to do about illegal immigration-how to stop it and what to do with illegal immigrants who are already here.
However, there is another side of the immigration issue that isn't mentioned much by politicians or media, the side about legal immigration and how difficult and complicated and capricious it has become.
Non-Immigrant Visas There are two main categories of United States visas.
One category is the Visitor Visa, or Non-Immigrant Visa.
Visitor visas are given with the assumption that the visitor will be eventually going home, that there is no intention to immigrate to the United States.
Tourist, Student, Temporary Worker, U.
S.
Exchange Visitor, U.
S.
Diversity are examples of Visitor Non-Immigrant Visas.
People from developing and so-called third world countries are often denied visitor visas to developed and so-called First world countries unless they can show "binding ties" to their home country (which means it is assumed that they will most likely go home after visiting).
Here in the United States, even if they have and can prove those binding ties, another reason to deny is often found.
Furthermore, if there is a love interest in the United States, a visitor visa is, according to policy, almost always categorically denied.
The applicant is told to file an immigrant visa application instead.
The applicant is automatically labeled a person with "intent to immigrate.
" Decisions about who gets a U.
S.
Visa are, theoretically, mandated by State Department immigration policies and United States immigration laws, the final decision is often made by only one person, a consular official working in the U.
S.
Consulate, or an immigration officer working at your POE (Port of Entry).
Getting into the US is becoming harder and harder with each passing year because so many people take, and have taken, advantage of their visitor visas and never gone home.
Entire regions of the world, the West Indies for example, have been essentially blacklisted from getting visitor visas because of this immense visa abuse.
In a vicious spiral, as it gets more and more difficult to enter the United States legally, some people may, in desperation, choose illegal entry to the U.
S.
instead, therefore making it even harder still to get a visa! Immigrant Visas The other category of United States visas is the Family Visa, or Immigrant Visa.
Immigrant visas are also known as Green Cards.
People who want to live and work in the U.
S.
have to get an immigrant visa.
This immigrant visa application process is very complicated, time-consuming, and costly.
What makes it even more difficult are the many instances of bureaucratic bungling by clerks that lead to cases being rejected or returned due to errors that are no fault of the applicant.
And even if the applicant makes a simple clerical error on one of the multitude of application forms required, there is often no forgiveness and the applicant must start all over again.
This complexity leads many people to hire ignorant or unscrupulous lawyers who then take their money and bungle the case for them.
This sort of capriciousness is causing terrible stress for many, many people trying to legally immigrate to the United States.
The only way to deal with the anxiety and stress is to educate oneself in order to be ready to handle roadblocks as they arise.
Don't count on an "Immigration Attorney" to know what is going on.
Plenty of them don't know but are ready to give bad, bad advice and even steer you to do something illegal, which could get you banned for life! Although it may seem worth it in the short term to cut corners or do something illegal in order to get to the United States, the better idea is to do it right from the beginning so that nothing can come back to haunt you later as you apply for AOS (Adjustment of Status) or Citizenship.
Be smart about your desire to visit or move to the United States.
Learn whatever you can about what you are attempting to do.
Ignorance of the rules and laws can make your life hell.