Author Archives: janachen

Common Ways to Apply for a Green Card

Posted on by
Reply

Green card is a familiar term that is used in the US. Its importance and popularity is due to the fact that it authorizes the card holder to work and live permanently in the US. Since a majority of the immigrants move to the US, only with the aim of securing a prospective job and getting their own living space, the green card is always in great demand.
Ways to apply for green card
The USCIS has facilitated the process of getting a green card in such a way as to suit each category of applicant. All the applicants need to do is determine the category under which they are going to apply for a green card and then follow the specific instructions. The following list illustrates the available ways of getting a green card

  • Through Family
  • Through employment
  • Through Refugee or Asylee status
  • Through Special Immigrant Juvenile Status
  • Through the Diversity Immigration visa Program (DV Lottery)

Apart from the above mentioned, there are options available for case specific situations like Green card for Cuban citizens, Armed forces member, informant, crime victims , trafficking victims etc. The two easiest ways of getting a green card are by marrying a US citizen and through the DV lottery program.
Apply for Green card as a result of marriage
 This is easier and comparatively quicker than the other possible routes to apply for green card. A US citizen can sponsor a green card for his/her fiancé, who is a foreign national. First step is getting the fiancé into the US on a Fiancé visa and then marrying within 90 days of entering into the US. After the marriage and before the expiry of the fiancé visa, the fiancé (who is now a wife) should apply to adjust status to that of permanent resident.
Initially, the fiancé would be conferred with a conditional resident status only. When this term gets over by the end of 3 yrs, they should apply for permanent residency. Why this is considered as an easy way of becoming a green card holder is that immediate relatives (spouse in this case) need not wait in the long queues to get their visas approved.
However, this advantage is being misused greatly by many whose sole purpose is to apply for green card. They seek to marry a US citizen to primarily get a green card and then call off the supposed genuine marriage. That is why the USCIS has the rights to revoke anybody’s green cars, if it finds out that the marriage was a fake, made purposefully for becoming a permanent resident.
Apply for green card through the diversity Lottery route

This is another interesting privilege given by the US Department of State to enable immigrants from any country to get a green card. Every year it decides the countries that are eligible to participate in this program and issues 50,000 diversity visas to those selected. Selection of applicants is purely based on random computer selection. However getting selected in this program does not ensure an assured entry into the US. The winners should be able to demonstrate that they are eligible for a visa to get into the US. Additionally their immigrant visa should be immediately available at the time of applying to register permanent residence.
Although these two methods have many takers, the other ways of how to apply for green card are also helpful to many applicants. Whatever be the method of getting a green card, applicants should ensure that they go in for periodic renewals of the same. This is mandatory as it is always advisable to have a valid and fully updated green card at all times.

*****************

We help immigrants through the complex US Immigration & USCIS application process. Apply for US Immigration Services. Those who want to process their Greencard for children, Immigration INS application simple and quick online.

janachen

What Is INS Immigration Services?

Posted on by
Reply

The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS immigration services) was formed on June 10, 1993. It had the supreme jurisdiction over matters regarding immigration and naturalization. It was the protector of the laws of naturalization and also dealt with the illegal entry into the US.

History of the INS immigration services
The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was formed in 1933 as a result of a merger of the Bureau of Naturalization and Immigration. It was first under the control of the Department of Labor but was moved to the control of the Department of Justice in 1940 by the then US president Franklin Roosevelt.

It was after the US civil war that some states of the US began passing their own immigration laws. This led to the Supreme Court ruling of 1875 which stressed that immigration was the responsibility of the federal government. In 1891 the Immigration Act was passed which paved the way for the formation of an Office of the Superintendent of Immigration within the US treasury department. It had several Immigration Inspectors who monitored the applications of all immigrants seeking entry into the US. One can very well say that this was the early stages of the INS immigration services.

The US congress, in the early 1900’s, realized that immigration was not only concerned with the revenue but also with the commerce of the country. This led to the transfer of the Bureau of Immigration to the now defunct Department of Commerce and Labor. The flow of immigrants from Europe after the World War I was high and the Immigration Act of 1924 was passed to check this problem. The INS immigration services had several predecessors before it finally took shape as the INS.

Structure of the INS

The INS immigration services were headed by a commissioner who is appointed by the US president. The INS worked alongside with the UN, US department of State and the Department of Health and Human Services. The following four divisions shared the complex duties of the INS immigration services.

  • Programs
  • Field Operations
  • Policy and Planning
  • Management

Functions of the INS immigration services

The Programs and field operations division controlled the operational functions of the INS.
Programs division –  Enforced immigration laws (arrest, Controlled, detained and deported illegal immigrants) and exams.
Field Operations division – Implemented immigration policies in its regional offices, oversaw the work of the International offices and offices in the US

The Policy and Planning and Management divisions took care of the managerial functions of the INS.
Policy and planning division –  Co-ordinated all information and maintained communication with other government agencies and the public. It had three branches – Policy, planning division and Evaluation and Research center
Management Division – Maintained the Overall mission and the goals of the INS. This was done through the administrative authority of its many offices

What is the INS today?

On March 1, 2003 the INS ceased to exist under that name and most of its functions were transferred and shared between three newly formed components of the Department of Homeland Security. USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services), ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and CBP (US Customs and Border Protection) are the new structures designed to share the INS immigration services. This measure was the aftermath of the September 2011 terrorist attack. The US government brought in some very strict rules and regulations as a preventive measure to avoid any further terrorist assaults.

Immigration services like the permanent residence, naturalization, asylum etc. came under the responsibility of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS). But this too underwent a name change and became the USCIS.  ICE controlled the investigative and enforcement functions. CBP took care of the Border protection task.
*******
We help immigrants through the complex US Immigration & USCIS application process. Apply for US Immigration Services. Those who want to process their Greencard for children, Immigration INS application simple and quick online.

janachen