5 Basic US Immigration Laws & Policies You Need To Know

Federal immigration laws determine the status and position of aliens along with their rights and duties in the United States. Immigration laws help the government determine how immigrants can obtain residence and citizenship in the country. They govern the area that defines the people allowed to enter the United States. These laws fall under the federal agencies, and the state governments cannot enact on them. Since immigration has been a major source of population growth in the United States, these laws become all the more important. Here are some basic immigration laws with which you should be familiar.

Family-Based Immigration

If you are a green card holder, you can petition for your spouse, children, siblings, and parents. However, you cannot sponsor someone if you are just a permanent resident but don’t hold a green card. When you sponsor a relative, they need to get an immigrant visa depending on the category to which they belong. Family-based immigration can be categorized as unlimited (for close relatives) or limited (for distant relations). You cannot sponsor your cousins, uncles, aunts, or in-laws for a family-based green card. If you want to bring someone to the US, you should contact immigration attorney Omar Salguero.

Employment-Based Immigration

If you are an immigrant with a valuable skill, you can come to the United States temporarily or permanently. US based employers are permitted to hire and petition aliens to enter the country for a specific period. Temporary workers have limited ability to change their job. There are different types of visas for workers depending on the eligibility requirements.

Ceilings

The Immigration and Nationality Act also covers how many immigrants are allowed from a particular country into the United States. The numbers are calculated every year for each

country, and they apply to family sponsored as well as employer-sponsored visas. Presently, no country can have immigrants higher than 7% of the total number of people immigrating to the US in one year. That ensures that no immigrant group can dominate the entire immigration pattern and affect the dynamics of the country.

Refugees and Asylum Seekers

The US allows asylum to several people who are fleeing persecution or cannot enter their homeland due to other conditions. Refugees can enter if they are unable to return to their own country because of certain circumstances. The officers will check many conditions such as the degree of risk they face in their homeland and if the refugees have family in the US. The president and Congress set the limit for refugees. Several security checks have been put into place while accepting refugees into the country.

Diversity Visa and Others

Diversity visas are provided to people from countries that have a relatively low rate of immigration. It increases the diversity in the country. Temporary Protected Status is granted to people who are in the US but cannot go back to their homeland because of a natural disaster. Deferred Enforced Departure is allotted to people who cannot return to home because of the unstable conditions over there.

These are the five major types of US immigration laws. Do you want to know which category you belong to and what rules apply to you? contact immigration Attorney Omar Salguero at 815-446-0770 today for a consultation or visit http://www.omarsalguerolaw.com for more immigration information.