Background

Foreigners come to America for many reasons. Some come to study. Many come for vacation. Others come for business. Some come to escape war or persecution. Many times they simply have the desire to become Americans. All are subject to American immigration law. They all have one thing in common – all must obtain some type of visa to enter the United States legally. All visas are presently issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

The USCIS was formerly known as the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). As a result of the terrorist attacks against the U.S. on September 11, 2001, where many of the terrorists involved in the plot had used illegal means to easily obtain visas from the INS to enter the U.S., the INS was transferred to the newly created Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on March 1, 2003, in the hopes to better regulate the management of visas. The transfer of immigration matters to the DHS, a department involved with protecting American citizens against further terrorist attacks, has resulted in markedly increased oversight of visa applications with extremely thorough background security checks on all applicants. Before September 11, 2001, visa application processing was done very quickly in most cases and did not involve adequate background security checks. The increased scrutiny of all visa matters now has resulted in much longer processing times than that before September 11, 2001.

While it is possible for many to navigate the complex visa process on their own without any help, some people require help from others, such as immigration attorneys, who have much more experience in dealing with these often difficult matters. If you need the help or advice of an immigration attorney, check their background first to make sure they are thoroughly experienced in the practice of immigration law.

Although the following is by no means meant to be exhaustive and complete, the information provided is intended to assist in trying to better understand the various visa types available to foreigners coming to America. Visas are divided into two types – immigrant visas and non-immigrant visas.

Background: You are here.
Immigrant Visas
Non-Immigrant Visas