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The Immigration Process to the United States

THE United States is known as the land of promise and opportunities. Because of this, many people, Filipinos included, dream of migrating to the United States in pursuit of the American dream. Making that dream come true, however, is a lengthy process and it can sometimes take many years before someone can get into the United States.

An immigrant, also called a “lawful permanent resident,” is a foreign national who has been granted the privilege of living and working permanently in the United States. In order to become an immigrant, you must go through a multi-step process.

You must be eligible for US immigration under one of the paths to lawful permanent residency. The US immigration system is based primarily on family reunification, needed work skills, employment creation, and recognition of refugees. Also, there is a lottery for people who come from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.

Eligibility requirements vary not only for each path, but also within each path. The majority of immigrants are admitted based on family or employment, and these paths are further divided into categories based on a preference system.

Anyone who wants to become immigrants based on employment must wait for an immigrant visa number to become available according to the preference system. The immediate relatives of US citizens, who includes parents, spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21, do not have to wait for an immigrant visa number to become available once the immigrant visa petition filed for them is approved. An immigrant visa number will be immediately available for immediate relatives of US citizens. Other relatives must wait for a visa to become available according to the preference system.

U.S. law limits the number of immigrant visa numbers that are available every year, which is one of the reasons for the preference system. As a result, you may not get an immigrant visa number immediately after your immigrant visa petition is approved.

In some cases, several years could pass between the time US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) approves your immigrant visa petition and the State Department gives you an immigrant visa number. Because U.S. law also limits the number of immigrant visas available by country, you may have to wait longer if you come from a country with a high demand for U.S. immigrant visas.

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