The right New York Visa Lawyer will help you determine which type of visa is best suited to you and your needs. Our law firm is happy to help.

When a foreign national wishes to visit the United States or to immigrate to the U.S. they first must obtain a visa that is tailored to their needs and desires. While there are many different types of visas, there are essentially two different categories: the immigrant visa for those who wish to establish permanent residency and the non-immigrant visa for those who wish to visit for a temporary period of time.

An immigrant visa is typically more difficult to obtain than a non-immigrant visa and, over the years, there have been many individuals who obtain non-immigrant visas and attempt to illegally stay past the expiration of their visa. Upon being arrested or found to be in violation of their visa agreements, these aliens are deported back to their country of origin.

Major Categories for Obtaining Visas

To help you better understand the circumstances under which obtaining a visa is made possible, we have provided the following information. If you have more questions after reviewing each of the categories for obtaining a visa that are displayed, we encourage you to contact a New York immigration lawyer from our firm. Together, we can review this information with you in detail, and look further into how you can obtain the visa you need in order to enter the U.S. on good terms.

Visiting

These visas are for those people who are only looking to visit the United States on a short-term basis. Typically, this is for tourism purposes, but it could also be for business or to receive medical treatment that could otherwise be unavailable. Under the Visa Waiver Program, residents of the participating 36 countries may be able to enter into the country for less than 90 days without obtaining a visa. Example of visas you may need:

• B-1 Business Visitor
• B-2 Pleasure, Tourism, Medical Treatment

Studying

Another popular reason to temporarily visit the United States is to fulfill an education. This can be done from children being enrolled in elementary schools to young adults seeking a higher education at our world class colleges and universities. Our country welcomes student immigrants and allows for them receive a visa, regardless of the exact education that they are seeking to fulfill.

Example of visas you may need:

• F-1 Academic Student
• M-1 Vocational Student

Working

With business booming, it is no surprise that international businessmen and women are flocking to our country to take advantage of our many economical and investment opportunities. This could be anything from a worker transferring within the company to a temporary agriculturally worker coming to meet a seasonal demand. Regardless, U.S. immigration law welcomes workers who are seeking employment.

Example of visas you may need:

• L Intra-Company Transferees
• H-2 Temporary Workers
• E Treaty Traders & Investors

Immigrating

The final purpose of people seeking visas in the United States are those who are looking for a stepping stone to achieving permanent residency. By achieving an immigrant visa, these people can be allowed to stay within the country as the process unfolds, no matter whether they are looking to achieve residency through a family member, a job or a status as a refugee or asylee.

Example of visas you may need:

• K-3 Marriage
• K-1 Fiancé(e)

Due to the wide variety of visas available for foreign nationals, the selection process can be extremely difficult. There are some aspects of your stay that may seem to overlap between visas; it can be very difficult to know which visa to apply for. On top of this, the application process itself can be extremely confusing and difficult. For this reason, it is extremely important that no time is wasted in contact Pozo Goldstein, LLP to ensure that your legal rights are fully protected.

Affidavit of Support

The Affidavit of Support is a legal contract that is made between the petitioner for an immigrant visa applicant and the United States government. When enacted, the affidavit of support serves as a systematic means of assurance that the visa applicant has an adequate means of financial support, thus making it unlikely that the applicant would become a public charge upon entering the U.S. Depending on the circumstances of an applicant’s particular situation, different methods of securing an Affidavit of Support will need to be taken. The following factors can influence the way in which an Affidavit of Support is sponsored and processed:

• The applicant has earned (or can be credited with) at least 40 eligible quarters under the Social Security Act
• The petitioner is sponsoring a child who will eventually become a U.S. citizen upon his or her entry under the Child Citizenship Act of 2000
• The petitioner is a self-petitioning widow
• The petitioner is a self-petitioning battered spouse
• The petitioner is a self-petitioning battered child

An Affidavit of Support can also be petitioned if the following three conditions are met:

• The petitioner filed a Form I-130 petition for a relative
• There is only one applicant listed on the Form I-130 petition
• All qualifying income stems from a salary or pension and is visible on at least one W-2 Form

If none of the above circumstances apply to the petitioner and applicant who are seeking an Affidavit of Support, the process may still be able to be completed. To determine whether or not your specific situation qualifies you to utilize the Affidavit of Support, you can contact Pozo Goldstein, LLP. A New York City visa lawyer from our firm would be happy to discuss the ins and outs of your particular situation with you, and offer the proper advice for your situation.

• Crossing the Border
• Diplomatic Visa
• DNA Relationship Testing
• Enhanced Border Security & Visa Entry Reform Act
• Immigrant Visa
• Nonimmigrant Visa
• National Visa Center
• Visa Application
• Visa Renewal
• Green Card
• Visiting the U.S.
• B-1 Business Visitor
• B-2 Tourist