USA - FAQ's

Non-Immigration VISA - Forms, Applications, Fees

Immigrant Visas

Immigrants to the United States are divided into two categories:-
Those who may obtain permanent residence without numerical limitation, and Those subject to an annual limitation. The latter category is further divided into family-sponsored and employment-based immigrants.

In the unlimited immigrants category are the immediate relatives--the spouse and minor, unmarried children of a U.S. citizen, and parents of a United States citizen who is 21 or older; and returning residents, previous U.S. lawful permanent residents who are returning to the U.S. after a stay of more than one year abroad due to factors beyond their control.

In the limited immigrants category, visas are currently limited to 675,000 persons per year. This figure is divided into two distinct subcategories: family-based and employment-based.

Family-based: No fewer than 226,000 visas per year are available in this category. Family-based preference categories (with numerical limits in parentheses) include:

• Priority workers: persons of extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics; outstanding professors and researchers; and certain multinational executives and managers (28.6%).

• Members of the professions: professionals holding advanced degrees, and persons of exceptional ability in the sciences, arts, and business (28.6%).

• Professionals, skilled and unskilled workers: professionals holding bachelor's degrees, skilled workers with at least two years experience, and other workers whose skills are in short supply in the United States (28.6%).

• Special immigrants: certain religious workers, certain international organization employees, and qualified, recommended current and former U.S. Government employees (7.1%).

• Investors: persons who create employment for at least 10 unrelated persons by investing capital in a new commercial enterprise in the U.S. The minimum capital required is between $500,000 and $1,000,000, depending on the employment rate in the geographic area (7.1%).