The United States is a nation of immigrants. It has a long and complicated history of immigration laws. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) defines and determines whether a person is an “alien”, and associated legal rights, duties, and obligations of aliens in the United States It also provides ways by which resident aliens can become naturalized citizens with full rights of U.S. citizenship. In many repespcts, U.S. Immigration law serves as a “gatekeeper” for the nation's border. These laws determine who may enter, how long they may stay and when they must leave or be removed.

According to INA, an "alien" is any person who is not a citizen or a national of the United States. There are different categories of aliens: resident vs. nonresident, immigrant vs. nonimmigrant, documented vs. undocumented ("illegal immigrant”).
U.S. Congress claims complete authority over immigration to this country. The President has only limited power to make policies on political asylees and refugees. Unless the issue concerns the rights of aliens to constitutional protections, the U.S. courts have rarely intruded.

There are mainly two types of visas: immigrant and nonimmigrant. Nonimmigrant visas are divided into eighteen main categories, and the number of visas in most categories are not limited. Only a handfull categories of non-immigrant visas allow their holders work in the United States. Immigrant visas allow their holders to reside in the United States permanently and the possibility to apply for citizenship after certain requirements are met. An alien who has an immigrant visa (“GreenCard”) is permitted to work and live in the United States. Congress limits the overall number of immigrant visas per year. Many immigrant visas are also subject to per-country caps or limitations.

If you are interested in working or living in the U.S., please contact us for more information.

Non-immigrant Visa Categories	Immigrant Visa Categories