Immigration attorneys spend much of their time as counselors and advisers to people who are not citizens of the United States. While we typically think of them as helping immigrants with green cards and citizenship, they also help people obtain visas and even find jobs.
For this article, we will focus on how an immigration attorney can help you with your travel visa.
A travel visa is a document that allows you into and out of a country. Every country has its own laws about who is eligible for certain visas and which type of visa they can receive. Each type of visa comes with different rules and restrictions, and it is important that you have the right visa. Every country has their own visa laws, and each type of visa has different requirements. In the United States, most visa types can be broken down into subcategories, too, and each of these has its own specific requirements.
Tourism Visas
Tourism visas expire more quickly than most, since tourists rarely stay for an extended time. These visas are for people who are traveling for vacation. Often, you will need to include the date that you plan to leave the country in your visa application, and the visa will expire on that date or shortly afterward.
If you are traveling from the United States to another country, you may not need a visa. Likewise, not everyone traveling to the United States from another country requires a visa. In some cases, a passport is the only documentation that you need. It can be helpful to talk to an immigration attorney first to determine if you will need a tourist visa, or if you are eligible for one.
Immigration Visas
Immigration visas are much more difficult to get than tourist visas. An immigration visa is the famous “Green Card.” This is where an immigration attorney becomes absolutely essential.
There are several ways to qualify for an immigration visa in the United States, including having family who are United States citizens, having a job in the United States, the Diversity Lottery, and refugee/asylum status. An immigration attorney can help you sort through the complicated legal proceedings that are involved in getting an immigration visa.
Student Visas
Student visas are for people who are in the country to get an education. The visa will expire after a set amount of time, although it is often possible to have a student visa renewed before it expires. Student visas are not especially difficult to get, but it is still wise to reach out to an immigration attorney first to make sure that you have everything in order.
Work Visas
Work visas can be ever harder to get than immigration visas. Governments tend to prefer that their own citizens hold most of the jobs and drive most of the economic activity in their countries.
The United States is especially strict with work visas. There are eight different types of work visa in the United States. Work visas generally are given to a specific person for a specific job. You usually cannot change employers without having to apply for a new visa.
While there are other types of visas, these four are the most common worldwide. Whether you are a United States citizen traveling to a different country, a citizen of another country traveling to the United States, or an immigrant who needs to renew a visa, talking to an immigration attorney is wise.
Consult Immigration Experts
Because the laws can be so complex, it is difficult for many people to understand how their travel visas work and whether or not they qualify for a visa. Immigration attorneys can clear this up, ensure that you apply for the proper visa, and make sure that the application itself is done properly.
Immigration attorneys can also help to rectify any mistakes you have already made in the application process and advise you on the best course of action moving forward. Working with an immigration attorney can make the process of applying for a visa much smoother, and can also make it much more likely to be successful.
One of the most difficult parts of applying for a visa is determining which visa you need or which one you are actually eligible for. There are two different student visas and eight different work visas in the United States, and every country is different. By helping you choose the right visa to
apply for, an immigration attorney can dramatically improve your odds of success.
If you would like more information about how an immigration attorney could be helpful, or if you would like to schedule an appointment with an immigration attorney to go over your visa eligibility and application, contact Pride Immigration today. Our experienced attorneys are ready and waiting to help you with all of your visa needs.
Beeraj Patel, Esq.
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