Immigration Services Provided:

Green Card

Section 201 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) sets an annual minimum family-sponsored preference limit of 226,000.  The worldwide level for annual employment-based preference immigrants is at least 140,000.  Section 202 prescribes that the per-country limit for preference immigrants is set at 7% of the total annual family-sponsored and employment-based preference limits, i.e., 25,620.  The dependent area limit is set at 2%, or 7,320.

Section 203 of the INA prescribes preference classes for allotment of immigrant visas as follows:

Family-Sponsored Immigration

First:  Unmarried Sons and Daughters of Citizens:  23,400 plus any numbers not required for fourth preference.

Second:  Spouses and Children, and Unmarried Sons and Daughters of Permanent
Residents:  114,200, plus the number (if any) by which the worldwide family preference level exceeds 226,000, and any unused first preference numbers:

A.  Spouses and Minor Children:  77% of the overall second preference limitation, of which 75% are exempt from the per-country limit;

B.  Unmarried Sons and Daughters (21 years of age or older):  23% of the overall second preference limitation.

Third:  Married Sons and Daughters of Citizens:  23,400, plus any numbers not required by first and second preferences.

Fourth:  Brothers and Sisters of Adult Citizens:  65,000, plus any numbers not required by first three preferences.

 

Employment-Based Immigration

First: Priority Workers:  28.6% of the worldwide employment-based preference level, plus any numbers not required for fourth and fifth preferences.

Second: Members of the Professions Holding Advanced Degrees or Persons of Exceptional Ability:  28.6% of the worldwide employment-based preference level, plus any numbers not required by first preference.

Third: Skilled Workers, Professionals, and Other Workers:  28.6% of the worldwide level, plus any numbers not required by first and second preferences, not more than 10,000 of which to "Other Workers".  

Fourth: Certain Special Immigrants:  7.1% of the worldwide level. Special Immigrants include religious workers and ministers of religion, certain International organization employees and their immediate family members, and specifically qualified and recommended current and former employees of the United States Government.

Fifth:  Employment Creation/Investment:  7.1% of the worldwide level, not less than 3,000 of which reserved for investors in a targeted rural or high-unemployment area, and 3,000 set aside for investors in regional centers by Sec. 610 of P.L. 102-395. The creation of employment for at least 10 workers who are not family members of the investor by investing capital in a new commercial enterprise or a business that qualifies as being “distressed”. The investment amount required is $1,000,000 or $500,000 in certain areas where the employment rate is low.

 

Visa Lottery/Diversity Applicants

There are 50,000 visas available each year for nationals of countries which have been under-represented in U.S. immigration for the previous five years. A mathematical formula is used to determine which areas benefit most, since the visas are allocated by area, not by country. No country can, however, receive more than 7% of the 50,000 each year. There are minimum education and training requirements for applicants in this program. The program is also known as the DV Visa Lottery.