Citizenship and US Immigration: Week Four

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Citizenship and U.S. Immigration: Week Four

Lecture One: The “Green Card” and a Broken Immigration System

Overview of Legal Immigration •  Family-Based Immigration: A US citizen or LPR can sponsor his or her close family members for permanent residence. •  Employment-Based Immigration: A US employer can sponsor a foreign national employee for permanent residence. •  Refugee or Political Asylum •  Diversity Program (50,000 per year through lottery – under-represented countries)

Numeric Limitations •  Family-based immigration is limited by statute to 480,000 persons per year (with the exception of “immediate relatives” of US citizens). •  Employment-based immigration is limited by statute to 140,000 per year. •  What happens when there are more people seeking admission than available admission slots?

U.S. State Department - Visa Bulletin

The Immigration System is Extremely Complicated •  This course provides a general summary only. Seek expert advice for specific immigration problems. •  Avoid scams •  Recommended guide: Ilona Bray, U.S. Immigration Made Easy (Nolo Press) •  http://www.nolo.com/products/usimmigration-made-easy-imez.html