Immigration Law

Immigration is the act of entering a country with the intention to permanently live or work in the place. The immigration law of the United States encompass a range of situations relevant to the entry of foreigners into the country, either on a temporary visit or to reside there permanently.

The main function of the immigration system in the United States is to provide an immigration status on the basis of factors such as family reunification, job skills in demand and capital investment. The immigration system also covers to refugees and asylum seekers, and provides a “lottery” of immigration status for individuals who do not have such a pressing need. The procedure for obtaining a legal status of immigrant will depend on the steps that you can appropriate follow according to his employment, level of education and family situation, among other factors.

A Nation of Immigrants

Millions of men and women around the world have immigrated to the United States. In fact, it is thanks to immigration to the United States have become a world power, particularly in terms of economic growth. But position on new immigrants has alternated between hostile and in favor for more than two centuries and, frequently, the immigration laws have been based on these positions.

The Naturalization Act of 1790 was the first attempt to neutralize the foreigners. The first federal legislation significant to restrict immigration was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. This was followed by all kinds of agreements and immigration laws. While Americans recognize daily that the United States is a nation of immigrants, the system of laws governing who can immigrate, who may visit, who can stay and under what conditions can be very frustrating.

Let us take the law of immigration and nationality (Immigration and Nationality Act INA) of 1952. This is a collection of laws laying down everything: from restrictions for naturalization up to the regulation of foreign students, temporary workers management and authorization of humanitarian protection as nursing homes and the entry of refugees. The quota system ended in 1965 in the light of new laws that favored European immigration. Currently, the majority of immigrants comes from Asia and Latin America.

Enforcement of Immigration Laws

The enforcement of immigration laws changed dramatically after the passage of Homeland Security Act of 2002, which created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), carries out the administrative functions involved in immigration. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), enforce the laws and protect the U.S. borders.

Deportation, referred to as “removal” in legal terms, occurs when the federal government orders that a non-citizen be removed from the United States. This can happen for many reasons, but typically occurs after the immigrant violates immigration laws or the more serious criminal laws.