Visa Embassy Processing
The immigration lawyers in our Michigan law firm can assist aliens with processing of their visa applications in U.S. Embassies and Consulates worldwide. Generally, aliens seeking entry into the United States must apply for a visa from a U.S. consulate in the country where the applicant resides or has permanent resident status. There are a number of reasons advanced as to why U.S. consulates will usually only process applications for those residing or having status in the country where the consulate is located (Although legally, in most cases, they could potentially process any applicant's request). First, the consulate located in the applicant's home country is the most capable of ascertaining the legitimacy of the applicant's claims (such as claims of business ties to the country, etc.). Second, most consulates are extremely busy with applications; they do not have the time nor resources to investigate applications presented by citizens or residents of another country about which the consulate may not have readily available information.
There are different steps that applicants may have to pursue depending on the type of visa. In general, visas can be classified into two major categories: immigrant visas and non-immigrant visas.
For immigrant visas, applicants may have to wait until their visa number becomes current, unless a visa is immediately available for them. The application commences with what is normally called a "Packet 3", a combination of several forms. After the consulate receives the completed Packet 3, an appointment is usually set. After the appointment is set, the applicant will generally have additional forms to complete, which he/she is to bring to the embassy. This embassy appointment most often includes an interview.
For a non-immigrant application, the applicant should first verify the procedure of the specific consulate where he/she is applying. Some consulates allow walk-in applications, while others may require a prior appointment. Depending on the type of non-immigrant visa, prior U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) approval may be required. This is the case for most work and training visas, but is not normally true for some training, visitor, and dependent visas. Non-immigrant applications can be classified, based on the type of visa, into two major categories: those that allow dual intent, meaning that the applicant can have the intention to pursue permanent status in the United States at the time of receiving the temporary visa, and those that do not. Non-immigrant visas allowing dual intent include popular work visas, such as the H visa and the L visa. For dual intent visas, the applicant should provide the original approval notice, which he/she should have previously obtained from the USCIS, as well as typically the complete original application submitted to the USCIS (again, this process varies from consulate to consulate).
For a non-immigrant visa where dual intent is not allowed (such as a visitor's visa), the applicant should be prepared to submit extensive documentation as to the ties with his/her home country to assure the consulate that the applicant will return to his/her country after the end of the visit. Ties to the home country may include family ties (spouse, children, etc.), work ties, or the possession of substantial assets, which would make it likely that the applicant will return to his/her country after the short visit.
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The Law Firm of Antone, Casagrande & Adwers, P.C. helps individuals and businesses worldwide with all of their US immigration needs including employment visas, obtaining green cards for business and corporate employees and family members, visas for doctors, nurses, therapists, and other health care workers, together with waivers for physicians under J visa training program, labor certifications (PERM), national interest waivers, marriage-based adjustments and green cards, fiancee visas, family immigration preferences, students, naturalization and citizenship, including medical waivers, asylum, deportation, hardship waivers, voluntary departure and removal. We serve clients in southeast Michigan including the Detroit Metro area, Ann Arbor, and Lansing. With offices in Farmington Hills, MI, we are close to Southfield, Troy, West Bloomfield, Birmingham, Novi, Rochester and Auburn Hills in Oakland County; Canton, Plymouth, Dearborn, and Detroit in Wayne County; Warren, Sterling Heights, and Mount Clemens in Macomb County; Brighton and Howell in Livingston County; Lansing in Ingham County; City of Monroe in Monroe County, Ann Arbor in Washtenaw County; Grand Rapids in Kent County; Battle Creek in Calhoun County; Kalamazoo in Kalamazoo County; Benton Harbor in Berrien County; Holland in Ottawa County; Flint in Genesee County; Ludington in Mason County; Muskegon in Muskegon County; and Traverse City in Grand Traverse County, Michigan. Although many of our clients are located in the tri-county area of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb, we also serve clients in many cities and states in the U.S. including Cleveland, Toledo and Cincinnati, Ohio; Chicago, Illinois; Milwaukee and Green Bay, Wisconsin; Indianapolis, Indiana; Buffalo, New York; Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, California; Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona; Dallas, Houston, El Paso and Galveston, Texas; Miami, Florida; Washington D.C.; Virginia, Minnesota, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and many others. In addition to the United States, we also serve Canadian nationals from numerous provinces in Canada, including Toronto and Windsor in Ontario; Montreal in Quebec; Halifax in Nova Scotia; and Vancouver, British Columbia. We also serve cities and countries such as London, England; Scotland and other countries of the United Kingdom (U.K.); Mexico, Paris, France; Frankfurt and Berlin, Germany; Tokyo, Japan; India; Brazil; Rome, Italy; Shanghai and Beijing, China; Belgium; the Philippines, and many other countries in Europe, Asia and South America. |
