Categories Of Immigration Status In The U. S:

Every country has certain laws, rules, and regulations. In most of the cases, developed nations are the ones that are able to implement the laws. While the developing countries try to implement but couldn’t do it for all the laws. The USA is called super power and falls among the developed nations. Among all the laws and systems that the USA has, the immigration system is the one we will be talking about.

Every year a lot of people enter the USA. Each one of them has a separate purpose for coming. The immigration system and policies are very rigid and complex. But if this would not be the case then many people would have misused the policies taking them for granted. Many people enter for a short amount of period and many enter for a longer one. There are a lot more types that fall into these two. Each one of them is treated according to their purpose of being in the USA. There are separate policies for the citizens of the USA living since their birth. There are four categories of immigration status in The U.S. You don’t need to know about the law to understand these. We are here to discuss each of the categories below and to make you aware of these. We have not discussed things like the cost of immigration on America below.

S Citizens:

This is the first category of immigration status in the u.s. this category refers to two types of people. people who are born in the usa are called usa citizens. the people who received permanent residence are also referred to as us citizens after two to three years of getting a permanent residence. public benefits can be availed by these types of people. all the other benefits that are given by the u. s government to its citizens can be availed by them until and unless you are involved in any act of misappropriation or fraud.

Permanent Or Conditional Residents:

1-Permanent Residents:

A green card holder is called a permanent resident of the U.S. This is a person who can live and work in the USA legally. Few ways like through humanitarian programs, refugee status, family and employer are the ones that can be opted to become a permanent resident of the U.S. Lawful permanent resident is also the term used for a permanent resident.

2-Conditional Residents:

A conditional resident is the one who receives a green card through marriage. But such people cannot practice all the rights that a permanent resident has. Some conditions are put on them. Converting the conditional residence to a permanent one requires a form to be submitted 3 months before the conditional resident expiration date that is before the end of two years period of receiving the card. A person who doesn’t do the submission promptly must face the consequences like being deported.
Either if you are a permanent resident or a conditional one, in both cases you can work and live in the U.S permanently. But you are obliged to stay away from any violation or criminal offense.

Non-Immigrants:

This is the third category of immigration status in the U.S. The name non-immigrant itself shows that the U. S citizen status here must be a temporary one. Let me tell you about it. A non-immigrant resident is the one that has entered the country legally but for a short period like temporarily. Examples for such residents include:

Students:

These are the people who got admission in any institute in the USA and have come here to study and complete their degree.

Tourists or business visitors:

A visitor visa is given to the people who have come to the USA to enjoy their time here as a tourist and to people who have come for any activity related to business.

Fiancées:

These are the people who enter the USA as fiancées with a plan of getting married here.

Temporary protected status:

This status is given to the people who are in the USA currently and cannot go back to their home country because of an ongoing conflict there. The USA has removed TPS for few countries now.
People who have a non-immigrant status in the USA don’t have an intention to immigrate. Also, this status can be converted into the undocumented in case of overstaying, fraud, or any kind of violation. Social media platforms like an Immigration podcast have all the information about these types.

Undocumented:

Every year several people enter the USA illegally. They carry on working unofficially in the USA until they get noticed by the USA government. These people are interrogated the moment they are caught. Few of them are given immigrant status. But this immigrant status is called undocumented. People who are called undocumented don’t have a right to avail public benefits. Such people can be deported at any time. They have to face the consequences as they entered the country illegally and in an unauthorized way. As already discussed, overstaying or any kind of fraud or violation is the main reason behind being called undocumented.