Does anyone here know EXACTLY what it takes to come to the USA legally?

I am looking to go there, so I have researched a little. You have to get a visa or a green card. A temporal visa can be aplied when you go studing, or working if you get a sponsor (someone that employs you in US). There is also the tourist visa and the business visa, both have to be justified whith what you are planing to do and when you are planning to return. A green card is the same that a permanent residence and can only be applied in some special cases (people with special skills). You should have a look on the governement's web. Be careful, there are a lot of fake-visa's web, with viruses. But I think this one is the right one: http://travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html .

In order to legally enter the USA...it is my understanding that you apply throught the US embassy for a Visa...this can be for a variety of things...work visa, marriage visa...if you plan to marry a citizen within 30 days, student visa...if you plan to attend a US school, and a vacation visa..... Each of these will be issued for a limited time and then you are able to apply for an extended visa... Then after a certain period of time...you can apply to become a US citizen...there are some requirements that must be met...and I am unsure as to what they are..... I was born here and that is all I know to tell you...hope it helped....

All you need is a legal PassPort and a Visa (Not a visa card, but permission to stay in USA for a specific time period)

If you take a look at my comment to response # 6 on the following discussion you will see part of but just part of what I had to do. http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1170257.aspx

Since my husband was born in America, he was considered our sponsor if you can call it that. He had to fill in numerous forms to begin with with the US Embassy in Samoa and provide all our originals of birth certificates and other important documents first. They in turn were sent to the US Embassy in Auckland New Zealand for further documentation and more forms were sent back to us to be filled in. These were all medical forms. The inital cost of that I think was over $600 tala for my son and I. Medical checkups cost us $700 tala then they were filed with the Embassy again and sent to New Zealand. Because we were requesting our visas urgently, we got a response in two weeks. A date was scheduled for our interview in Auckland New Zealand at our expense. We left Samoa and headed for Auckland New Zealand for an interview which took less than 30 minutes (more paperwork was given to them) and passports were left there for them to process. It cost us another $1400 NZ dollars + our airfares (almost $2,000 samoan tala) to get us to Auckland, NZ. We flew down to spend time with my inlaws in Wellington and awaited our passports with our visas inside. This took over a week at the most if I remember. Very nicely handled and quick :) They also sent us a package which I was not allowed to open and was to be given to the interviewing officer that we met at the LA airport. (Total cost of airfares to LA was NZ1600 or thereabouts). At the airport in LA they took my son and i to an interview room, didn't ask us any questions either and just took the envelope I had, did what they needed to do on the computer and then voila, we were allowed to enter the USA. Almost one-two months later my son received his green card in the mail. Mine came another month after that because somehow the first one never arrived so I got it cancelled and they reissued another one. A lengthy and costly process coming from Samoa. Well worth it now that my son and I are legal and considered permanent residents here in the USA :)

I do not know exactly what it takes, but from what I understand it is very hard, ever since 9/11. I have a friend from the Philippines and his girlfriend has been trying to get out here for so long, I have actually been trying to encourage him to find a new girlfriend, but he is determined. I have had very strong feelings about the immigrant situation for years, but I can not voice them on Mylot, without appearing to be a jerk. No matter how I put it, someone will take it the wrong way and that is everything I don't need.

Hello Miamilady, I have a dear friend who is originally from Belgium. He first came to the USA illegally, in the late 1980s. He missed the first blanket amnesty, and suspected that he would be denied a valid visa, because he has diabetes. So, he came here illegally, and lived for almost ten years under the radar. He is very bright and talented. Yet, he couldn't fulfill his dreams here, because as an illegal he had to carefully guard his illegal status. He worked for 10 years as a waiter, although he was capable of far, far more. He finally got fed up with his self-imposed 'second-class' status, and returned to Belgium to begin the legal process, acting as if he hadn't been here for those ten years. While in Belgium, he applied for a work visa at the US Embassy. Had to undergo medical examinations, a background check was performed (to rule out any criminal history), he paid a little over $1000.00 (US) for a Belgium immigration advocate & processing fees (the advocate or attorney did most of the paperwork for him), and had to have follow up medical tests to determine that his diabetes was controlled with the use of insulin. Then, he sat back and waited. Three months later, he had all his proper credentials, and returned here to begin his very successful career as a professional photographer. That was about 11 yrs ago. He now has his citizenship, which entailed the passage of time (to prove that he was self-supporting) and his citizenship class. Which he passed with flying colors. His command of the English language is strong, so that helped alot. After returning with his visa, he really begrudged those ten years that he wasted earning a couple hundred dollars a week, when he could have been earning so much more. He also begrudged needing to live in dumps, instead of being able to rent a respectable home, or buy the home of his dreams (which he has done). And, he begrudged his self-imposed sense of criminality. He was afraid to come up from under the radar, in fear that he would be deported. So, my second-hand experience of the process is that it is neither that expensive, nor time-consuming. I hope this helps to answer your question.

You can get a student visa to attend school or a visitors visa. If you are interested why not visit the U.S. Immigration website, I think they will have info on cost etc. My understanding is the easiest way is if you have a family member here already.

Lol, I think you would have better luck going to Mexico first, then you can just walk across the border.

I don't think i would live in the USA but I would surly give Canada a try don't know how to do it though but as soon as my baby is old enough I will try something

Hi Mia. I know a number of ways to enter the USA legally. First, go to the US embassy apply for a tourist visa. Second is thru a working visa. The third which I think is not so appealing to others is marry an American guy. There is also as exchange student. For a country like Philippines it is quite difficult to apply for a tourist visa. Working visa is more ideal as you can stay longer, can apply for a green card, compared to tourist which is limited to 6 months only. But the easiest I think is find an american citizen and marry him.

I am not a US Citizen nor a Green Card Holder. My children and I am on the H4 Dependent visas as my spouse is holding a H1B working visas. There are various type of visas that allow ppl to visit one or other country legally. Following are some of the visas that legally allow ppl to live in US legally Non Immigrant Visas H-1 Temporary Worker H-3 Alien Trainee L-1 Intra Company E-3 Specialty Occupation O-1 Extraordinary Ability O-2 Essential Support Family Based O-3 Dependent Visa F-2 Dependent Visa H-4 Dependent Visa J-2 Dependent Visa L-2 Dependent Visa M-2 Dependent Visa

What missak said is correct. There is a lot of paperwork involed and a lot of money. It also takes a while for them to process the paperwork. It is easier to get a visitor visa, than any of the other visas.

You have to apply for the VISA and then if you get rejected you're allowed to get a temp card or something where you can come over for religious reasons or something like that, I don't know that parts kind of weird. I just know there's a long long long process and most people get rejected these days anyway. I think it's horrible too, since America was based on the land of freedom and founded by lots of Immigrants. My family is Irish, Italian, Scottish, German, and lots more, they got here somehow...most likely illegally.

you have to get a green card or a visa also a sponcer. Tha t will help you with all the legal aspects of coming a citizen. Just dont jump the border and think you can take over jobs and such with out being legal and you have to speak English It is so hard for anyone coming into this country not speaking English. Most people go to Eliss Island close to New York and get all paper work done then come into the country legal

A passport or visa and cash.

I don't really like immigrants. Not in large numbers, nothing against them it's just scary. over here we've open our doors and thousands and thousands come here. Hospital system here isn't so good, schools are being destroyed/knocked down, doctors are full and always hard to book for. Without even adding immigrants to this. ~Joey P.s I think i'd have an heart attack if I met a nice polish person. (so far) all i've seen and bumpt into stuck their noses up at us :S

I really don't lnow, I have been a legal resident all my life so I have never had an occassion to know...try a search of the Immigration site.

I don't know, but I think that first I would need a visa, then if I wanted to work, a work-visa, then if I wanted to stay, a green card. I would first contact the American Embassy in my own country and find out how to go about it. :-)