Legal Doesn’t Mean Simple
So much of the national dialogue around immigration deals strictly with undocumented immigrants. All around the country, debates rage over various pieces of legislation aimed at discouraging undocumented immigration through various restrictions. Arizona recently voted down a series of bills that would limit undocumented immigrants’ access to hospitals, driver’s licences, and colleges. Despite the failure of these measures, the discussion continues with many who support such legislation arguing they simply want immigrants to come to the country legally.
Immigrating legally is anything but simple, with your odds of getting a green card and eventual citizenship based largely on whether you are related to a U.S. citizen. There is no limit on the number of spouses, parents or minor children of U.S. citizens that can enter the country and the route to obtaining a green card is much easier for this group.
Others are not so lucky. Spouses and children of permanent residents may apply, while parents cannot. This route could take a person years to receive a green card and more than a decade before citizenship is granted.
If you don’t have a relative who’s a citizen or permanent resident of the U.S., you can still enter through various other channels like employment or education. The catch here is there are caps on the number of visas available.
Courtney Manus, the immigration lawyer we introduced in yesterday’s Homeland Vignette, talks a little bit more about the legal immigration process in today’s clip:
We’re always interested in the complexities of the immigration process. If you are an immigrant, what route did you take in coming here? Was the process easy and how long did it take?
Video edited by Dustin Karrer. Footage shot for Homeland documentary series.
Category: Citizenship
