U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Direct Services

Prepare your United States Immigration forms like US Citizenship, Green card & Visas online. We help immigrants through the complex US Immigration & USCIS application process.

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Generally, a foreign national who wishes to come to the United States must first obtain a visa. An individual can apply for one of two types of visas: a non-immigrant visa for those who wish to enter the United States on a temporary basis, or an immigrant visa for those coming to the United States for obtaining permanent residency. A visa allows a foreign national to travel to any port-of-entry in the United States and request permission of a U.S. immigration inspector to enter the U.S.

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Coming to the United States is exciting! There are many reasons to travel to the United States which might influence the kind of visa you need to get: a visitor, student, work or family visa. Applying for a visa can seem long and complicated. Having the right documents is essential. If you do not have the required documents with you, your visa application is likely to be rejected, but Immigration Direct can help, our knowledge is your power.

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Use our Form Navigator to complete your Form N-400, US Naturalization Application online. Our easy to use step-by-step system will provide you with everything you need to file your application with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly known as the INS).

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Learn about the Passport Renewal Process

A US Passport enables a person to travel to other countries and re-enter the country as a US citizen. There is no need for holders to submit any other proof of their citizenship. So it is important that this identification document is updated and renewed so as to experience hassle free international travels.

Purpose of US Passport

A person can possess only one valid US passport at a time. It is not a compulsory rule that a US citizen should hold a US pasaporte, but it is a must if at all the person is planning to undertake frequent trips out of the country. US citizens did not require a passport to travel to Canada and Mexico, until recently. However they can now do so, only if they have a valid US passport.

The two formats of travel permit issued are the traditional passport book and the passport card. The book type is small with a navy color cover. It resembles a small book and has many blank pages inside it. The card type was introduced very recently (in 2008). It is highly compact and resembles a credit card. Unlike the book type, it has no pages and hence more convenient than the book. One major difference between the two is that the card type can be used only when a person travels to and from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean whereas the Passeport books can be used during all international trips.

When should one go in for passport renewal?

When a person has a travel permit that is about to expire, he/she should go in for passport renewal. When a person applies for a renewal, he/she should submit the old permit in order to get it canceled, after which it will be returned. US passport is considered to be a property of the US government. (It has the right to revoke any person's travel permits on valid grounds.)

When a person applies for a new passport, it requires to be applied in person. It is not so in the case of renewing passports. Renewal of US passports can easily be done through mail itself. A person can go in for renewing if his/her US passport:

· is about to expire and is undamaged (so that it can be submitted along with the travel permit application)

· was issued when the person was 16 years of age or older

· was issued within the past 15 years

· was issued with the person's current name

A person can also renew his/her permit in case he/she wants to document their name change legally.

Passport renewal process

There are two different situations in the process of renewing travel permit.

· Passport Renewal from inside the US - Form DS-82 (Application for a US Passport by Mail) should be filed to renew US passport.

· Passport renewal from outside the US - US Citizens in Canada should file Form DS-82 to the address mentioned on the form; Others should renew their passports at their nearest US Consulate or Embassy

A person, whose US passport has been badly mutilated or damaged, cannot apply for passport renewal through mail and should apply in person only. Also if a person is behind on child support payments, then this disqualifies him/her from applying for a renewal of the passport.

It is recommended that all passport renewal applications and personal documents (for proof) be sent only by a traceable delivery method like UPS, FedEx or USPS (United States Postal Service). The applicants are also advised to mail their applications and supporting documents using a secure packaging so as to protect the contents from extreme weather conditions. The application and personal documents should not be folded and applicants should never use a standard letter envelope. Passports that are renewed by mail in the US should be mailed only to US and Canadian addresses.

Fee for Passport Renewal Process

The fee varies depending on whether the applicant is filing to renew either passport book or card.

Passport Book and Card - $140

Passport Book - $110

Passport Card - $30

"If you are interested in learning more about Green Cards, Passport Renewal and Passport Application visit U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at http://www.ImmigrationDirect.com"

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Prepare N-565 Application to Replace Your Certificate of Citizenship Online!

Replacement Certificate of Citizenship

Use the Form Navigator™ to complete your Form N-565, Application to Replace your Certificate of Citizenship online. Our easy to use step-by-step system will provide you with everything you need to file your application with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly known as the INS).

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Prepare Your Green Card Renewal Online

Renew Green Card

Green Card Renewal is an important process for Lawful Permanent Residents. Once a Green Card has been issued, Lawful Permanent Residents do not need to do anything else to extend or ensure their status in the U.S. However, the current green cards are valid for a period of 10 years only.

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Green Card Applications & Forms

Green Card Application

There are many ways to obtain a green card: through employment, a family member or marriage. Individuals who have already obtained a green card may require the green card to be replaced, renewed or perhaps it is time to remove the conditions on your Conditional Green Card issued based marriage. Immigration Direct guides you through the Green Card process making it simple, secure and affordable.

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U.S. Passport Renewal Application

US Passport Renewal

A U.S. passport is one of the most sought after privileges of U.S. citizenship, and one which every citizen should take advantage of. In addition to serving as an acceptable substitute for a birth or naturalization certificate as evidence of citizenship, a U.S. passport gives the bearer an indispensable travel document, opening the door to travel without a visa in 35 countries.

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Apply for a New Passport

Passport Application

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How to Get An Employment Based Green Card

One way you can get a green card is through sponsorship by a U.S. employer. The employment based green card process is divided into five categories: EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, EB-4 and EB-5. Labor certification by the U.S. Department of Labor is required for some of the categories, but not all. Certification is important because it confirms that not enough U.S. workers are available and qualified in that particular geographic area where the foreign worker is seeking a green card through employment. Additionally, it should also state that no American workers will be displaced by the foreign worker. In specific cases, highly skilled workers with extraordinary ability in certain professions, investors and entrepreneurs are given permission to immigrate to the United States without obtaining labor certification. Whatever the category, it is a multi-step process.

Obtaining an Employment Based Green Card:

To start the process in the employment based green card category, a qualified US employer must obtain labor certification and then the employer has to file form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien worker. After getting Labor Certification approval and once I-140 petition is approved, the USCIS will send a notice of approval to the petitioner (US employer) and send the approval to the National Visa Center. This petition will remain in the visa center until an immigration visa number becomes available before the process can proceed. Once foreign employee gets an immigrant visa number, they then have permission to live and work permanently in the U.S as a conditional permanent resident.

When a visa number becomes available and the foreign national is already in the United States, they can apply to adjust their status to a lawful permanent resident by filing Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status with the USCIS. If the foreign national resides outside the United States when an immigrant visa number becomes available, they can complete the process and get a visa number at the U.S. Consulate in their home country. The American consulate or embassy will give them all the information they need to complete the process. The foreign national will be required to submit certain supporting documents and additional fees at that time. Additionally, before you get the visa, the foreign national must undergo a medical examination, independent of their age. The medical examination will be performed by a doctor designated by the US consulate. If the foreign national is already in the US and filing for adjustment of status, the doctor will be designated by the USCIS. Apart from the visa fees, they also will bear all the costs for the medical examination.

In situations where there are more qualified applicants in the employment based green card category than the prescribed limit, it will be considered oversubscribed. In these cases, visas will be issued in chronological order in which the petitions were filed until the limit for that specific employment based green card category is reached. The priority date is the filing date of the petition. Immigrant visas cannot be obtained until an applicant’s priority date is reached. In case of heavily oversubscribed categories, there could be a waiting period of many years before the priority date is reached.