I often hear people say "I'm fine with immigrants if they'd just come here legally and pay taxes" When I ask..

Jonny Propaganda

the traditional way would be to become a citizen: http://www.uscitizenship.info/?ad=adword&keyword=immigration

if you don't want to, can't, don't have the 8 years it takes (estimate).. there are always working visas: http://www.unitedstatesvisas.gov/

or the new "guest worker program" which i don't really know much about, proceed with caution: http://www.doleta.gov/business/gw/guestwkr/

good luck and welcome.

Mathieubg

There's many different ways to go to the US legally all of them are at the site below.

Muledancer

Go here, http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis,
and click on the link, "Learn about visiting the U.S. temporarily as a visitor (tourist, student, or worker) or permanently."
You will find the way for legal work/immigration.

swamp elf

Go to the American embassy and ask to move to the USA. Say I want to live there and become a citizen. They will tell you.

DAR

There are a number of ways to come legally. Student visa, tourist visa (and leave when the time is over), get a sponsor and a job and apply for a work visa, green card lottery, marriage (not fraudulent), investment of a certain amount of money, etc. It is described on the immigration service web page.

The point is, there are limits on immigration, and the categories of immigration let you in easier if you have things we need, like technical skills or money to invest, because our laws are designed to protect our schools and services. Still, we let in a million a year legally. People who come above that are saying we don't have a right to say how many people's education we pay for and protect our own children's education. Even if illegal immigrants were rich enough to pay the $10,000 per child per year education costs, schools aren't built and teachers aren't trained overnight. There are limits on how many we can take without ruining things for our own people.

kveryeffective

Start with going to US embassy and apply for entery visa.
Each embassy has a the paperwork and staff to handle that.
If you want to know go to http://www.ins.gov
or there is a whole host of websites to help you out.

What, what, what??

I have always thought of term 'legally' and pay taxes as meaning: a person must legally enter the country--with a passport or visa, obtain a green card (in order to work)..and pay taxes, just as everyone else who is a US citizen or has a green card and works. Lately, there has been the issue of illegal immigrants (individuals without passport & green cards) who have come into this country and have taken advantage of welfare benefits. The people who are working legally and who are paying taxes are paying for those benefits. There are other issues too, but I'm not going to expand on it here.

How do you obtain a passport? A person obtains them in their own original country...how they obtain them is different in many countries, but it is usually done through their governments. Embassies are good places to start.

How do you obtain a green card in this country or work to gain citizenship? Here are two different places.
http://www.usagc.org/index2.aspx?afk=gglsrenggc14eng&source=google&keyword=Get_a_green_card&gclid=COTkqunCxIkCFQkSgQodoEeqMg

http://www.greencardexperts.org/?c=7&s=4&kw=132

Rich B

If one is wanting to do a thing, isn't it up to that person to find out what is required? I think it is.

Getting a Visa is the first step. If they're illegal, the need to go home and contact an American Embassy or the State Department via mail or email.

If you're not helping, you're in the way.

Dark

Not sure I'm grasping the point of your question.

Most regular folks walking the street aren't going to know because most were born here. Try calling I.C.E. or searching government websites for immigration.

rdyjoe

People that answer your question like that are the ones that have not looked into it and don't want to appear to be uninformed.
How they proceed to get papers isn't that hard to do look at all the answers you've gotten so not that difficult if one wants to come to this Country Legally

jamocha

Mathieubg had a very good answer - lots of info on this website!
P.S. I understood your question and have had the same question rolling around in my head.

blackmule

The person should immigrate according to the laws of the nation into which they are migrating. To do otherwise is against the law. Those who do not follow the correct procedure show their contempt for the laws of the country into which the are migrating. Their very first act in the new country is a violation of that countrys laws. Not the model candidate for citizenship, I would suppose.

Yukaza

The information is available on line and from any American embassy.The process is long involved and I think costly.But the rewards are 10 fold for doing things the legal way.Americans don't all live in the dark but we don't often go to other nations as immigrants so that information isn't a necessity to have on hand
for the average American.

Illegal aliens don't all pay taxes except for sales tax on goods and services.Here in Arizona as in a lot of border states they are paid daily and in cash.No taxes are taken out of cash payments.Some use a TIN # and pay some taxes,since they are here illegally to start with they are limited as to what if anything they get back.Most work under stolen,forged,borrowed,rented and shared social security cards.They get nothing back and deserve nothing back.In no way do the illegal aliens pay more than they cost this nation.I can post facts all day long from verifiable links that prove they don't.

http://usembassy.state.gov/

http://immigration.about.com/od/movetousgetestablished/a/visliveus.htm

Pro-America, Anti-Illegal

You come legally by applying and waiting for approval before you move here. You get a spouse visa, or employment visa, etc. Visit the USCIS website.

Curt

The onus is not on us to know. Shouldn't America be a destination for someone who wants to be here so badly that they figure out how to find an American Embassy.

Do you suggest we fly over poor countries and drop leaflets?

kysteelgirl

And why, exactly, should an American need to know this? Why should we care?

The thing some Americans need to know & care about is the effect of the illegals on our country...they don't come to work this is media hype....

What every American needs to do is contact congress repeatedly to demand our immigration laws be enforced...the illegal aliens are overtaking our countries social services designed for Americans...their demonstrations showed most illegals do not want/care what is best for the USA...they just want their "perceived" rights - which translates to an anchor baby every 9 months (a large portion which are born to children age 13) and their welfare!
Attrition thru Enforcement
Repeal the 14th Amendment

Click on either of these two sites for the truth....

Wat Da Hell

you go to Mexico and learn to run fast . Find a president that has no reason to stop it and hope for the best. Being part of a quota of people allowed to enter no longer exists.

Benji

What Curt detected in your tone is that you are not asking an innocent question or hiding your opinion. You start out by belitting other people's opinion in advance and then you get defensive when someone notices it. There is nothing more nasty than telling us you ask average people a legal question in follow up to their opinion and "have yet to have anyone really know the answer." If you were legitimate you would look it up. It's not as if the documents are in English and you don't speak English. But again you throwing the question out to the general population to prove some point of your own with the stated objective of "having people know the answer."

Americans do not have to be immigration lawyers in order to express a valid opinion on the subject. We all know for a fact that we or our ancestors came here legally and continue to do so every day. I would guess that it is hard to do so. There is an excellent reason for that. Not everyone can come through a door at the same time like the The Three Stooges, and the entire Earth should not be depopulated to the point where everyone will want to go live in those empty countries. And contrary to the opinion of most people who have "questions" like yours, no one is entitled to play their get rich quick schemes on the backs of Americans. So if it takes time and it is hard to do, stop whining.

Mendi8a

LOL, thats right, there are soooo many people that think it is as easy as filling out an application and paying some cash. Our government does not let anyone in without a reason. And it is increasingly difficult to even bring a foreign spouse into the country. So let me start by giving some examples:

tourist visa- this is for the visitor, and does not allow one to live or work here (the reason for most illegal immigrants to come) you need to prove that you have $10,000 in the bank in your country (if you are in a poor country) and or ties to the land such as a business. It is well known that even with these things, most people younger than 50 are not likely to be approved for this type of visa since the govt believes they will overstay.

temporary worker visa- this type of visa allows a person to come to the US only seasonally to work in the fields picking produce, then they must return to their country for the rest of the year, I've heard that you cannot change companies once you have the visa and that it is difficult to get one, since so many people are in line for one.

permanent resident (conditional)- this visa means you can live in the US, most likely as a spouse, but that you are not a citizen of the US. You may NOT work with this visa. Most of the time these visas are given to couples that have been married for less than 2 years. You cannot get this visa without being married to a citizen, or the immediate family of a citizen.

permanent resident- this visa allows you to come and work and resident permanently in the US. You must be married to a citizen for 2 years to qualify

citizen- you must first become a permanent resident for 5 years (or if married 2 years prior to becoming a perm resident 3 years) before you can apply for this, you must take the standard citizenship test and find out from your country, if you would have to denounce your original citizenship for that country.

student visa- you must be enrolled in a foreign university and have a particular American University in mind, you may reside in the US as long as you are going to school, but you may not legally work.

I hope this helps, but i know it will not, people prefer to live in the dark and hate those different than themselves.

Henry_Tee

ggraves1724

Most illegals do pay taxes!

When you ask that question again, you should preface it with these:
How many immigrants are allowed in the US each year?
Why do you think taxes are not paid by illegal immigrants?
How has illegal immigration impacted you?
Do you dislike Mexicans? (my favorite)

My experience in the last decade has been; most people are really stupid about immigration... That would include our politicians who only pander to the population with invisible support of the "immigration problem".

All illegals I have worked with over the years pay taxes. More often, it's legal white Americans that brag about not having to pay taxes or, getting paid under the table.

deitymike

huh if they get a job with fack papers they still pay taxes. the people you talk to are some what idiots sorry. no matter what you pay taxes. whit a green card or not. fack papers or real papers. u still end up getting taxes deducted from your check.

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