The number of undocumented people living in the United States has continued to decline from 2016-2017. According to a study from the Center for Migration Studies, this marks the seventh consecutive year that visa overstays outnumbered illegal border wall crossings. Most people obtain a visa from an overseas U.S. consulate. A visa is an official endorsement which certifies that the visa applicant has been examined and is permitted to seek admission to the United States at a designated port of entry. Two different types of visas exist: Immigrant and non-immigrant visas. A non-immigrant visa is issued to a foreign national that seeks to enter the United States temporarily for tourism, business, medical treatment, and certain types of temporary work. Issuance of this type of visa does not guarantee entry to the United States. A visa allows CBP Officer at the port-of-entry to inspect to determine if the individual is eligible for admission under U.S. immigration law. An immigrant visa is issued to a foreign national who intends to live and work permanently in the United States. In most of these cases, a relative or employer sponsors the individual by applying with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
According to the study, most visa overstays arrive by air to the United States and enter at U.S. ports of entry. In the year 2016, there were 515,000 people who arrived in the United States, and a total of 320,000, or 62 percent, were overstays and 190,000, or 38 percent, entered without inspection. To enter the United States without inspection means that you entered without being inspected by an immigration or border patrol officer. Most of the time, this means that a person traversed the mountains and valleys of the U.S.-Mexico border wall to enter the United States.
This study makes evident that there are many people currently in the United States that have overstayed their visa or entered the United States without inspection. Depending on your situation, you could have options that could help you obtain lawful status in the United States. Rather than continuing to live in the shadows, please contact Chhabra & Gibbs, P.A. Immigration Team by calling 601-927-8430 or 601-948-8005 or by using our live chat, so that we can review your situation and come up with the best plan for you and your loved ones.
