Legal immigration is good for America.

Legal immigration is a highly regulated and tightly controlled system that serves the national interest by allowing a limited number of close family members and much-needed employees to come to the United States each year. Through our legal immigration system, U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents unite with close family members, and U.S. employers obtain the specific skills necessary to strengthen the U.S. economy and remain competitive in the global economy. Through legal immigration, the U.S. also fulfills its longstanding tradition of protecting a tiny fraction of the world's refugees. Legal immigration is good for American citizens and immigrants alike.

There are two ways in which the U.S. classifies foreign visitors; non immigrant and immigrant.

Non-immigrants are foreign-born individuals who are permitted to enter the United States for a limited period of time, and are given only temporary (non-immigrant) visas. Examples of non-immigrants are students, tourists, temporary workers, business executives, and diplomats. For more information on nonimmigrant (temporary) visa classifications for business, please click here.

A legal immigrant is a foreign-born individual who has been admitted to reside in the United States as a lawful permanent resident (LPR). LPRs are given immigrant visas, commonly referred to as "green cards". For more information on immigrant (permanent) visa classifications, please click here.