The United States, known as the land of opportunity, is a popular immigration destination for South Africans. According torecent research, African immigrants represent the largest share of immigrant arrivals in the U.S. Around 24% of African immigrants in the U.S. come from South Africa.
Despite the fact, that the South African community is relatively small in the U.S., it has been growing over the last couple of decades with significant populations in regions such as California, New York, Maryland, Minnesota, South Florida, Chicago, Atlanta, Arizona, and Texas.
While the immigration process from South Africa to the U.S. can be challenging, with proper planning and preparation, it is possible to successfully immigrate. The first step is to organize your visas. If you’re moving to the U.S. permanently, you will need to apply for an immigrant visa, which typically requires a job offer from an American employer or an investment in a U.S. business. It’s worth noticing, that a large share of Black immigrants in the U.S. has a college degree or higher.31% of Black foreign-born peopleare holders of Bachelor’s and advanced degrees.
Here are the most common visas that will help you immigrate to the U.S. from South Africa.
One option for immigration is the E-2 visa program, which is a non-immigrant visa for entrepreneurs from treaty countries. Unfortunately, South Africa is not a member of this treaty, but it is possible to gain citizenship of a country that is on the list, such as Grenada, Turkey, or Montenegro, which can be obtained relatively quickly. Note that now you have to live in those countries for 3 years before applying for an E-2.
Basic Requirements
✔️You have invested, or are actively in the process of investing $100k+ in an American-based company
✔️ You are a citizen of a Treaty country
✔️70% of your funds should be invested into the business before you file for the visa
✔️A thorough and well-thought 5-year business plan
✔️Prove the legal origin of your funds
Benefits
✔️It’s granted for up to 5 years, depending on your citizenship
✔️Possibility to change your status to a Green Card
✔️Your family (your spouse and children under 21) can also move to the U.S.
✔️The spouse can legally work in the U.S.
It’s an immigrant Green Card visa for entrepreneurs and their families. It’s the quickest and simplest way to gain lawful permanent resident status in the U.S.
✔️$1,050,000 to invest in your own business or $800,000 to invest in regional centers
✔️Opportunity to get an American citizenship
The L-1 visa is a non-immigrant visa for Multinational Managers, Executives or people with specialized knowledge.
It also allows a foreign company to expand to the U.S. The company can send an executive or a manager to the United States to establish an affiliated office.
Basic Requirements
✔️Have been working for a foreign company for at least one year in a managerial, executive, or specialized knowledge field
Benefits
✔️Possibility to change your status to a Green Card through an EB-1C visa
✔️Can be extended for up to 7 years
✔️As an applicant you can bring your spouse and your unmarried children under 21 years to the U.S.
Choosing a U.S. visa
Those who want to settle in the United States and start a new life there should consider an immigrant visa. In this case, it’s an EB-5 large-investment visa. It requires a big investment on your part but it’s the quickest way to immigrate to the U.S.
In case you don’t have a financial opportunity to go for the EB-5 immigration program, you can opt for a non-immigrant visa, which won’t require much investment on your part. Non-immigrant visa won’t give you a lawful permanent resident status, but it’s a great way to start your immigration to the U.S. After all, you can change your status to a permanent one once you’re ready.
Steps to relocate from South Africa to the U.S.
Carefully study all the requirements for each visa program and choose the one that suits you the most.
If you want to be sure you’re qualified for the visa you’ve chosen, it’s recommended to ask for professional advice. Here, at Shamayev Business Law you can get a free evaluation of your case. Based on the analysis of your data, our licensed attorney will determine which American visa is your perfect option. You will only need tofill in our questionnaire, giving us detailed information so we could assess it correctly.
After getting the free analysis, you will receive an invitation to an Immigration Planning — your first meeting with a licensed lawyer one-on-one, who will be running your case.
During this meeting, we will gather all the needed information about your achievements, experience, education, your family, etc. We will analyze your data, and create a strong case strategy alongside a custom-tailored action plan.
In case your immigration package as it is at that moment is not compelling enough we can help you work this through to make it stronger. We will tell you what needs to be done
A team of professionals led by a licensed lawyer will be working on your immigration package after you sign an Agreement. We’ll do the paperwork for you, which will take the load off of your back. While you’ll be able to keep track of the whole process due to the 24/7 access to your legal team led by a licensed lawyer.
We check for updates on U.S. immigration laws every two months, which helps us react promptly and adjust our working process accordingly.
The team collects all the documents and files for a visa from 2 to 6 months, all depending on the complexity of a case
To find out more about immigration from South Africa to the U.S. watch our special edition on YouTube, where we’ll give you even more insights on immigration!
Still can’t decide which visa to choose? Don’t worry, we’ll help you determine which immigration program is best for you. Justfill in this formand get your free analysis of your situation from our attorney.
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