Love Hawaii? You may be able to stay on a visa

When you came to visit the United States in the past, you fell in love with Hawaii. You enjoyed the fantastic weather, the friends you met and the community you knew you’d fit into.

While you don’t have a job right now, you do want to return to the state. How can you do that as an immigrant, and is there some way you can work towards citizenship?

You may want to look into a family visa

The first option that you could look into is getting a family-based visa. Do you have a parent or other family member already living in the United States? If they are a permanent resident or citizen, they may be able to open up a pathway for you to come to live in the U.S. too.

U.S. citizens can file an immigrant visa petition for their:

• Sons
• Daughters
• Sisters
• Brothers
• Parents

Lawful permanent residents can file an immigrant visa petition for their unmarried children or spouses.

What if you don’t have family living in the United States?

In the case that you don’t have family in the U.S. and aren’t engaged to or marrying a permanent resident or citizen, you may need to look into other options, such as working with an employer to get your work-based visa.

Employment-based visas could let you come to the United States to do work if you have extraordinary abilities in the arts, athletics, education, the sciences or business. If you are working for an international company, you may be able to come work in the U.S. branch.

Other options may be to seek Employment Second, Third, Fourth or Fifth approval, depending on your circumstances.

If you want to come to the U.S., there may be a pathway for you to do so

Getting to know your circumstances first is a good way to figure out if any visa is open to you. Learn more about your legal rights before you apply, so you can choose the right visa and include all the necessary information to get it approved the first time you apply. It can be a complex process, but you may have the opportunity to come and stay on the right visa.