Planning to shift base from the Orient to the Occident? Want to emigrate to the United States or Canada, but don't know how to go about it? Kanchana Suggu offers some help.

By the way, before we list out the categories that you could immigrate under, please read through this:

The documents required for immigration purposes depend on the category of visa applied for. For instance business, tourist, investor, immigrant, non-immigrant, etc.

If you have applied for a non-immigrant visa, you have to show documents that clearly indicate your intention of return.

In case of a non-immigrant visa, documents such as a letter from the company you are working with, bank statements in India, and house property papers, etc have to be shown.

In case of an immigrant visa, proof of family residing there, their income, etc have to be shown.

In case of a student visa, a letter of admission from the college, bank statements etc have to be taken.

In case of an immigrant visa, the family residing in the US or Canada has to apply for the visa.

The common categories for immigration to the United States are as follows:

B1: Business Person
Issued to Beneficiary for a period not exceeding 6 months for the purpose of business and its development or medical attention.

B2: Tourist
Issued to Beneficiary for a period not exceeding 6 months for the purpose of holiday or family visits.

B-1/B2: Business/Tourist
Issued to persons who travel for business and/or pleasure for a temporary period of time.

F-1: Student
Issued to Beneficiary of any age to allow him/her to study a full time course in a recognized school. There must be a minimum of 18 hours of classes per week. The duration of the visa depends upon the duration of the course of study.

F-2: Immediate Family of Student
Issued to the spouse and dependant children of a beneficiary of an F-1 student. The duration of the visa is the same as that for the primary student.

H-1A: Nurses
Issued to professional nurses for a period of 5 years. An extension of one year may be granted under extraordinary conditions. A trainee nurse may also enter under an H-3 visa. Athletes and Entertainers have now been removed from this category and placed in O and P categories.

H-1B: Specialty Occupations
Issued to persons in a specialty occupation, fashion models of distinguished merit and ability or persons providing service related to the Department of Defense cooperative research and development project or co-production project.

H-2A: Temporary Agricultural Workers
Issued to temporary workers performing agricultural labor or services of a temporary or seasonal nature.

H-2B: Skilled/Unskilled Workers
Issued to skilled or unskilled workers, provided a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident is not available for the same job.

H-3: Trainees
Issued to a temporary worker who has been invited by an individual or organization for purposes of receiving instruction and training other than medical. Nurses who are doing internship may come under this category.

H-4: Family
Issued to the spouse and dependant children of the prime beneficiary of the “H” visa.

I: Representatives of Foreign Information Media
Issued to persons of press, radio, film or any other foreign information media, whose ‘home office’ is in a foreign country.

J-1: Exchange Visitor
Issued to visitor to allow him/her to participate in an exchange visitor program by the U.S. Information Agency.

J-2: Family
Issued to the spouse and children (under 21 years) of the beneficiary of the L-1 visa.

K-1: Fiance/e
Issued to the fiancé/e of a U.S. citizen who seeks entry to the U.S. solely to conduct a valid marriage with the petitioner. The marriage must take place within 3 months of entering the United States.

K-2: Children of Fiance/e
Issued to minor, unmarried children of the fiancé/e, who are included in the same petition.

K-3: Spouse of US Citizen
Issued to an alien spouse of a US citizen who is waiting outside the United States for approval of his/her immigrant visa petition.

K-4: Children of K-3 visa holder
Issued to dependant children of the alien spouse of a U.S. citizen.

L-1: Intracompany Transferees
Issued to executives and managers (L-1A) or employees with specialized skills (L-1B), so as to allow them to be transferred from a foreign corporation to its American subsidiary, branch office or affiliate. This visa is usually valid for a period of 5 years.

L-2: Family
Issued to the spouse and children (under 21 years) of the beneficiary of the L-1 visa.

O: Extraordinary Ability
Issued to persons of extraordinary ability, defined as “a level of expertise indicating that the individual is one of the small percentage who have risen to the very top of a field of endeavor”.

V: Family Members of Permanent Residents
Issued to spouses and children of permanent residents whose applications for immigration have been pending for at least three years.

Part II: Immigrating to Canada

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