The DOs and DON'Ts in the Land of Uncle Sam

But without the knowledge of important facts, one could jeopardize his/her visa application and what's worst, is the risk of being banned in the land of Uncle Sam for the rest of their lives.

Having the knowledge can assure one a smooth sailing visa processing and secure their application.

Although immigration attorneys can be of big help in doing things correctly and legally, at this time of struggling economy, it is still best to be frugal especially, if you can manage to do it on your own, which can be attainable and successful by simply sticking on the procedures and guidelines set by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

What are the dos?

Plan and organize. So, if you are planning to migrate to U.S. for good and that a family member/s can petition you to get here, regardless of the type of visa you would opt to; planning and organizing your paper works prior to submitting your application could be very handy.

See to it that you'd make several copies of all your documents, in which ideally, 2 originals (authenticated by your signature) for you and your sponsor (the person petitioning you) and 2 photo copies for your files. In this way, even if the documents get lost somewhere, you won't experience delays for you have the back-up copies.

Determine the purpose of your migration. Knowing the reason why you want to migrate to U.S. and by sticking or being consistent to that reason until you reached your point of entry (where you'd be staying, or living) is a must! And with this, you would also be able to determine which type of visa (an official document issued to applicant to permit visit, work, study, or reside) suits best your situation. In the event that you're granted of a visa and when arriving at your official point of entry; you have to convince border officials that you deserve entering the United States. Failure to substantiate your entry, or mismatching your answers before a border official, with what stated in your visa packet, could deport you back and cancel your visa on the spot.

Apply for multiple Visas. Applying for multiple visas can provide you recourse and better alternatives. So, the more family members who are eligible to petition you and the more petitions filed to sponsor you, the better chances you have in securing a visa. In this way you will have options or fall back in the event that your first petitioner dies; or his/her petition for you turned unsuccessful, your application won't encounter dead ends.

Be punctual at all times . Americans are very punctual. If you have an appointment with the U.S. Embassy or the Consular's Office for an interview, even if it's just for a scheduled medical examination; you have to make it a point to be there on time. Coming in late can result to serious consequences that could delay and/or deny your application.

Keep good standing. Keeping your good standing in the community and with the law enforcement is a big plus in your application. An applicant who exhibits proper conduct and is free from any criminal and administrative charges, complaints, or lawsuits, is most likely to get granted in entering the United States. Simple traffic charges could hamper your clearance in leaving your native country and enter U.S.

Be healthy. Uncle Sam is very anxious of sick people. An extensive medical check-up would be administered, to see to it that applicants are healthy and won't be a threat to infect others, spread epidemic, or inflict others and/or themselves.

The medical examination will be administered by an exclusive health institution from the country where the applicant is coming from. Duly authorized and mandated by the United States; the institution should conduct thorough check-up on every applicant's physical, internal and psychological well-being prior to securing a visa.

The doctors or the examiners are capable of making necessary recommendations on every application, based from the results of the examinations they have conducted.

Immunizations are also required but usually vary, depending on the medical history of each applicant. These may include measles, chicken pox, rubella, hepatitis B, flu shots, polio and some other more.

Tuberculosis (tuberculosis) testing, as well as HIV and drug testing will also be conducted.

So keep a good track of your health while your visa is in process.

The Don'ts

No lies! Regardless if it is white lie, Uncle Sam is so smart that he can trace tiny bits of lies, misrepresentations and inconsistencies. This is one of the reasons why, visa processing could be very extensive; U.S. conducts a thorough background checking not just on the applicants but, on their respective petitioners as well.

If found guilty of falsifying and misrepresenting anything; applicants could be banned to enter the United States for life, while petitioners/sponsors could be prosecuted.

Don't enter in any port of entry that differs from where you are allowed to! No matter what type of visa you'd be granted to, you must enter U.S. from where it is stated in your visa packet and that's the same state where your petitioner officially resides. If you attempt to enter other U.S. ports, you'd be deported back to your country, revoke the visa and ban you from entering United States permanently.

Don't carry anything illegal! Like pirated cds or dvds, fake or imitation items like bag; purse, sunglasses, shoes and some other novelty items.

Never carry any sharp or pointed object that can be harmful or threatening.

No livestock, edible presents that could smell and drip. Some of these unauthorized stuffs are listed in most airlines regulations on hand carry and check in luggage.

And don't bring pocket money from $10,000 and above; if you don't want to get suspected of money laundering.

No to prohibited drugs! U.S. k9s are so good that even if you hide those drugs in the most remote places, they can still be traced.

Most of showbiz personalities or celebrities from foreign countries have engaged into the thrill and adventure of bring meth (methamphetamine) or cocaine, hide the drugs in press powders, make-up kits, or tuck 'em somewhere that is remotely to get checked, not realizing that no matter what, U.S. Border officials still can track those and they get busted in the end.

No to offensive literatures! Literatures that could insight sedition, rebellion, insurrection or propaganda assault against U.S. government.

Never attempt to bribe! Attempting to bribe a public official in the United States (for whatever reasons) can result to 10-15 years of imprisonment and up to $250,000 fine.

Immigrants should really keep a good track of both dos and don'ts, and stay lawful! For if you do, your American dream truly awaits you!

For a more U.S immigration tips and visa information, please visit USCIS portal @ http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis