So, you're ready to jump through some hoops to immigrate to the United States, huh? Well, it really isn't all that daunting a process if you're prepared for it. Unfortunately, a lot of technical requirements and miscellaneous tasks await a person who is ready to migrate to a new country, especially one with the intense border control of America. Don't you think you should know what they are?

Remember that as you go through the immigration process, your embassy or consulate will have a lot of power and so will the American immigration officer; in fact the latter will have the final say. Evidence, documents, and attitude aside, you aren't ever in total control of your immigration. So make sure you cross your t's and dot your i's! Try to be as accurate and complete with your application process so that you don't encounter any obstacles on the road to your new living arrangement.

Before submitting your immigration application, there are some things to keep in mind. In order to avoid pitfalls that often haunt others trying to accomplish the same goal, follow the tips below:

?Your passport will be important when applying for a visa. Make sure it is up to date and has accurate information about you

?It's easy to download an immigration form online; just make sure it's the proper one and you have Acrobat Reader for viewing ? also, when you go to print, you may be required to print it out back to back and with certain dimensions

?Fill out the form as extensively and deeply as you can, otherwise put ?N/A?

?An up to date, face-fronting photo with high contrast is a must for your application so have this on hand

?Your host in the U.S. can start putting the process in motion by sending in all necessary, up-to-date documents to the embassy you are dealing with; you'll want to be sure that there are no inconsistencies with the information your host and you give the embassy

?Prepare to answer questions during your interview about why you are immigrating to the U.S.; there are certain qualifications to do such a thing and you must be careful that you don't disqualify yourself on accident!

You can easily obtain a visa application visiting U.S. government Web sites on the World Wide Web. UnitedStatesVisas.gov and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services are tremendous resources for you.

Now, in order to submit your visa, you must locate the appropriate embassy to submit it to. Make an appointment with the consulars office and ask about fees ahead of time.

What you will need is: a passport, important documents, visa application forms (of course), and payment for whatever fees. Once the consulars office ?okay's? you, you'll then greet an immigration officer in America. Essentially, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will determine the length of your stay and all those other important details about your immigration status.