People who choose to immigrate to the USA from Ecuador will find a wide range of services with our lawyers. We can help them select a suitable type of visa, residency option, as well as guide them through the application process, including offering regular updates on the application status.
Below, our US immigration lawyers explain how we can assist Ecuadorian citizens with the relocation process.
US immigration options Ecuadorian citizens have
Those who plan to relocate to the USA from Ecuador must first determine the period of stay they want. From this point of view, they can choose between:
- non-immigrant visas;
- immigrant visas.
The first category can be accessed by students and temporary workers mainly, but also by those who want to visit family. Immigrant visas, on the other hand, are those on which a person can apply for a US Green Card.
Main non-immigrant types of visas Ecuadorian citizens can apply for
People who do not want to settle can move to the USA from Ecuador based on non-immigrant visas. These are:
- student visas in the form of an F-1 or M-1 visa for which specific conditions must be met, but which are also some of the fastest to process;
- business visas under the form E1 and E2 investor visas for the USA, or the L-1 visa, which covers intra-company transfers;
- temporary work visas issued to people who work in specific areas based on a determined labor agreement.
The main advantages of non-immigrant visas are:
- applicants do not need a local sponsor;
- they can have a track record of their lawful stay in the United States and enter the country more easily if they want to return.
If you decide to immigrate to the USA from Ecuador based on any of the visas presented above, our immigration lawyers in the United States are at your service with tailored services.
The E-2 Treaty Investor Visa for citizens of Ecuador
Entrepreneurs and investors who want to relocate to the USA from Ecuador can apply for the E-2 Treaty Visa. Through it, they can move here by investing in a local company. The options are:
- to invest in an existing business by acquiring it;
- to start a new enterprise.
Here are the main requirements to meet to obtain this visa:
- the applicant must be an Ecuadorian citizen under the E-2 visa scheme;
- the minimum investment usually starts at USD 100,000;
- the candidate must own at least 50% of the company in which he/she invests.
Also, while the visa is renewable, the candidate must declare that he/she intends to leave the USA at the time the visa validity ends.
Immigrant visas for Ecuadorian citizens
Most of the people who want to immigrate to Miami are interested in obtaining immigrant visas, which will allow the applicants to spend a long period of time on American soil and, if they want to, apply for American citizenship.
As is the case for other foreign nationals, Ecuadorians can apply for numerous categories of immigrant visas, as presented below:
- family-based visas;
- fiancé(e) visa;
- visas issued on employment–based contracts;
- visas provided under the Diversity Visa program;
- Returning Resident Visa.
The general procedure for immigration in the USA requires that an American citizen or a person who has received the Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status in the US act as a sponsor for an Ecuadorian national. In the case of an employment visa, the American employer will need to act as a sponsor for the foreign citizen.
The first step in this sense is started by the sponsor, who will fill out an application on the foreigner’s behalf at the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Ecuadorian citizens will then have to follow the applicable regulations for the visa procedures, but it is important to know that in the case of the Diversity Visa, other regulations are in force, and our immigration lawyer in the US can provide further assistance on this subject.
Special regulations for Ecuadorian LPRs
An important immigration regulation applicable to Ecuadorians who have already obtained the LPR in Miami, U.S., refers to the birth of a child outside American territory. If this is the case, the child of the Ecuadorian LPR holder can travel back to Miami, U.S., without a visa, but there are special rules that have to be met. For example, upon returning to the US, the child should have an age of two years old and the parents are required to provide a valid birth certificate.
How many Ecuadorians live in the USA?
Ecuadorian citizens represent a large share of Latino immigrants who have relocated to Miami, United States of America (USA). An important part of the Ecuadorians who were interested in immigration to the United States requested US visas as economic refugees, and most of the citizens of this country entered into USA under tourist and work visas. At the moment, Ecuadorian nationals can request a wide range of visas, for both immigrant and non-immigrant purposes, and our immigration lawyers in Miami can provide legal representation on the main documents and procedures that have to be completed for a specific visa.
According to the latest data available for 2021:
- there were about 830,000 Ecuadorians living in the USA;
- they represented around 1% of the US Hispanic population;
- there were also 450,000 foreign-born citizens with Ecuadorian citizenship living in the USA.
Citizens of Ecuador can find out specific regulations on immigration to the USA, depending on the type of visa they may request, and it is advisable to contact our US immigration lawyer for further information and legal advice.