Immigration Realities: Immigrants find legal paths to U.S. long, difficult

A detailed look at the obstacles to legal immigration into the U.S. The wait time for Mexicans to obtain a visa leading to residence is 15 years.

 USATODAY.com: "Few visa categories, high expenses and processing times that can stretch decades put several obstacles along the legal road to immigration.

... The process can take years. Take a man from the Philippines with brother who holds U.S. citizenship. If he wants to immigrate but has no advanced degrees or special skills, the man could have his brother file a petition for an F4 visa, capped at 65,000 a year. The family will have to wait for a number to be assigned to the case before the visa application can be processed. That wait is currently 23 years. 

According to the monthly Visa Bulletin published by theU.S. State Department, F4 visa applications filed in the Philippines before Aug. 22, 1988, are now being processed. If the family is from Mexico, the wait time is 15 years." read more