Can I have the intention of permanently moving to the U.S. when I apply for a non-immigrant visa?

A:

This depends. Many non-immigrant visas do not allow an applicant to have "dual intent" meaning an intention to enter for a temporary period of time on the non-immigrant visa but having a longer term intention of staying in the U.S. So this means that for many non-immigrant visas, the U.S. government must believe that the visa applicant, and any dependents, has no intention of permanently immigrating to the United States. Part of the application process, therefore, is convincing the government that you have every intention of returning to your home country as soon as you have completed your course of study. This is a very important issue that should be discussed with your immigration lawyer whenever deciding which visa route is most suitable.