Goldblum & Hess

Think of immigration law as having two arms. There is a nonimmigrant arm for temporary stays in the United States and an immigrant arm, which allows a Foreign National to ultimately remain in the United States permanently. The “arms” are separate and distinct. A Foreign National cannot automatically switch from being a nonimmigrant to an immigrant. Rather, in most instances, employer or family "sponsorship" is required in order to obtain both nonimmigrant and immigrant visas.