Several Tips That Can Assist All Visa Applicants

June 21, 2010 | Posted by Sarah Brown

As a legal citizen and resident of the United States, you have made a conscious decision to call America your home. As you work hard to achieve your goals, take some time to get to know this country, its history, and its people. You are now empowered and encouraged to shape the future of the United States in order to ensure the country’s continued success. Exciting opportunities await you as you begin your life as a resident of this great country.

Another good source of information is your local phone book or telephone directory. These alphabetical directories contain phone numbers and important information about federal, state, and local community services. In addition, a phone book also lists important emergency information, local maps, and information about how to get phone service and other utilities. The white pages list phone numbers of individual people; the yellow pages have phone numbers and addresses for businesses and organizations; and the blue pages show local, state, and federal government office phone numbers and addresses. You can also dial 411 on your phone to get a specific phone number anywhere in the United States. Your city also may have its own community phone book. Some libraries give free classes on how to search the Internet. Some libraries also provide English language tutoring or classes and other programs for children and adults.

As a new immigrant, you should never underestimate the usefulness of your local phone book or telephone directory. Phonebooks or phone directories contain telephone numbers and important contact information to key government offices and community services. Further, a phone book includes city maps, and instructions for ordering phone service, electricity, and public utilities. You should also become familiar with the white pages which contain phone numbers of individual people. Conversely, the yellow pages have phone numbers and addresses for businesses and organizations. Generally, the blue pages provide local, state, and federal government contact information. So what good is the Internet? The Internet is an extremely valuable tool that will connect you to hundreds of informational sources from private companies to government agencies and non-profit organizations. Most government websites end with “.gov”. If you don’t have an internet connection in your home, you can usually access the internet for free in a public library. The Internet saves time and makes finding information on schools, homes and other information extremely easy. You also can also find important facts about employment opportunities and job training programs in your community.

Throughout this series, we will also cover a wide range of organizations that exist in many communities across the country that provide free or very low-cost assistance to immigrants. Many of these non-profit and faith based organizations can assist you one on one. By spending some time with them, you will learn a great deal about your community and the many resources that are available to you. While we will be covering these in future articles, you can begin learning more about them immediately by searching for these organizations on the Internet, looking in your local phone book, asking at the public library, and asking your local government social service agency.

If you have some ideas for future articles in this series please drop us a line and let us know. We look forward to hearing from you.

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