When you want to come to the United States to live, work or go to school, you first must acquire the proper permissions to come into the country legally. You want to avoid the risk of being deported and barred from reentry because you crossed the border without prior authorization.
However, you might be unsure about what permissions you need or for how long you can stay. You can get these questions and others solved for you when you retain an experienced green card attorney to help you.