Immigration

A green card holder - or permanent resident - is allowed to live and work in the United States indefinitely, as long as they continue renewing their status every 10 years. However, green card holders can lose their status if they commit certain crimes, violate any immigration laws, or travel outside of the United States for over a year. Additionally, green card holders are not allowed to vote in U.S. elections.

On the other hand, U.S. citizens are generally not at risk of deportation (rare exceptions include committing fraud to obtain naturalization or joining a terrorist organization within five years of naturalization), may travel abroad indefinitely, and enjoy better options in petitioning for other foreign relatives to immigrate to the United States.

This is one of the most common and complicated questions we are asked because it involves several factors to determine whether you or your relative is eligible to immigrate.

Though there are several methods to obtain a green card, the two most common ways are through a family member or employment.

While most of our cases have involved either a U.S. citizen or permanent resident marrying a foreign national, we have also helped parents and children obtain green cards. However, the general process for most family-based cases are very similar - the U.S. citizen or permanent resident must file a petition on behalf of their relative, and the foreign relative must apply for permanent residency.

Of course, the actual process is much more complicated, especially if the intending immigrant has issues such as past criminal records or immigration violations.

In short, the best way to determine whether you can help your relative is to set up a consultation with an immigration attorney.

The answer to this question depends on your specific criminal history and the type of application that you want to file.

If you have a pending criminal case, it is crucial that you discuss the immigration consequences of certain convictions with your criminal defense attorney before your case is resolved.

Criminal convictions can seriously impact your current status in the United States or your ability to enter or remain in the United States, so it is best to consult with an experienced immigration attorney to get a better understanding of how to proceed.

This primarily depends on the type of application being filed. Most immigration applications are filed with the USCIS, which frequently updates its average processing times on its website.

However, the timing is also affected by how quickly you or your attorney are able to file the application. While, admittedly, many people have been able to file immigration applications on their own, one of the benefits of hiring an experienced attorney is to cut down the time it takes to research what forms need to be filed, how to answer more difficult questions, and what documents to include with the application.

The simple answer is no. An intending immigrant is allowed to file any application on his or her behalf without the need for an attorney.

However, there are several benefits of hiring an experienced immigration attorney, including

• Receiving a more thorough assessment of which immigration options are available to you

• Determining whether there are any potential bars or inadmissibility issues with your case and receiving help in overcoming those concerns

• Having your application more quickly filed instead of spending hours researching the proper forms and documents to submit

• Feeling confident that the application filed on your behalf is complete and accurate

• Receiving more thorough and personal assistance for biometrics appointment and interview preparation

• Being able to discuss various questions you may have about your application instead of stressing out about them alone

Our law firm has set up a system to efficiently gather the information and documents we need to file immigration applications as quickly as possible so our clients can spend less time working on and worrying about their cases.