AREAS OF
EXPERTISE
IMMIGRATION LAW
Our main area of practice is Immigration law. In the past twenty-five (25 years), we have helped countless people resolve their legal status in the United States. Call us to schedule your first appointment for Free.
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Change of Status
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Citizenship
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Consular Processing
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Family Petitions
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Deferred Action (DACA)
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Work Permit (EAD)
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Visa Extensions
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Deportation
If you are currently in the United States in a valid non-immigrant status and intend to begin a new program or activity, there is a good possibility that you may need to change your category in order to comply with US immigration laws. It is important to realize that your current immigration status carries specific requirements and permissions that may be limited or less desirable than other options to pursue your new plans.
Our office can help you change your status. Once you determine whether you are eligible for a new category, you will need to decide how to change your immigration status. There are important considerations for timing, visa applications, and other transition issues that should be discussed as early as possible. We urge you to call our office to explore your options.
After becoming a United States Lawful Permanent Resident one may apply to become a United States Citizen. Time periods to apply vary depending on the category in which one became a resident and other circumstances. Our office can help you determine if you qualify. Oftentimes, one may actually be a United States Citizen without realizing it if one’s parents or grandparents were indeed United States Citizens.
Let our office help you navigate through this maze.
Lastly, we believe that it is a great honor to become a United States Citizen. Such privilege will allow one to vote in most elections, but most importantly in presidential elections. Also, a great benefit of becoming a citizen is that as a US citizen, you can sponsor your parents, spouse, and minor children to come and live with you in the United States as lawful permanent residents.
If your loved one is outside of the United States or has entered the United States illegally and has remained here illegally, you may be forced to immigrate him or her to the United States as a Consular Process case. That is, the interview for residency will take place at the Designated Consular post for his or her country. This is a difficult process that requires an experienced attorney, especially if a Waiver, which is also known as a Pardon will have to be filed on their behalf for having entered the US illegally or
for having overstayed their allowable period. Call our office and we will be happy to discuss your case and the options available.
Our office will help you file your family petition. The family petition is filed by either a United States Citizen or a lawful permanent resident of the United States. By filing a family petition, the Petitioner is in fact taking the first step in helping his or her alien relative immigrate to the United States. There are more steps involved in helping your relative become a US resident. Please call our office to discuss the rest of the process and available options to accomplish your goal.
In certain cases, a person who is not married to a US citizen or a lawful US resident and who is here illegally can still remain in the United States and be able to work lawfully via obtaining a work permit issued by the US Department of Homeland Security. These types of cases are called Deferred Action. Our office has extensive experience in these types of cases. In order to qualify for Deferred Action the applicant must meet certain requirements. Among them are the person applying be under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012; that the applicant came to the United States before reaching his or her 16th birthday; that the applicant have continuously resided in the United States since June 15, 2007, up to the present time; that the applicant have been physically present in the United States on June 15, 2012, and at the time of making your request for consideration of deferred action with USCIS, that the applicant entered without inspection before June 15, 2012, or that the applicant’s lawful immigration status expired as of June 15, 2012; that the applicant either be currently in school, have graduated or obtained a certificate of completion from high school, have obtained a general education development (GED) certificate, or are an honorably discharged veteran of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States; that the applicant be free of any felony convictions or of significant misdemeanors, and lastly, that the applicant does not otherwise pose a threat
to national security or public safety.
Certain temporary aliens in the US can apply for employment authorization (work permit). Our office is
happy to discuss whether you or your loved one qualify for one.
Many individuals who come to the United States on a Visitor’s Visa often times decide they would like to stay and visit longer. Several options are available to such person(s), however, by filing a Visa Extension too early, USCIS may believe that a person’s original intention upon arriving here in the US was a fraudulent one. Allow our office to provide you with legal counsel as to your options and the best way to handle your visa extension.
Deportation
Deportation is the formal removal of an alien from the United States when the Federal Government has found that the alien has been found removable for violating the immigration laws. Deportation is ordered by an immigration judge without any punishment being imposed or contemplated. Prior to April 1997 deportation and exclusion were separate removal procedures. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 consolidated these procedures. After April 1, 1997, aliens in and admitted to the United States may be subject to removal based on deportability. Now called Removal,
this function is managed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Allow us to discuss your case to see what options are available to you.
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