Other Areas of Law

An immigration marriage case refers to getting a lawful permanent resident status (green card) through marriage to a U.S citizen or a green card holder. It is considered a family-based green card...

Immigration to the United States can be a long and complex process. It can take anywhere from a year to more than a decade, and refusals are common. The two most common ways to immigrate to the US...

Applicants for an immigrant visa in the United States usually require a sponsor. This sponsor can be a relative--either a spouse, parent or child--or an employer. Family members must either be...

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is responsible for aspects of immigration into the United States for residents of foreign countries. When the federal government replaced the...

A "Green Card" is a card issued by U.S. Department of Homeland Security, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to aliens allowing them to live and work in the United States...

If a person applies for U.S. Citizenship and is denied, she does not become a citizen and remain a lawful permanent resident. She can correct the reason for the denial and apply again after five...

Usually, automatic citizenship through birth can be acquired only by the child of a U.S. citizen. However, Section 322 is the loophole for grandchildren of U.S. citizens. In the case of death of a...

A green card allows a foreign national to live and work in the United States for an indefinite length of time. Getting a green card can also be the first step to U.S. citizenship through...

A fiancé(e) visa, also known as K1 visa, is a nonimmigrant visa allowing the fiancé(e) of a U.S. citizen to enter the United States and marry the petitioner. Before filing, it is...

Conditional "green cards" (officially Permanent Residence cards) are issued to non-citizen spouses of U.S. citizens who are married less than two years from the date the green-card application was...

Under U.S. immigration law, immigrants wanting to become naturalized U.S. citizens must take and pass a naturalization test. The two main subjects tested on the naturalization test are English and...

Conversion of an O-1 visa to a "work permit" involves applying for an adjustment of status to a lawful permanent resident of the United States. Commonly called the "green card" application, people...

To adjust your immigration status, you will need to file the I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. For many temporary grants of residency, a change of status is...

You are eligible to apply for citizenship following three years of permanent residency gained by marriage. As a permanent resident, you are legal to remain in the United States without ever...

You can check the status of any submitted document pertaining to U.S. immigration online or through the automated 1-800 number. The I-485, application to register for permanent residency (green...

There are two ways to check the status of your marriage K-1 fiancé(e) visa application, by phone with the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) or at their website. You...

Naturalization records show proof of U.S. citizenship. Obtaining your naturalization records can be done through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) by filling out a form and paying...

U.S. citizenship can be gained through two types of residency: three years through marriage immigration or five years through family, work or refugee immigration. After meeting the legal residency...

A Certificate of Naturalization is an important document issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), to immigrants upon...

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Genealogy Program provides a service for locating immigration records. It is a fee-based program that offers an index search for...

Also known as a Petition for an Alien Fiancé(e), a K-1 visa is a non-immigrant visa approved by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) allowing United States citizens to...

The United States Government controls immigration to the country by requiring employers to verify the immigration status for all employees. Employers use Form I-9 to verify an employee is...

U.S. Immigration Law requires that any immigrant interested in obtaining U.S. citizenship through naturalization begin the application process with United States Citizenship and Immigration...

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requires a foreigner, who entered the United States through a fiancé/fiancée visa, to marry the petitioner within 90 days of...

If you wish to become a naturalized American citizen, you must meet certain criteria. These include requirements regarding residency, character and knowledge about the United States. There is also...

A visa is a document that allows someone to stay in a foreign country for a particular purpose. There are different types of visas, such as a student visa or a visitor visa. Under U.S. Immigration...

Becoming a United States citizen can be a long and challenging one for many immigrants. Depending on the individual circumstances and the backlog of immigration cases at United States Citizenship...

A green card is your evidence that you have the right to live and work in the United States on a permanent basis and that you registered properly according to United States law. A green card...

The U.S. allows for its citizens and citizens of other nations who qualify for U.S. citizenship to hold dual citizenship. While the United States permits citizens to hold dual nationality, there...

A K-1 visa, also known as a fiance(e) visa, is a non-immigrant visa issued to the foreign fiance(e) of an American citizen by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) allowing legal...

Immigration officers are representatives of a federal agency, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and adjudicate petitions for immigration benefits, for both immigrant and...

Immigration marriage fraud is a serious offense that can lead to deportation. Upon conviction, the U.S. citizen and the foreign national can face up to a $250,000 penalty along with five years in...

An F1 visa is issued to foreign citizens pursuing studies at an accredited school in the United States. The F2 visa is issued to dependents of F1 students. It is possible to convert from an F1 to...

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the department responsible for issuing visas to the United States. Immigration files for the immigration process are checked at several points...

U.S. naturalization is a lengthy procedure, and in many cases it is the final step in the immigration process whether through marriage, family, or residency. The qualifications vary in individual...

The US immigration process is a tedious and daunting task. It can also be very expensive. If you have all the money, no problem. You can hire an immigration lawyer, and you're done. However, if...

If you are an immigrant in the US and is having a problem with your immigration status that needs immediate attention, going to your USCIS local office without an appointment letter makes the trip...

So you've gone through all your immigration paperwork and you've finally made it through the process. You are now a U.S. citizen. Just one problem--you discover a typo on your naturalization...

When filling out U.S. Immigration forms, one needs to be very careful. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services can be very strict, and a wrong answer can cause problems or even derail the...

The U.S. citizenship test, formally known as the Naturalization Test, is required of almost all immigrants to the United States as a condition for citizenship. It is composed of two parts--an...

Millions of people have successfully immigrated to the United States. The process is long and complex, however, and eventual success is not at all certain. How you should proceed depends on your...

Once you've filed an application for a green card with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the waiting begins. According to USCIS, all green card applications are processed in the...

In order to legally seek employment and earn wages in the United States, a Honduran citizen must complete an application for a work visa. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services...

For any immigrant hoping to become a naturalized citizen of the United States, passing the naturalization test can be a daunting task. You can give yourself the best chance for success by learning...

U.S. citizenship is immediately granted to people born in the U.S. or to the children of U.S. citizens who reside in a foreign country. All other people who want to become U.S. citizens must do so...

Breaching an immigration law is a serious offense that should not go unrecognized. Reporting a visa violation can be confusing--immigration agencies and laws are constantly changing--but can be...

The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) is the primary basis of immigration laws. This law establishes preferences or categories of potential immigrants favored by U.S. Immigration law. In...

Millions of people have obtained US citizenship through naturalization. Once you have obtained US permanent residence, you will have to wait for several years before applying for citizenship. This...

A United States H2B Work Visa is, as its name implies, a visa that allows individuals to come to the U. S. to work in occupations in which American workers are in short supply. In order to...

The U.S. citizenship test, officially known as the Naturalization Test, is the next-to-last step in becoming naturalized as a U.S. citizen. It is administered by the U.S. Citizenship and...