Recent Blog Posts
Navigating Immigration for Siblings of U.S. Citizens
U.S. citizens who are over the age of 21 are allowed to obtain a green card for their brother or sister who is a native of a foreign country. In addition to proving that you and your siblings share at least one parent, as a U.S. citizen petitioning for your sibling, you must guarantee… Read More »
New York City Passes Law Allowing Non-Citizens to Vote
Non-citizens, whether they are staying in the United States on a visa, permanently as a lawful resident, or unlawfully, lack political power as a group. While advocacy groups are promoting the rights of noncitizens and more favorable immigration laws, the noncitizen population as a whole has one major disadvantage: They can’t vote. Non-citizens have… Read More »
What Is a 221(g) Form?
Whenever foreign nationals wish to travel to the United States, they will have to go through several processes to be granted a visa that will allow them to enter the country. As part of the application process, it is common for the U.S. embassy or consulate to conduct an interview with the applicant about… Read More »
Biden Administration Bars Immigration Enforcement in “Protected Areas”
Historically, federal immigration officials have been willing to use any and all means to root out unlawful immigration. Many of their tactics were meant specifically to intimidate non-citizens and deter immigration. Immigration officers might, for example, conduct a raid on a school or a church, places where people feel secure, in order to remind… Read More »
Common Reasons for Denial of N-400
For many non-citizens working and living in the United States, naturalization is the ultimate goal. They hope to become full-fledged citizens, taking advantage of all of its benefits, rather than staying in the country with a green card and maintaining citizenship elsewhere. To become a citizen after holding a green card, the noncitizen must… Read More »
Why Do People Seek Asylum?
People do not seek asylum lightly. Most people prefer to remain in the country in which they were born and raised. Even if they do travel outside of their country, people typically rely on the traditional visa systems for immigration–tourist visas, school visas, work visas, marriage, etc.–and go through the typical channels to stay… Read More »
Can I Return to the US After Being Deported?
Deportation from the United States is not only disruptive to a person’s life and livelihood; it can also carry additional, long-term consequences. If you are deported for one reason or another, does that mean you are permanently banned from the country? Does deportation prevent you from ever obtaining legal status or citizenship? To learn… Read More »
Marriage Fraud Penalties for a US Citizen
There’s a common pop-culture trope about getting married “for the Green Card.” For many people who face imminent deportation, marriage seems like a viable option for relief: Marry a U.S. citizen and the non-citizen can obtain permanent status and eventual citizenship. The U.S. government does not restrict who citizens may marry, and so long… Read More »
What Are the Consequences for Making False Claims to Citizenship?
Citizenship offers numerous advantages to immigrants, including even immigrants with lawful permanent residence. Obtaining citizenship requires going through a legal process after an eligible immigrant has spent years in the country. It may be tempting to attempt to bypass the legal process by lying about your current citizenship status on important forms or documents…. Read More »
Methods to Stop Deportation
Deportation can upend your life. Even immigrants who have legally resided in the U.S. for many years can suddenly face deportation after a minor criminal conviction or other triggering event. There are ways to stop deportation, however, depending on the nature of the immigrant and the grounds for deportation. Continue reading to learn about… Read More »