Tag Archive Immigration And Nationality

ByImmigration News

Reform efforts put immigration laws under scrutiny

The field of immigration and nationality law is facing rapid changes as immigration reform continues to grow as a major issue in the United States.

ByPhillip Kim

Citizenship Through Naturalization by Immigration Attorney in Fresno

Naturalization is the process by which U.S. citizenship is granted to a foreign citizen or national after he or she fulfills the requirements
established by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

In most cases, an applicant for naturalization must be a permanent
resident (green card holder) before filing. Except for certain U.S. military members and their dependents, naturalization can only be granted in the United States.

You May Qualify for Naturalization if:

You have been a permanent resident for at least 5 years and meet all other eligibility requirements.
You have been a permanent resident for 3 years or more and meet all eligibility requirements to file as a spouse of a U.S. citizen.
You have qualifying service in the U.S. armed forces and meet all other eligibility requirements.
Your child may qualify for naturalization if you are a U.S. citizen, the child was born outside the U.S., the child is currently residing outside the U.S., and all other eligibility requirements are met.

How to Apply for Naturalization Prepare for taking the naturalization test before you apply. We have educational materials and resources to help you prepare.

Note: You may already be a U.S. citizen and not need to apply for
naturalization if your biological or adoptive parent(s) became a U.S.
citizen before you reached the age of 18. For More Information,
Please Contact:
Fresno Immigration Attorney Phillip Kim
(559) 761-9742
https://phillipkimlaw.com/

ByPhillip Kim

USCIS’ Role in the Visa Process by Immigration Attorney in Fresno

Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in the visa process, particularly USCIS

and Department of State (DOS) efforts to maximize visa issuance in accordance with

the law.

In recent years, over 1 million people became Lawful Permanent Residents of the

United States (LPRs). Under the law there are a variety of different categories and

means through which a person may become eligible for permanent residence. A

substantial number of these categories have numerical limitations – annual caps on

how many people can immigrate. There are other aspects to these caps as well,

such as limitations per country.

The Department of State administers the provisions of the Immigration and

Nationality Act (INA) that relate to the numerical limits on immigrant visa issuance.

However, DOS and USCIS must work closely in this respect because visas issued by

DOS and adjustment of status granted by USCIS draw down from the same pool of

limited numbers. Close and careful coordination ensures that annual limitations are

not exceeded, and also helps us jointly strive to use all available visa numbers when

there is sufficient demand.

In concert with DOS, USCIS has made significant changes in recent years to

maximize the use of the limited number of visas available annually. These changes

include increased staffing, enhanced analytical capacity, more detailed and strategic

management of monthly production, and close partnership with DOS to share greater

information. This enhanced information exchange assists DOS in better managing visa

allocations through the monthly visa bulletin and improves USCIS’ ability to target

production for maximum result.For More Information, Please Contact:
Fresno Immigration Attorney Phillip Kim
(559) 761-9742
https://phillipkimlaw.com/

ByPhillip Kim

Green Card Eligibility by Immigration Attorney in Fresno

You may be eligible to apply for a green card (permanent residence) through your family, a job offer or employment, refugee or asylum status, or a number of other special provisions.
In some cases, you may even be able to self petition or have a record created for permanent residence on your behalf. In general, to meet the requirements for permanent residence in the United States,
you must:
Be eligible for one of the immigrant categories established in the Immigration and Nationality Act

(INA)
Have a qualifying immigrant petition filed and approved for you (with a few exceptions)
Have an immigrant visa immediately available
Be admissible to the United States
Each requirement is detailed below.

Eligibility for an Immigrant Category

Individuals who want to become immigrants (permanent residents) through their qualified family member,

a job offer or employment, or a special category will generally be classified in categories based on a preference system. Except for immediate relatives of a U.S. citizen who are given the highest

immigration priority and a few other exceptions, Congress has set a finite number of visas that can be used each year for each category of immigrants. The general categories are listed below. For more

specific information under each general category, see the links to the left.

Family Based

Some relatives of U.S. citizens, known as immediate relatives, do not have to wait for a visa to become

available. There is no limit to the number of visas that can be utilized in this category in a particular year. Immediate relatives include:For More Information, Please Contact:
Fresno Immigration Attorney Phillip Kim
(559) 761-9742
https://phillipkimlaw.com/

ByImmigration News

New Search Results, from Technorati and Ingboo

Technorati and Ingboo have partnered together to provide an all new kind of subscription experience for Technorati content, including search results. Look for a blue Ingboo icon for a full range of subscription options.

Feeds are also available for:

Hottest Blogosphere Posts

Latest Original Articles from Technorati

The Technorati Blog

We also have channel feeds, writer feeds, and tag feeds, which can be found on their respective pages.

ByPhillip Kim

Cancellation of Removal Deportation Defense by Fresno Immigration Attorney Phillip Kim

Cancellation of Removal by Immigration Attorney in Fresno

I. Aliens Eligible for Cancellation of Removal
You may be eligible to have your removal cancelled under
section 240A(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). To qualify for this benefit, you must establish
in a hearing before an Immigration Judge that:

A. 1. Prior to the service of the Notice to Appear, you have maintained continuous physical presence in the United States for ten (10) years or more, and you have been a person of good moral character as defined in section 101(f) of the INA during such period;

2. You have not been convicted of an offense covered under sections 212(a)(2), 237(a)(2), or 237(a)(3) of the INA; and

3. Your removal would result in exceptional and extremely unusual hardship to your United States citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse, parent, or child, and you are deserving of a favorable exercise of discretion on your application.
OR

B. 1. You have been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty in the United States by your United States
citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse or parent, or you are the parent of a child of a United
States citizen or lawful permanent resident and the child has been battered or subjected to extreme
cruelty in the United States by such citizen or lawful permanent resident parent;

2. Prior to the service of the Notice to Appear, you have maintained continuous physical presence
in the United States for three (3) years or more and you have been a person of good moral character
as defined in section 101(f) of the INA during such period;

3. You are not inadmissible under sections 212(a)(2) or 212(a)(3) of the INA, you are not deportable
under section 237(a)(1)(G) or sections 237(a)(2)-(4) of the INA, and you have not been convicted of
an aggravated felony as defined under the INA;

4. a. Your removal would result in extreme hardship to you or your child who is the child of a United
States citizen or lawful permanent resident; or

b. You are a child whose removal would result in extreme hardship to you or your parent; and

5. You are deserving of a favorable exercise of discretion on your application.

Note: If you have served on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States for at least 24 months,
you do not have to meet the requirements of continuous physical presence in the United States.
You must, however, have been in the United States when you entered the Armed Forces. If you
are no longer in the Armed Forces, you must have been separated under honorable conditions.

II. Aliens NOT Eligible for Cancellation of Removal: You are not eligible for cancellation of removal under
section 240A(b)(1) of the INA if you:

A. Entered the United States as a crewman after June 30, 1964;
Form EOIR-42B
Revised October 2008
U.S. Department of Justice
Executive Office for Immigration Review
OMB#ll25-0001
Application for Cancellation of Removal and Adjustment
of Status for Certain Nonpermanent Residents

B. Were admitted to the United States as, or later became, a nonimmigrant exchange alien as defined in
section 101(a)(15)(J) of the INA in order to receive graduate medical education or training, regardless
of whether you are subject to or have fulfilled the 2-year foreign residence requirement of section
212(e) of the INA;

C. Were admitted to the United States as, or later became, a nonimmigrant exchange alien as defined in
section 101(a)(15)(J) of the INA, other than to receive graduate medical education or training, and are
subject to the 2-year foreign residence requirement of section 212(e) of the INA, but have neither fulfilled
nor obtained a waiver of that requirement;

D. Are an alien who is either inadmissible under section 212(a)(3) of the INA or deportable under
section 237(a)(4) of the INA;

E. Are an alien who ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in the persecution of an individual
because of the individual’s race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or
political opinion; or

F. Are an alien who was previously granted relief under section 212(c) of the INA, or section 244(a) of
the INA as such sections were in effect prior to the enactment of the Illegal Immigration Reform and
Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, whose removal has previously been cancelled under section
240A of the INA.

For more information, please contact Attorney Phillip Kim at (559) 761-9742

ByPhillip Kim

Green Card Process and Permanent Resident Card Application Procedure

Immigrants in most categories will need an immigrant petition, Petition for Alien Relative, Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, or another petition) filed on their behalf.

A petition establishes the underlying basis for your ability to immigrate and determines your immigrant classification or category. Some categories of immigrants may be able to self-petition. Most people immigrating based on humanitarian programs are exempt from the petition requirement.

Some immigrant petitions can be filed at the same time as the adjustment application (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status), known as “concurrent filing” while other categories of immigrants will be required to wait until they have an approved petition before being allowed to apply for adjustment of status or an immigrant visa. For more information about concurrent filing, Click HERE.

Visa Availability

A visa is always available for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens. If you are in a family or employment based preference category, visa availability is determined by:
Your priority date
The preference category you are immigrating under
The country the visa will be charged to (usually your country of citizenship)

The Department of State is the government agency that controls visa numbers. The annual limits for visa numbers are established by Congress and can be referenced in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

First, a priority date will be assigned to you based on your immigrant petition filing date (the date that the petition is properly filed with the Gov.) or, in certain employment-based cases, the date the application for a labor certification was accepted by the Department of Labor. Your priority date holds your place in line for an immigrant visa.

This date, along with your country of nationality and preference category, determines if or how long a person will have to wait for a visa to be immediately available. When the officials are ready to approve an applicant for permanent residency in a visa category that has limited numbers, we must first request a visa number from the Department of State.

When a visa is available, you may file Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (if you are in the United States) or apply for an immigrant visa abroad (consular processing). If you are consular processing, the Gov. will forward your approved petition to the Department of State’s National Visa Center who will contact you when your priority date is about to become current as to what your next steps are and when you may apply for an immigrant visa abroad.

For more information on determining visa availability or filing abroad, see the “Visa Availability & Priority Dates” and “Consular Processing” links to the left.

Admissibility to the United States

All persons applying for an immigrant visa or adjustment of status must prove to the satisfaction of immigration or consular officials that they are admissible (eligible for admission) to the United States.

There are many grounds of inadmissibility that could potentially cause someone to be ineligible to become a permanent resident. For instance, there are health-related, criminal, security-related, and other grounds the office must consider.

In some cases and in certain situations, if you are found inadmissible to the United States you may be eligible to file a waiver on Application for Waiver of Ground of Inadmissibility, (the form required for most immigrants) or Application By Refugee For Waiver of Grounds of Excludability (the form required for refugees and asylees) to excuse your inadmissibility.

The grounds of inadmissibility that are determined by the particular category under which you are immigrating. If you are ultimately found inadmissible to the United States, your adjustment of status application or immigrant visa application will be denied. Congress has set the grounds of inadmissibility and they may be referenced in Section 212 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

After all paperwork has been received, interviews conducted (if necessary), security checks completed, and other eligibility requirements reviewed, your case will be ready for a decision by the Government.

For more information, CALL (559) 761-9742 or Click HERE.

ByPhillip Kim

Green Card Attorney Fresno California Citizenship Visa Lawyer

Green Card Eligibility

You may be eligible to apply for a green card (permanent residence) through your family, a job offer or employment, refugee or asylum status, or a number of other special provisions. In some cases, you may even be able to self petition or have a record created for permanent residence on your behalf. In general, to meet the requirements for permanent residence in the United States, you must:
Be eligible for one of the immigrant categories established in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)
Have a qualifying immigrant petition filed and approved for you (with a few exceptions)
Have an immigrant visa immediately available
Be admissible to the United States

Each requirement is detailed below.

Eligibility for an Immigrant Category

Individuals who want to become immigrants (permanent residents) through their qualified family member, a job offer or employment, or a special category will generally be classified in categories based on a preference system. Except for immediate relatives of a U.S. citizen who are given the highest immigration priority and a few other exceptions, Congress has set a finite number of visas that can be used each year for each category of immigrants. The general categories are listed below. For more specific information under each general category, see the links to the left.

Family Based

Some relatives of U.S. citizens, known as immediate relatives, do not have to wait for a visa to become available. There is no limit to the number of visas that can be utilized in this category in a particular year. Immediate relatives include:
Parents of a U.S. citizen
Spouses of a U.S. citizen
Unmarried children under the age of 21 of a U.S. citizen

Note: U.S. citizens must be at least 21 years old to apply for their parents

The qualified relatives of a U.S. citizen or permanent resident in the remaining family-based categories may have to wait for a visa to become available before they can apply for permanent residency. These categories include:
First Preference: Unmarried, adult (21 years of age or older) sons and daughters of U.S. citizens
Second Preference A: Spouses of permanent residents and the unmarried children (under the age of 21)) of permanent residents
Second Preference B: Unmarried sons and daughters (21 years or age or older) of permanent residents
Third Preference: Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, their spouses and their minor children
Fourth Preference: Brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens, their spouses and their minor children

For more information on green card eligibility through a family member, CALL (559) 761-9742 or Click HERE.