Articles Posted in I-130

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In this video, attorney Jacob J. Sapochnick Esq. answers one of your frequently asked questions: I overstayed my visa and I am now married to a U.S. Citizen. Am I eligible for a green card?

Overview: 

I am married to a US Citizen but I came to the United States over 10 years ago, I overstayed my visa. Am I eligible to apply for a green card?

The good news is, even if you have overstayed or worked in the United States illegally,  if you are married to a US Citizen it is possible to legalize and apply for permanent residence. The key to determine your eligibility lies in the manner in which you entered the United States. To be eligible for permanent residence, you must have been inspected by a U.S. Customs Official at a U.S. Port of entry. In other words, you must have entered the United States legally and received an I-94 record of arrival/departure proving that you were inspected upon entry. If all goes well, the immigration officer will waive the overstay and illegal employment, at the time of your marriage interview if you can prove that you were inspected by showing your I-94. Any other grounds of inadmissability such as certain crimes, fraud, or willful misrepresentation may subject you to a bar for a certain period of time. In these circumstances, you will need to obtain a waiver before applying for permanent residence.

For a consultation please contact our office.

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In this video, attorney Jacob J. Sapochnick answers one of your most frequently asked questions: I have a minor US Citizen child. Can I get a green card?

Overview:

This is a very common question. This question comes to us from a Chinese national who is currently in the United States on an H-1B Visa. This person asks: Can I get a green card based on the fact that I have a minor US Citizen child that was just born in the US?

In this situation because the child is under the age of 21, your child cannot file a petition for permanent residence on your behalf based on the fact that you have a minor child born in the United States. This is a very common misconception. Your child can only file for your immigration benefits once they reach the age of 21. A child must be at least 18 years old in order to petition for immigration benefits for their siblings, and then the sibling must wait for a visa number to become available based on the visa bulletin. You cannot obtain a green card just by having a US Citizen child. If you are in the United States on a visa you must find another way to remain legally in the United States until the US Citizen child reaches the minimum age or find another way to obtain a green card through employment. Parents of US Citizen children, residing in the United States unlawfully, can obtain cancelation of removal for their parents to shield them from deportation/removal proceedings. In this case the child does not need to be 21 years or older.

For more information about this topic please contact our office.

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In this segment, attorney Jacob J. Sapochnick tells you all about the visa bulletin. Who is it for? How does it work? Why do we need it? For more information about the visa bulletin, please click here.

Overview: 

What is the Visa Bulletin?

The Visa Bulletin exists due to congressional numerical immigrant visa limitations for family-sponsored and employment-based preference categories established by the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The visa bulletin is for foreign nationals wishing to immigrate to the United States through a relative or employer. Family-sponsored preference categories are limited to a minimum of 226,000 visas per year, while employment-based preference categories are limited to a minimum of 140,000 visas per year. The Visa Bulletin is a useful tool for aliens to determine when a visa will become available to them so that they may apply for permanent residence.

You can check the status of a visa number by checking your priority date on the Department of State’s Visa Bulletin published every month. A priority date is the date when your relative or employer properly filed the immigrant visa petition on your behalf with USCIS (Form I-130 Petition for Alien Relative or Form I-140 Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker).

Family-sponsored preference categories

Family based immigrant visas are divided into preference systems and priority dates. This refers to one of the various categories under which an individual qualifies for U.S. residency, and must wait for a visa to become available.

  • First Preference: unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens. This category refers to the adult children of U.S. citizens or those who have reached the age of 21 years prior to issuance of the immigrant visa;
  • Second Preference: a) spouses and children under the age of 21 of U.S. permanent residents; b) unmarried sons and daughters over the age of 21 of U. S. permanent residents;
  • Third Preference: married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens;
  • Fourth Preference: brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens.

Employment-sponsored categories

  • First Preference:  Priority Workers:  28.6% of the worldwide employment-based preference level, plus any numbers not required for fourth and fifth preferences.
  • Second Preference:  Members of the Professions Holding Advanced Degrees or Persons of Exceptional Ability:
  • Third Preference:  Skilled Workers, Professionals, and Other Workers
  • Fourth Preference:  Certain Special Immigrants
  • Fifth Preference:  Employment Creation: not less than 3,000 of which reserved for investors in a targeted rural or high-unemployment area, and 3,000 set aside for investors in regional centers (EB-5)

For more information regarding the immigrant process for family members and the Visa Bulletin please click here. For a legal consultation please contact our office to speak with our legal consultants.

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In this segment, attorney Jacob J. Sapochnick answers one of your most frequently asked questions: Am I eligible to file for adjustment of status inside the United States? For the answer to this question please keep watching. For more information about adjustment of status, please click here.

Overview: 

Am I eligible to file for adjustment of status inside the United States?

In order to file for adjustment of status from a non-immigrant visa classification to legal permanent resident, several conditions must be met. If you do not meet any of the following conditions you cannot file for adjustment of status from inside the United States.

  1. First, in order to apply for permanent residence, you must be physically inside of the United States. If you are not physically present in the US you must obtain an immigrant visa at a United States Consular post abroad.
  2. Your Immigration petition must have already been approved (I-130 or I-140 Petition) before filing of the I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (green card application).
  3. If your priority date is not current then you cannot file a petition for adjustment of status.

What does this mean?

A priority date is the date when your relative or employer properly filed the immigrant visa petition on your behalf with USCIS. Immediate Relatives of US Citizens are generally not subject to numerical visa limitations. You can check the status of a visa number by checking your priority date on the Department of State’s Visa Bulletin published every month. The Visa Bulletin estimates immigrant visa availability for prospective immigrants.

4. If your priority date is not current then you cannot file a petition for adjustment of status until it becomes current.

5. You must have entered the US illegally and be able to prove that you entered legally (inspection documents such as I-94). There are exceptions to this rule such as section 245i

6. You must not have any changes in your circumstances (ex. change in employment; divorce before green card)

7. You must not be barred from the United States. If you have been subject to a bar because you attempted to enter the US illegally, departed the US voluntarily, are guilty of immigration fraud, willful misrepresentation, or other criminal issues you are likely inadmissible and cannot file for adjustment of status. A waiver may be available to individuals in these situations that will allow the immigrant to seek adjustment of status.

For more information please contact our office for a consultation.

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In this segment, attorney Jacob J. Sapochnick answers one of your most frequently asked questions: My husband is a green card holder and I am an F-1 student. Can I stop school, stay, and work in the United States? For the answer to this question please keep watching. For more information about filing an I-130 as a green card holder, please click here.

Overview: 

If I marry a permanent resident in the US, without any other visa, can I now stay, live, and work in the United States?

Unfortunately, you cannot live and stay in the United States, without any other visa, even if your husband is a legal permanent resident (LPR), who is planning to file Form I-130 Petition for Alien Relative on your behalf. The fact that your LPR spouse is going to file the I-130 petition on your behalf, is NOT going to allow you to stay in the United States on that basis alone. This is because, for permanent residents, spousal visas are subject to a numerical limitation.  Once the I-130 petition is filed, the immigrant spouse must wait until their priority date becomes current according to the visa bulletin. Once the petitioner becomes a US Citizen, a spouse visa then becomes immediately available. While their priority date becomes current, the immigrant spouse should remain in the United States in a different visa category, which in this situation would be in student visa status.

For more information please contact our office for a consultation.

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In this segment, attorney Jacob J. Sapochnick discusses the marriage based green card process for persons who entered the United States legally. To learn more about adjustment of status within the United States please click here. For information about employment-based green cards click here.

Overview:

  • The process discussed is only for persons who entered the United States legally (those who were legally inspected through a United States port of entry);
  • If you did not enter the United States legally but are married to a United States citizen, you may qualify for a waiver if you have acquired only unlawful presence in the United States;
  • The US Citizen spouse and the intending immigrant must be legally free to marry. Pending dissolution proceedings in a foreign country will present a problem;
  • Both parties must reside in the United States in order to file for adjustment of status;
  • Once the civil marriage takes place, the USC spouse and intending immigrant must file several forms with CIS along with supporting documents (I-130, I-485, I-864, G-325A, etc.);
  • The intending immigrant will NOT be able to travel internationally until they are issued an advance parole by filing form I-131 with CIS. It takes approximately 90 days for an advance parole document to be issued from the receipt date of the I-131;
  • The intending immigrant will receive conditional permanent residence status if the marriage was less than 2 years old on the day they were given permanent residence;
  • If you have received conditional permanent residence status, you must remove the conditions within the 90 day window immediately before your permanent resident status expires;

For more information about the removal of conditions process please click here. For a consultation please contact us.

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In this segment, attorney Jacob J. Sapochnick discusses common reasons for green card denials. To read more about family-based green cards please click here. For information about employment-based green cards click here.

Overview:

There are generally two ways to apply for a permanent resident green card 1. through a qualifying family relationship and 2. through employment. Please note that special categories of green card applicants exist beyond these two options including obtaining a green card through 245i, the diversity immigrant visa program , the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), Asylum, and based on a U visa.

There are several reasons a green card application may be denied which may include, but is not limited to the following: health, criminal, and security related issues, failure to demonstrate that the applicant will not become a public charge, failure to respond to a request for evidence by the required deadline, prior immigration violations, inability to meet the requirements for a green card, and not showing up to required immigration appointments.

If your green card application has been denied, you may be able to rescue your application by filing a motion to reopen. To assess your specific case please contact us for a consultation.

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In this segment, attorney Jacob J. Sapochnick answers one of your most frequently asked questions: What are some ways to obtain relief from deportation?

Overview:

There are generally four ways to obtain relief from deportation through Cancellation of Removal, Prosecutorial Discretion, Asylum, or Adjustment of Status.

  • Cancellation of removal is a good option for people who have resided in the United States for 10+ years;
  • Asylum is a good option to avoid removal for those who qualify. In order to qualify, an asylum applicant must be unable or unwilling to return to their home country as a result of persecution or well-founded fear of persecution on the basis of five statutorily protected grounds including: race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion;
  • Adjustment of status is an option for those who have an immediate relative that is a United States Citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR). These individuals may adjust their status to lawful permanent residence;
  • Another way is through Prosecutorial Discretion;

For more information please contact us for a consultation.

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In this segment, attorney Jacob J. Sapochnick answers one of your most frequently asked questions: How do I pass a green card marriage interview?

Overview: 

  • The green card marriage interview usually takes place three to four months after the green card application is filed with CIS
  • In  this video we will will cover tips on how to prepare for your interview, what to expect, and the types of questions you may be asked during the interview

For more resources on what to expect during the I-485 interview please click here and here.

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In this segment, attorney Jacob J. Sapochnick discusses one of our most frequently asked questions: can same sex couples apply for immigration benefits?

Overview

– Yes, it is possible for a qualifying relative to apply for immigration benefits for their spouse if the marriage is valid by the laws of a state allowing same sex marriage to take place.

– If the above is true, same sex couples can marry and proceed with immigration benefits.

– Even if you don’t live in a state that allows same sex couples to marry, as long as you married in a state that does allow same sex marriage, you can proceed with your federal benefits.

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