Most Americans think refugees and foreign nationals seeking asylum in America get the red carpet treatment. Well, in a lot of cases, that couldn’t be further than the truth. Because instead of walking on a red carpet a lot of times asylum seekers find themselves staring at red lines on the floor of privately run […]
Marriage is one of the avenues to obtaining citizenship in the U.S. Because of this, it's not uncommon for people to try to fake a marital union in an effort to naturalize in America. Sensitive to this potential for fraud, officials at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have devised a number of practices - […]
A 41-year-old man from Columbus, Ohio was recently convicted unlawfully procuring citizenship, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Immigration fraud, including illegally trying to secure citizenship or naturalization, is a federal crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison. It remains to be seen whether, during the sentencing phase of this case, […]
To obtain U.S. citizenship, non-citizens have to meet a number of specific eligibility requirements and then successfully complete the naturalization process. As with most rules, however, there are some exceptions and accommodations for U.S. citizenship that can come into play when unique or specific circumstances arise. To highlight the nature of these accommodations, below, we […]
Applying for a change to your immigration status in the U.S. typically involves a process of completing applications, submitting them to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and possibly attending interviews. For nearly every immigration status change, applicants will also have to pay the required USCIS application fees, which can range from a few to […]
Becoming a lawful permanent resident (LPR) of the U.S. can be an exciting privilege. It also, however, does come with some responsibilities. And understanding just what these responsibilities are is critical to maintaining this status, continuing to work and live in the U.S. and having the opportunity to become a citizen in the future (if […]
When applying for an immigration status change with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), applicants will generally have to pay a filing fee in order for their application to be reviewed and process. With USCIS filing fees: The following table highlights some of the most common filing fees for USCIS services: Requested Change (Form) Fee […]
When preparing to resolve your important immigration issues, meeting with a lawyer to discuss your options for proceeding can be the best way to figure out how to move forward. While you may have a lot of questions specific to your situation, making a point to ask the following questions as well can shed some […]
Consular processing is one pathway to obtaining permanent resident status in the U.S. Generally available to those who have an approved immigration petition and an available immigrant visa number, consular processing is an alternative to the adjustment of status process for individuals who are not already in the U.S. Below is a simplified overview of […]
For those who were not born U.S. citizens, becoming an American citizen will involve an intensive process, including interviews and testing, all of which can take some time (potentially years) to complete. To shed some light on this process, below are the 10 steps U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has identified in the process […]
