When USCIS approves your work authorization, you may receive a Social Security number from your local Social Security office. You should get a Social Security number immediately, even if you do not plan to work. Your Social Security number will allow you to establish a joint bank account with your US citizen spouse, and place [...]
Immigration Law
I was part of the legal team that challenged and defeated Hazleton’s “Illegal Immigration Relief Act”. You can learn more about the Hazleton case here:
LatinoJustice (formerly Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund)
American Civil Liberties Union
Immigration law is a complex and confusing maze of statutes, regulations and court decisions. The stakes are very high, and the process of obtaining or changing immigration status is usually daunting.
When you are looking for immigration information, including forms, be careful and be aware of who you are dealing with. With few exceptions, the staff of USCIS will not help you – in fact, I have had several clients report that USCIS staff members gave them advice that was wrong and that could have put them into removal proceedings.
If you are looking for immigration forms, keep in mind the following:
Immigration forms are free. Anyone who tries to charge you for immigration forms is stealing your money.
Immigration forms change frequently, with little warning. Be sure that the forms you use come directly from the USCIS or State Department.
United States Citizenship and Immigration Service: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis
United States Department of State: http://www.state.gov/
First, thank you again for placing your trust in me. I will do everything in my power to get you the result you desire. I will do my best to keep you informed of developments, and I ask that you do the same. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions or relate any information, [...]
In marriage adjustment cases, the final step before Permanent Resident status is granted is an interview of the applicant and beneficiary, conducted by USCIS staff at the closest USCIS District Office. For residents of eastern Pennsylvania, the office is in Philadelphia. The purpose of this interview is to determine to the satisfaction of the USCIS [...]
Basic information you need to know to help achieve and maintain legal status in the United States. A must read for every non-citizen.
An American citizen or permanent resident may petition to bring family members into the United States, including fiancés or spouses. Fiancés United States immigration law permits citizens and permanent residents to petition to bring their alien fiancés into the United States for purposes of marriage. In order to obtain a fiancé visa for the alien, [...]
A person may become a U.S. citizen in one of two ways, either by birth or through naturalization. There are several circumstances in which a person is born a citizen of the United States.Anyone who is born in the United States including most cases Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, [...]
An alien who entered the United States “with inspection” may, under some circumstances, adjust his or her status and become a Permanent Resident of the United States without leaving and reentering the United States. One of these situations is when the alien marries a United States citizen. The process for adjusting the status of an [...]
Immigration is a hot topic these days, and the law regarding immigration is very complex. Knowing some of the basic concepts can make it easier to follow the debate. Citizens. Most of the people in the United States are citizens. All persons born in the United States and its territories including Puerto Rico, are citizens [...]
If you think your “notario” is a lawyer, you are probably wrong – and that can make a big difference in your legal case. There is a lot of confusion in Latino communities about “notarios” and lawyers. In some countries, including many in Latin America, “notarios” or “notarios publica” are required to be attorneys. That [...]
Immigrants who receive permanent resident status based upon their marriage to a United States citizen actually receive conditional permanent resident status. Their permanent residents is condition upon their marriage to the United States citizen. In order to remove the conditions from the permanent resident status, in immigrant must apply to the USCIS to remove those [...]
My mission as a lawyer is to empower people like you. That means helping you understand your rights.
I was born in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. My parents were hard-working people who struggled to get by. They worked hard at low-wage blue collar jobs from the time they were teenagers. They did such a good job taking care of me that I didn’t understand until much later how hard it had been for them. They taught me to work hard, and they made sure I understood that a person’s bank balance has nothing to do with his or her real worth. I have been blessed with the tools and experience to help good people fight back, and it is my privilege to do so....