If you entered the country illegally before the age of 16, you may be eligible to defer deportation by obtaining your employment authorization document (EAD). An EAD allows you to work in the United States and pursue legal residency. There are certain requirements for eligibility under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which was enacted in 2012. Call the Law Office of Ashkan Yekrangi, P.C. to learn more about DACA and whether or not you are eligible to obtain legal status under this program.

Permanent residency, obtained through a green card, allows a foreign national to live in work in the United States on a potentially indefinite basis. When a green card is first issued it is often a temporary green card and is valid for two years. After the first two years, providing you have not been convicted of any criminal activity and have maintained your eligibility status, you can apply for a permanent residence visa which is valid for ten years.

Your fiancé / fiancée must petition for an immigrant visa, and then after the marriage has taken place, your spouse must petition to adjust his or her status to permanent resident. In order to establish the validity of the marriage, an immigration officer from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services will interview and investigate you and your spouse-to-be. It is strongly recommended that you have an immigration attorney to help you protect your family’s future in the United States.

Changing immigration status while in the United States, can be difficult, and there is no guarantee it can be done. If it is possible, and what you will be required to do, vary from person to person. That is why this kind of question can only be answered after consulting with an experienced immigration attorney. Our attorneys will take the time to review your status and case, analyze the situation at hand, and help you map out the course of action best geared to accomplish your immigration objectives.

Many students and professionals come to study and work in the United States on a temporary basis and then decide to pursue a long-term stay. This is known as change of status, and it can be a very complicated procedure. Each individual’s situation is different, and there is no “one size fits all” answer. The important thing is to talk to an experienced immigration attorney about your unique situation and work through a reasonable course of action together.

If you receive a deportation order or notification, the first thing you must do is contact a knowledgeable immigration attorney at our firm, who will work with you closely to build your deportation defense. You need an attorney who understands and is skilled in all aspects of immigration law. Our attorneys are committed to providing you with the honest, aggressive representation you need.

If your visa has expired, the first thing you need to do is contact an immigration attorney from our firm. We will sit down with you, review your current status and situation, and then help you determine the best course of action to pursue. Time is of the essence when it comes to expired visas, so we advise you do no delay.

Once an individual has been granted a green card, and if they wish to obtain U.S. citizenship through the naturalization process, there are certain requirements which must be met. You must have been physical present in the U.S., as a green card holder, for at least 50% of the time. You must not be away from the U.S. for any more than one year, and ideally less than six months prior to your citizenship application. You must not have committed a serious crime of moral turpitude. You must be able to write and speak English and more. Consult with one of our attorneys in order to get a complete list of the qualifications and requirements.

If you received a notice to appear, this means that you are in removal proceedings. You may, however, be eligible for relief from removal. Call the Los Angeles immigration lawyer at the Mazgani Law Office to talk about your situation and whether or not you qualify for cancellation of removal, asylum, naturalization, withholding of removal, or another type of relief. If you have a criminal record, then this process could be complicated.

Depending on your current immigration status or situation, there are a number of visas available to foreign nationals wishing to permanently immigrate to the United States. There is a fiancée visa (if you are a foreign national engaged to a U.S. citizen), family visas (if you have or are the relative of a U.S. citizen and wish to immigrate to the U.S.), a work visa (if you have unique skills or requirements which make you a hot commodity in a particular field or industry), and more.

If you wish to visit the United States temporarily or be granted entry for a very specific period of time, you will need a non-immigrant visa. Some of the most common types of non-immigrant visas are a student visa (should you be looking to further your education and skills), business investor visas (if you are planning on coming to the U.S. to invest in a business), or a travel visa (if you wish to do some traveling in the U.S.).

Family-based immigration is a common means of obtaining lawful permanent residency and citizenship in the United States. In most cases, a citizen of the United States may sponsor his or her mother, father, husband, wife, brother, sister, fiancé / fiancée, and / or child for a green card. If you are not a citizen but you are a lawful permanent resident – meaning you have a green card – you may sponsor your husband, wife, and / or unmarried child in most cases.