Do You Need An Immigration Attorney ?

  The current assortment of immigration laws and policies have often been compared to the U.S. federal tax code in their complexity. An immigration attorney can help you obtain a green card, visas, extensions of visas, resident alien status changes, and can defend against deportation proceedings. There are certain procedures and timelines that must be followed to avoid problems later.

To be born a citizen of the U.S., an individual either

• Has to be born in the U.S. or a territory of the U.S., including Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, to parents other than foreign diplomats
• Has to be born abroad to at least one U.S. citizen, one of which lived in the U.S. at some point in his or her life; or
• Has to be born abroad to at least one U.S. citizen who was a citizen at the individual’s birth and the citizen parent must have lived in the U.S. for at least 5 years before the birth, at least 2 of the 5 years being after the citizen parent’s 14^th birthday (if the individual was born before November 14, 1986, the citizen parent must have lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years, 5 of which were after the citizen parent’s 14^th birthday).  8 U.S.C. § 1401.

If none of the above applies, the individual is not born a U.S. citizen and must go through the naturalization process to become a U.S. naturalized citizen. To become a naturalized citizen, a person must meet several requirements, including age, residency, proficiency of the English language, continuous residence and physical presence, good moral character, attachment to the U.S. Constitution, U.S. government and history knowledge, and finally the Oath of Allegiance. 

There are certain circumstances by which people living in the U.S. may obtain citizenship without meeting all of the general requirements of naturalization. Some circumstances include:

• Current military personnel
• Veterans
• Spouses of U.S. citizens
• Aliens with Extraordinary Ability 

An imimgration attorney can assist you with all immigration and narutalization needs.

Submit an evaluation for a free consultation from an Arizona immigration attorney.