Have you or a loved one been caught by CBP at or near the border?  Did you sign paperwork with immigration? Were you fingerprinted?  Did the immigration officers say you could not return for five years? Answers to these questions and what actually happened at the border can have serious consequences on the options available to you. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) – the agency you encounter when trying to enter the U.S., can issue removal orders called “expedited removal orders” at the border even if you legally present yourself for admission. Expedited removal orders have 5 years bars to re-entry into the U.S. Illegal re-entry after receiving an expedited removal order can make the situation much worse. This can result in a permanent bar and ten years minimum outside of the U.S. But not all hope...

Read more

If you are a foreign-born person who has married a U.S. citizen, and you are currently staying or living in the U.S., your marriage may qualify you for a green card (U.S. lawful permanent residence), and to apply for it through a process known as adjustment of status (AOS). First, however, you need to make sure that you are eligible for a marriage-based green card, and eligible to apply for it by adjusting your status. If so, we'll give you some helpful information on how to prepare your marriage-based application. Eligibility for a Marriage-Based Green Card Marriage to a U.S. citizen makes you what is known as an "immediate relative," and eligible for a U.S. green card just as soon as you can get through the application process. (Contrast this to the situation faced by "preference relatives," who...

Read more