How to Make the US Immigration Process Easier
In today’s modern world, there are many types services available for hire; some are a great bargain and some not so necessary but worth the price of convenience. When it comes to immigrating to the United States, an immigration attorney is a great deal of help and nearly a necessity. Nearly, because it can be done on your own, but an immigration attorney is trained to handle every aspect of the immigration process.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services provides helpful tools to guide you through the process. Understanding the process is important whether you have an immigration attorney or not. Below are some helpful steps to make the immigration process easier for you no matter which path you choose.
1. Were you born in the United States or a US territory? Were your parents or their parents? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you may already be a United States citizen.
2. Are you over the age of 18 and lived in the US as a permanent resident for 5 years or more? If so, you may qualify for naturalization.
3. If you do not qualify for naturalization, do you have a close family member that is a US citizen or a job offer from a US business? If so, you may be able to become a permanent resident, obtain an immigrant visa and green card status.
4. Are you married to a US citizen and have had a green card for 3 years or more? If so, as long as you meet some of the general eligibility requirements, you may be eligible for naturalization through the spouses program of the USCIS.
5. Are you a member of the US armed forces? If so, you and your dependents may be eligible for US citizenship through an expedited process.
6. Were you born outside the US but your parents are married, both US citizens and one or both of them lived in the US prior to your birth? If so, you are an automatic US citizen! This also applies if only one of your married parents is a US citizen as long as that US citizen parent lived in the US for at least 5 years after the age of 14. If your parents are not married, but your mother is a US citizen and has lived in the US for at least one year, you are also a US citizen at birth. (There are ways for the father to provide citizenship, but it is much more complex).
7. None of these apply to you? Time to contact an immigration attorney!
Call the experienced immigration attorneys at Gastelum Law to get all of you immigration questions answered today.