Dallas Legal Issues Blog

Becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States is something you may have been working on for a long time. You expect the process to be complicated and thorough, and you may recall the anxiety of waiting for your green card. This is different, however. Your citizenship will make all your effort worthwhile.

There are several parts of the U.S. naturalization process that may make you nervous. For example, if you struggle with the language, you may be anxious about the English requirement. You may be taking every chance to study for the civics portion of the test. You may wonder what questions they will ask at your interview or if you will be able to express yourself well enough. One part of the naturalization process you may not think much about is your biometrics appointment.

While most brides and grooms have many details to iron out before the big day, your situation may have been even more complex. Marrying a U.S. citizen or green card holder involved immigration issues that you needed to resolve before you could come to the U.S. and begin your new life. One of the most important steps you had to take was to obtain your conditional residential status.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services does not offer permanent residence status to those coming into the country to get married. This is because many have committed fraud and used marriage as a way to unlawfully enter the country. To avoid this, the USCIS places conditions on your visa. However, after two years, you may apply to have those conditions removed.

Whether you've been living and working in Texas for more than a decade or just recently arrived here from your country of origin, you have probably heard horror stories about people being torn apart from their loved ones and placed in detention centers. You may understand the fear and anxiety that can come with being an immigrant in the United States. Even if you work hard, pay your taxes and obey the law, you may still worry about possible deportation.

There are several things you can do to avoid problems with immigration officials. It's also good to know where to turn for help in a pinch, especially if you're at work or out with your family and an immigration officer suddenly approaches and informs you that he or she is detaining you.

It would be nice to think that if you wanted to live and work in the United States by means of an H1B visa, you could simply fill out an application, wait a week or so, gain approval, then pick up and move to America. If you've ever dealt with U.S. immigration law, in particular the visa process, you likely know that little scenario is typically far from reality. Many people face tremendous challenges when attempting to request lawful entrance to the U.S.

There are several ways to obtain an H1B visa, which is a non-immigrant visa. Those who wish to participate in this program are permanent residents of other countries who want to temporarily reside and work in the United States. There are other types of non-immigrant visas unrelated to employment, such as when someone wishes to come to the U.S. for medical treatment, as a tourist or on some other temporary basis.