Immigration Lawyer Newark, NJ

You Deserve To Advance Your Immigration Case With a Immigration Lawyer in Newark, NJ

Our immigration lawyers in Newark, NJ understand that the immigration system in the US is a complex puzzle. Getting it right can change your life. But getting it wrong is devastating.

Having an immigration case denied or returned means more waiting and more time spent apart from your loved ones. You shouldn’t have to put your whole life on hold for such a long amount of time.

Unfortunately, our New Jersey immigration attorneys in Newark see their clients who have already been waiting far too long for our system to make a decision.

You need an expert, a lawyer, that you can trust, who will always have your ultimate goal in mind – a speedy decision in your favor.

Adjustment of Status 

An adjustment of status application is the process of applying for your Green Card. The application is made once you are already present in the United States and without needing to return home first.

Making an application for adjustment of status is not a fast process.

The usual time to receive a Green Card, even if you have carried out every single step correctly, is between 8 and 14 months. You can’t make plans – where your family will be, where you will live, where you will work – while you are waiting.

Our attorneys in Newark file successful adjustment of status applications every single day. Whatever stage of the process you’re in, our lawyers look forward to guiding you to the end.

Helping you Adjust your Immigration Status

Immigrants who come to the United States often intend to remain in the country long-term. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), immigrants may change their immigration status to become legal permanent residents, which is commonly referred to as obtaining a green card.

In order to become a permanent resident and obtain a green card, the immigrant must meet certain requirements and officially adjust their status with the office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Adjusting your immigration status can be complicated, so it is important to have an experienced immigration lawyer assisting you throughout the adjustment process. At Maduabum Law Firm LLC located in Newark, NJ, our lawyers represent clients throughout New Jersey and Newark in a range of immigration matters.

Our lawyers take a personalized approach to helping our clients with all types of immigration cases. We help our clients understand their immigration rights and options, and we walk our clients through every step of the process.

How to Adjust Your Immigration Status

There are several different ways to adjust your immigration status. The following is general information regarding eligibility requirements and the process.

Seeking Asylum 

With asylum cases, there is so much at stake.

Working with an experienced immigration lawyer gives you the peace of mind that your case is being handled with skill.

For you to be granted asylum in New Jersey, you must prove that you have experienced persecution in your home country, or have serious reason to believe that you will experience persecution if you return. Each person’s immigration case for asylum is different. Choosing the right strategy that meets your needs is essential.

Our Newark immigration lawyers will walk you through every stage and create a personalized plan to give your case the best possible chance of success. If your case requires a court hearing, our lawyers can prepare your case for you and present it on your behalf. You will be supported the whole way.

Consular Processing 

Consular processing is the process where a beneficiary of an immigration application applies outside of the United States, through a U.S consulate. 

Applying outside of the country, away from your family member, can be even more nerve-wracking. Feeling so far away from the decision makers makes you feel out of control and out of the loop. We’re here to fill you in. 

Our immigration lawyers will communicate with all the relevant departments and professionals and keep you informed about your application’s progress.  It doesn’t matter where you are in the world, we can help with your case right to the finish line. 

Deportation Defense 

If you’re facing deportation or removal, it’s likely you’ve already started to create a life in this country. You deserve the opportunity to fight your case and keep your family together. With the right advice, you can build a strong defense and benefit from the confidence of our immigration attorneys who deal with cases like yours on a daily basis. 

Our lawyers use a wide range of procedural mechanisms in order to ensure your defense is successful, including but not limited to: 

• Adjustment of status
• Asylum
• Cancellation of removal
• Deferred action
• Temporary protected status
• Waivers of inadmissibility and deportability

Facing deportation does not have to mean the end. It can mean the beginning of a new, more solid status. Read more about Deportation Defense.

Family Petitions

In everything our lawyers do, keeping your family together is our priority.

Making an application for immigration is often based on family members who have already obtained their legal status. There are a number of options available to you, including:

• K1 Visas for Fiances
• K2 Visas for Children of a Fiance
• K3 Visas for Spouses
• K4 Visas for Step Children

At Maduabum Law, our lawyers are in the business of reuniting families in New Jersey.

Receiving your green card offers some much needed certainty and stability. Our attorneys want to help you navigate the different visa options so that you can be safe in the knowledge that your status inside the country is secured.

One of the most common ways in which immigrants adjust their status is through a family-based petition. This occurs because the immigrant has a family member who is considered an immediate relative and is a United States citizen. USCIS defines immediate relatives as:

• Spouses
• Children (younger than 21 and unmarried)
• Parents of citizens who are 21 or older

If the applicant immigrant is not in the United States, they may still obtain a green card to become a legal permanent resident through consular processing. When this occurs, an immediate relative will have to file a Petition for Alien Relative (Form I-130) with USCIS. The petition will be transferred to the National Visa Center, and the applicant immigrant will have their interview at a United States embassy or consulate in the country in which they reside.

Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) 

The thought of a child being alone in the United States without legal status is frightening. The system is complex for even the most informed adults, but a child has no way of knowing about the different options available to them, or where to begin the complicated legal process.

Special Immigrant Juvenile Status provides a safe option for unaccompanied minors to remain in New Jersey without needing a sponsor. Our lawyers can help you and your child navigate the intricacies of SIJIS.

Perhaps you know a child who is fleeing violence and persecution and has no choice but to enter the country.  Whatever their reason for arriving, if you know of a child in this situation, our attorneys can help them find security.

SIJS is only available to those under the age of 18, so if you are considering this option for yourself or someone you know, it is important to act fast and seek advice before the opportunity is lost. Contact our office today and let our lawyers help you through this challenging time.

Employment-Based Petitions

Employment-based immigrants may file for adjustment of status whenever their priority date – often the date in which the work visa application is filed – becomes current for the immigrant worker’s visa preference category. This process may be lengthier as a result of the United States government’s annual caps on visas in certain preference categories.

Permanent residency is also commonly obtained by entrepreneurs who are looking to invest a significant amount of money in or purchase a U.S. business or workers who serve as executives in U.S. branches of international businesses for a certain period of time.

Other immigrant categories, including refugees and asylees, may adjust their status if they are eligible. Holders of nonimmigrant visas may be eligible to adjust their statuses, but this process is much more difficult. Their options should be discussed with an attorney who understands immigration requirements in the U.S.

No matter what path you take to obtain an adjustment to permanent residency, the help of a skilled immigration lawyer can help ensure that your application is accurate and complete and all requirements are met to avoid any delays in receiving your green card, as well as avoiding problems such as deportation.

Naturalization

Immigrants who adjust their status to permanent resident may later become eligible for naturalization. Naturalization is the process by which legal permanent residents become United States citizens. In order to become a naturalized citizen of the United States, immigrants will need to apply after being a legal permanent resident for a specific period of time, most typically a period of five years from the date of becoming a legal permanent resident.

Eligible applicants will be required to interview with an immigration officer, and the interview will consist of an English reading and writing portion as well as a U.S. civics examination. Certain applicants may be eligible for exemptions of certain or all parts of the examination based on special needs or other factors. Our lawyers can help you understand this process, and help prepare you for naturalization.

An immigrant applicant that passes the citizenship examination and is approved for citizenship will be required to attend an oath ceremony at which they will take the Oath of Allegiance to the United States, thereby renouncing all previous citizenship and becoming a U.S. citizen. It is important to note that a legal permanent resident is not required to naturalize and may remain a permanent resident indefinitely.

Immigration Attorneys in Newark, NJ Here To Help You

Immigration and deportation are complicated issues that are extremely important to those seeking citizenship or entry into the United States. Whatever your specific immigration issue might be, make sure you are working with a legal team or lawyer that can help you understand the process and protect your rights.

At Maduabum Law Firm LLC in Newark, our lawyers represent people in Newark, NJ, and across the United States that need help in all types of immigration matters, including those involving visas as well as immigration defense. Our attorneys bring experience, knowledge and a commitment to personalized service in every case we handle.

How Our Attorneys Help With Immigration Cases & Visas

Our lawyers help clients with all types of visas, including:

• Family petitions: One of the most common ways for people to adjust their immigration status is by filing a petition for family members.
• H-1B Visa: This visa is set aside for people who work in a specialty occupation, Department of Defense research and development workers and fashion models of particular prominence.
• L-1 Visas: L-1 visas are intended for executives and managers transferring to the United States from companies located in other countries (L-1A visa) or for transferees in positions requiring specialized knowledge (L-1B visa).

These are just a few examples of visa opportunities. Although the above visas are the most common types that we handle, our lawyers can help you with any type of visa in which you might be interested. Talk with our lawyers in NJ to get the help you need.

Deportation Defense

The United States is a nation of immigrants, and New Jersey has always been a state that has gladly welcomed those from across the globe. The land of opportunity continues to attract many people from around the world. As immigrants settle throughout the United States, they must not only follow federal and state laws but also be aware that committing certain crimes may have immigration implications.

While our immigration laws are passed by the federal government and applied equally to the states, including NJ, immigrants may face serious legal consequences for violations of federal or state laws or regulations. Such violations are often referred to as “deportable offenses” and are expressly set out in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and similar laws. Immigrants who are charged and convicted of these violations face the very real possibility of having to face both criminal and immigration consequences.

Without the advice and counsel of a knowledgeable and experienced deportation defense attorney, an immigrant convicted of a crime may become immediately removable from the United States. Even a plea agreement that reduces the charges against an immigrant may result in deportation proceedings and detention by immigration authorities. Therefore, any immigrant who is accused of violating any law should consult with an experienced attorney as soon as possible. A skilled immigration lawyer will be able to navigate and address both the state and immigration legal issues that may exist for you.

Deportable Offenses

Any immigrant, whether a legal permanent resident or otherwise, may be placed in removal proceedings and deported if they are convicted of a crime. As discussed above, deportable offenses are set out in our federal laws, specifically INA § 237. This section of the INA identifies two categories of crimes for which an immigrant may be removed if convicted – crimes of moral turpitude and aggravated felonies. Contact our experienced lawyers for more information.

The INA does not clearly define a “crime of moral turpitude.” In fact, many would argue that it is hardly defined at all. As a result, the definition of the term has been developed by the courts over time and generally refers to an act that goes against normal moral standards. Recently, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published guidelines stating that such crimes will often include “fraud, larceny, and intent to harm persons or things,” though many other offenses may be included in this category. Such a vague definition can also result in differing results based on each state’s laws relevant to the criminal conviction.

Immigrants convicted of a crime of moral turpitude may be placed into removal proceedings. Often, this occurs if the following conditions are met:

• An immigrant, within the first five years since being admitted to the country, commits a serious, specialized type of crime (called a crime of moral turpitude).
• At any time after admission into the country, an immigrant commits two of these crimes, and they are independent of each other.

In addition to crimes of moral turpitude, aggravated felonies can also result in deportation and removal. These are considered to be more heinous and morally reprehensible and, unlike with crimes of moral turpitude, the INA includes a comprehensive list of aggravated felonies, some of which include the following:

• Murder
• Rape
• Drug or firearms trafficking
• Sexual abuse of a minor
• Child pornography
• Money laundering

Avoiding Deportation

Although an immigrant convicted of deportable offenses may be immediately placed in removal proceedings, certain legal defenses may be available. For instance, the law makes exceptions for certain offenses or circumstances, and a lawyer may argue that an exception applies to your situation.

In addition, legal waivers may be available in some situations for individuals facing deportation proceedings. If you are granted a waiver under the INA, the removal proceedings against you may be closed, allowing you to remain in the United States. An experienced deportation defense lawyer can evaluate your situation and identify which legal defenses may be applicable in your case. Our law office serves Newark, New Jersey, and clients across the United States.

Contact Our Immigration Lawyers in Newark, NJ