Navigating visas, green cards, citizenship, and defense against removal proceedings.
Immigration law is governed almost entirely by federal statute and administered by federal agencies — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the State Department, and, for removal cases, the Executive Office for Immigration Review — so the core rules are the same nationwide. What differs by state is largely practical: where the nearest field office or immigration court is located, state-level professional licensing rules for certain visa categories, and the availability of state-funded legal aid resources.
Family relationships, job offers, investment, humanitarian circumstances, and other factors each map to different application categories with different requirements and timelines.
This often includes birth and marriage certificates, financial affidavits of support, employment verification, and translated foreign records.
Depending on the category, this may start with a petition filed by a sponsor before the individual can apply for a visa or adjustment of status.
Most green card and naturalization cases require an in-person interview at a USCIS field office as part of the review process.
Agencies often issue a formal request if additional documentation is needed; missing these deadlines can result in denial.
If placed in removal proceedings, strict deadlines apply, and failing to appear or respond can result in an in-absentia removal order.
Timelines vary enormously by category — some immediate relative categories can move in under a year, while other family or employment preference categories with annual numerical caps can involve waits of many years depending on the applicant's country of origin.
Certain pending applications, such as a pending adjustment of status, allow the applicant to separately apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD); work authorization is not automatic just because a case is pending.
A visa generally grants temporary permission to enter or stay in the U.S. for a specific purpose and period, while a green card grants lawful permanent resident status with far broader, ongoing rights.
Missing a scheduled hearing without an approved excuse commonly results in an in-absentia removal order issued in your absence, which can be extremely difficult to reopen.
Even seemingly simple applications can be denied over technical errors or missing evidence, and the consequences of a mistake — including future inadmissibility — can be severe, so many people choose to have an attorney review the filing even for routine cases.
Select your state for deadlines, fault rules, court information, and a full walkthrough specific to where you live.
Compensation for physical, emotional, and financial harm caused by another party's negligence.
Recovering damages after a motor vehicle collision, from fender-benders to catastrophic crashes.
Ending a marriage and resolving property, support, and parenting arrangements that follow.
Establishing legal and physical custody, visitation, and parenting time arrangements.