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Free speech rights clash with immigration law
The First Amendment to the U.S. Bill of Rights guarantees the rights to free speech and assembly. But these may clash with the federal Immigration and Nationality Act that makes it unlawful to encourage a noncitizen to come into, reside or enter this country illegally. This encouragement provision of U.S. immigration law is currently before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Encouragement provision
Taking this law at face value, a prosecutor may seek a conviction if a person knew or recklessly disregarded that a noncitizen's entry into the country or residence would be illegal.
There are apparently no limits because the prosecution does not require a speaker to intend that a noncitizen commit a crime or that the criminalized speech be directed to an undocumented immigrant.
This INA provision took effect in 1986 and updated other laws that prohibited advertisements of U.S. job opportunities overseas and encouraging or inducing non-citizens to enter this county. Other provisions of that law criminalize harboring and transporting noncitizens who are in this country illegally or bringing noncitizens into the U.S. without limit.
How can a criminal conviction affect my immigration status?
If you are an immigrant living in Virginia, you may wonder how a criminal conviction could affect your immigration status. The answer is not simple because different crimes and sentences may have different consequences, depending on your immigration status and history. However, some general principles can help you understand the potential risks.
Deportation or removal
First, it is important to know that any criminal conviction can make you vulnerable to deportation or removal proceedings, even if you are a lawful permanent resident (Green Card holder) or have a valid visa. This is because the federal immigration law defines certain crimes as grounds for deportation or inadmissibility, regardless of the state law or the severity of the offense.
These potential problematic crimes include aggravated felonies, which are serious crimes, like murder, rape, drug trafficking, fraud, money laundering, etc. Crimes involving moral turpitude, which are crimes that involve dishonesty, fraud, violence or depravity, such as theft, assault, forgery, perjury, etc., can flag you for deportation or removal. Crimes related to domestic violence, such as battery, stalking, child abuse, violation of a protective order, etc., can also qualify.
Key points that you need to know about asylum
A lot of people come to the United States in hope of securing a stronger financial future for themselves and their families. But this isn't the case for everyone. Each year, thousands of people arrive at the border in order to seek protection from some sort of threat that exists in their home country.
If you're amongst those who come to America seeking protection, then you're probably fearful of being returned to the danger that you've fled. And the complexities of the United States' immigration laws can leave you feeling uncertain about your future. We hope that this post will shed some light on the asylum process so that you have a better understanding of what the process entails and how it can be used to your advantage.
Asylum basics
In its most basic terms, asylum is the process of withholding removal of an individual who is unable or unwilling to return to their home country out of a well-founded fear of being persecuted on the basis of their race, religion, nationality, membership is a particular social group, or political opinion.
¿Qué es un "buen carácter moral" en el contexto de la inmigración?
Una solicitud por la naturalización está llena de procesos extraños y términos nuevos. A pesar de todo esto, usted no debería dejar que la complejidad del proceso lo desanime. Con la guía legal apropiada, usted puede entender todos los requisitos para obtener la ciudadanía. Uno de los requisitos que comúnmente causa confusión es el paso en que un solicitante tiene que comprobar su buen carácter moral. ¿Qué significa este término en el contexto legal, y cómo se prueba?
Lo que significa
Parte del proceso de determinar si usted califica como una persona de buen carácter moral es cuando los funcionarios examinan su historial penal para ver si usted ha sido condenado de un crimen que lo descalifica para la naturalización.
Es importante notar que el historial penal de un solicitante es una parte importante de su carácter moral para los fines de admisibilidad, pero los crímenes no son los únicos factores que lo pueden descalificar. Otros elementos, como la infidelidad al cónyuge que resulta en un divorcio o una costumbre de emborracharse, también podrían hacer que sea más difícil comprobar un buen carácter moral.
"Good moral character," political offenses and immigration
When people in Virginia are trying to navigate the complex nature of immigration and naturalization, certain terms come up that could stoke confusion. A broad term that is used when assessing candidates for naturalization is that they are found to be of "good moral character," or GMC.
The idea behind GMC is that an immigrant is expected to live up to the standards of the community. They must show that they have been of GMC during a certain time called the statutory period. Generally, it is limited to the past five years, but courts may consider time beyond that. Certain spouses of U.S. citizens will be assessed based on three years.
This is done based on each individual case, but generally, any history of criminal activity can greatly hurt an immigrant's position.
However, there is an exception for people whose criminal charges were political in nature. Knowing how to take advantage of this exception requires understanding the rules and having professional assistance.
¿Una condena por conducción en estado ebrio me puede impedir la naturalización?
Ser condenado por el delito de manejar bajo la influencia de alcohol o drogas puede tener consecuencias graves para cualquier acusado. Pero si ese acusado está en el proceso de solicitar la naturalización para poder obtener la ciudadanía estadounidense, se complica aún más la situación. En esta situación, ¿es posible realizar la naturalización? ¿O se pierde para siempre la oportunidad de llegar a ser ciudadano después de una convicción penal?
Las prohibiciones condicionales para la naturalización
Una de las partes más importantes en el proceso de naturalización es cuando usted pruebe al gobierno estadounidense que es una persona de buen carácter moral. La oficina de inmigración que está encargada de revisar las solicitudes de naturalización tiene una lista de factores específicos que pueden arruinar la capacidad de un solicitante de demostrar su carácter moral (enlace en inglés).
How does a fiancé visa work?
Love does not always recognize international borders. When an American citizen gets engaged to marry a person from another country, the couple often asks about their immigration options.
Fiancé Visa
If the couple plans to live in the United States, it is generally necessary to petition for a K-1 visa, commonly known as a fiancé visa.
The K-1 visa authorizes a person engaged to an American citizen to enter the country for 90 days for purposes of getting married. It is important that the couple get married during that 90-day period or the person will need to leave the country.
Once the couple marries, the fiancé can petition for lawful permanent resident status and remain in the country while the petition is being processed. If the fiancé has minor children, they can also petition for their children's entry and residency in the country.
Requirements for a fiancé visa
As you might expect, a primary requirement to obtain a fiancé visa is intent to marry. It may be necessary to offer evidence that your engagement is legitimate, such as photographs, records of visits or time together or written statements from others attesting to the validity of the relationship.
How can I obtain a green card to work in the United States?
Many people from all over the world choose to come to the United States to further their careers. Even if you are not a citizen, you can legally live and work in the United States if you obtain your green card and become a lawful permanent resident. There are five categories of preference for employment-based (EB) visas:
- EB-1: Priority workers with extraordinary abilities.
- EB-2: Workers with advanced degrees.
- EB-3: Skilled workers and professionals who do not qualify under EB-1 and EB-2.
- EB-4: Special immigrants (e.g., religious workers, broadcasters, or armed forces members).
- EB-5: Entrepreneurs (Immigrant Investor Program).
What is the process required to obtain an employment-based green card?
The entire green card application process can take years to get through, depending on demand and other factors. The green card application process for those seeking an employment-based green card generally requires three main steps:
Se extienden las restricciones para inmigrantes
Muchos aspirantes a conseguir asilo en los Estados Unidos contaban con la discontinuidad de la política establecida por el Título 42. Sin embargo, para su pesar, esta se ha extendido recientemente. A continuación, revisaremos lo que esta política implica.
La historia del "Title 42"
El título 42 se instauró con fundamentos en el COVID. En Abril de 2022 se anunció que con los avances médicos en términos de vacunación, se levantaría esta restricción. Sin embargo, esto se canceló dado que un juez federal de Luisiana citó los altos costos de refugiar a inmigrantes. A esto le siguió más litigio entre los inmigrantes y agrupaciones defensoras y estados republicanos que llevó el caso al máximo tribunal de la nación. En Diciembre, la Corte Suprema de Justicia de EE.UU. dio el veredicto final, anunciando que la política de quedarse o regresar a México debería seguir.
La expansión
Al día de hoy, no solo no se levantó esta restricción, sino que se extendió luego del fallo de la Corte Suprema de Justicia Estadounidense (enlace en inglés).
What is special immigrant juvenile status?
Some children who arrive in the United States without legal status end up becoming involved in the state child welfare system after allegations of abuse and neglect arise. When this happens, concerns of removal from the country can take hold, threatening to send the child back to a country that they don't know, where they don't have support and where it may be dangerous.
Fortunately, there are legal avenues for these children to try to obtain lawful permanent residence. But in order to successfully do so, they have to know the intricacies of immigration law and how to use them to their advantage.
Applying for special immigrant juvenile status
The best way for these kids to protect themselves and obtain permanent residency in the United States is to obtain special immigrant juvenile status. In order to obtain this status and secure permanent residency, they have to meet certain federal requirements, including each of the following:
With offices in Herndon, Virginia and Annapolis, Maryland, Immigration Legal Advisors, PLLC provides legal help to clients in the areas surrounding Washington, D.C., including Frederick, Leesburg, Ashburn, McNair, Stone Ridge, Reston, Chantilly, Germantown, Woodbridge, Potomac, Gaithersburg, Rockville, McLean, Falls Church, Manassas, Arlington, Alexandria, Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Silver Spring, Hyattsville, College Park, Greater Landover, Bowie, and Millersville.
Results listed are not a guarantee or indication of future case results.
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571-441-2233
