Massachusetts Immigration Lawyer Blog

Boston Green Card Lawyer News

If you live in Massachusetts and are seeking a green card based on marriage, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has a new way of conducting adjustment of status interviews.

At issue is whether the marriage is based on a relationship that the couple entered into for genuine, bona fide reasons. Traditionally, an immigration officer would conduct the marriage-based green card interview by sitting down together with the husband and wife together at the same time. The officer would question the couple and try to figure out whether the relationship was genuine or fraudulent.

Now, the new procedure is to interview the husband and wife separately starting with the visa petitioner (U.S. citizen). The immigration officer asks both the husband and the wife the same question in separate interviews. There are no wrong answers--only same or different. The separate interviews are now standard procedure at USCIS Boston and Lawrence District Offices for all marriage-based green card adjustment of status cases.

As an immigration lawyer, my experience with the separate marriage-based green card interviews has been fairly positive. The questions seem reasonable, fair and designed to weed out marriage fraud and to make sure that the couple really know each other well, as any genuinely couple would.

I can offer you three general pieces of advice: first, make sure that you and your spouse know each other well. Don't hide important but potentially embarrassing personal information such as a divorce or a criminal history from your spouse. To get your green card, your husband or wife will need to know everything there is to know about you. The immigration process is not the time for secrets.

Second, if an immigration officer asks you a question, don't respond with a guess. If you don't know the answer, just say that you don't know! If you guess and your answer doesn't line up with your spouse's answer, the officer could conclude that your marriage is not based on a genuine relationship. If so, your immigration case could be referred to USCIS fraud unit and, eventually, be denied.

Third, hire an good immigration lawyer! I work with clients who are seeking a green card through marriage to prepare thoroughly or the adjustment of status interviews. I've handled countless cases and can help you fix problems before the immigration interview.

For more information about the marriage based green card process, please call my Boston immigration law office at 617-722-0005. I'd be happy to help.

Green Card Lawyer Boston, Massachusetts

If I had a dollar for every time a client has told me that their friend got their green card is four weeks, I'd have been able to retire long ago. But the reality is that, right now, if everything goes perfectly, when someone living in the Boston, Massachusetts area seeks a green card through adjustment of status (I-485) based on a concurrently-filed visa petition (I-130) filed by through U.S. citizen spouse, the entire process takes about 5 months, give or take a month or so.

Contrary to my normal experience, yesterday, I witnessed a miracle. My client got a green card in just 27 days. That's right--27 days!  So how was he able to blast through the entire immigration process in such a short period of time?

Here's the background on this happened. My client was a research scientist at a famous university in Boston, Massachusetts. In late-October, he was selected to receive a prestigious award, which carried with it $1 million in research funding. But there was one small problem. To qualify for the award, he needed to become either a permanent resident or a U.S. citizen by the first week of December. I told him that it was unlikely that he would be able to get his green card in such a short time frame. But since he intended to apply for a green card anyway, I saw no harm in trying.

Under time pressure, my office prepared all the immigration forms in a single day. Don't ask me how but the client managed to walk away with a completed medical exam in one day. Next, we filed his green card case with USCIS and got immigration receipt notices back in one week.

Then, I enlisted the help of Ines Goncalves-Drolet, a miracle worker who handles constituent services for Congressman Barney Frank. At the request of Ines and Congressman Frank, USCIS Boston District Office agreed to request the file and expedite my client's I-485. USCIS National Benefits Center sent his green card file to USCIS Boston District Office via overnight courier and an adjustment of status interview was scheduled within a few days time.

For helping my client expedite his green card, I owe a deep debt of gratitude to Congressman Barney Frank, Ines Goncalves-Drolet as well as USCIS Field Director Karen-Anne Haydon, District Director Denis Riordan and the officers and staff at USCIS Boston District Office. Without crucial help from these people and others, my client would likely still be waiting for his green card and one million dollars in research funding might have been lost.

If you want to get your green card approved in an expedited fashion, it's easy!  All you need is an immigration case with impeccable merits, a compelling national interest, the sympathetic ear of a congressional representative, the favorable discretion of your local USCIS field office director . . .  and a good measure of luck.

If you need help with your green card, citizenship or other immigration case, call my Boston immigration law office at 617-722-0005. I'd be happy to help you.

Boston Deportation Defense Lawyer

As an immigration lawyer in Boston, I'm often asked if I know the phone number for Immigration in Boston, Massachusetts? If you have a pending green card application or citizenship cases and you live in the Boston, Massachusetts-area, surely U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has a local phone number that you could call to inquire as to the status of your immigration case, right?

But the answer is that no such number exists. USCIS has an 800 national number National Customer Service Center (NCSC) 1-800-375-5283. But I discourage my clients from calling this number because I've never been able to use it to resolve any problems or gain any useful information.

The best way to communicate with USCIS Boston District Office about a pending green card or citizenship application may be to make an INFOPASS appointment. Go in person to this appointment and you can ask questions about your immigration case. The officers and staff at USCIS Boston District Office can be miracle workers.

Not everyone should go in person to USCIS Boston District Office. If you are undocumented, out of status, or if you have a final order of deportation or removal, or if you have certain criminal convictions, then you are potentially deportable and could be subject to arrest by immigration authorities. So you should consult with an immigration lawyer before deciding to go in person to USCIS Boston immigration office.

Aside from USCIS INFOPASS, if you have a deportation case in Boston Immigration Court, you can call them at 617-565-3080. Or if you have a question about someone who has been arrested and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE in Burlington, Massachusetts, you can call ICE's  office at (781) 359-7500.

To summarize, USCIS Boston District Office has no phone number that the public can use to follow up on their immigration case. Instead, consider making an INFOPASS appointment. For deportation cases, call Boston Immigration Court or ICE in Burlington, MA.

If you need more help with your immigration case or for advice or guidance, please call or email me to set up a time to meet to discuss your situation.

Thinking about filing for a green card, citizenship or other immigration benefits? If so, keep in mind that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is raising filing fees on November 23, 2010.  This increase will generally be about 10% on most applications.  Interestingly, if you want to gain U.S. citizenship, the price for the application for naturalization, N-400, will remain unchanged.  

Boston Deportation Defense Lawyer

The big news today is that my Boston immigration lawyer video is now up and live on Youtube and can be found here.  This video couldn't have happened without the help of lots of talented people. But I owe an especially deep debt of gratitude to my former immigration clients--Hakim, Nerlande, Ade, Paxton and Silvia and Nurahmed.  Your kind words humble me and remind me why I love being an immigration attorney.

Please let me know what you think of my video.  And if you want to gain U.S. citizenship, need help with an immigration waiver, representation in deportation hearings in Immigration Court or advice on your immigration options, call me at 617-722-0005.

Boston Citizenship Lawyer

Immigration laws permit green card holders to apply for naturalization to gain U.S. citizenship after 5 years for lawful permanent residency status. But if you are married to a U.S. citizen, you may be eligible to apply for naturalization under Section 316 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, after just 3 years.

But getting the Boston office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to approve your N-400 after only 3 years with a green card requires more than just a marriage certificate to a U.S. citizen. To gain approval of your application for citizenship, you must meet all of the following requirements:

1. your spouse must be a U.S. citizen for at least 3 years:
2. you must be "living in marital union" with your U.S. citizen spouse for 3 years; AND
3. you must have had your green card for at least 3 years.

Also, to be successful, you must meet all of the other requirements for naturalization including proving good moral character, residency, physical presence, and more.

Proving that you and your spouse have been living together continuously for 3 years involves financial documents such as leases, deeds, joint married tax returns, W-2s, jointly-held insurance, and joint bank accounts. Keep in mind that if you separate from your spouse--even temporarily--you may be disqualified from applying to become a U.S. citizen under the shortened 3 years of residency standard. And if you falsely claim to be living with your spouse, USCIS may deny your N-400 under the good moral character / false testimony grounds.

If you need an immigration attorney in Boston, are thinking about filing an N-400 or have questions about how to gain U.S. citizenship through naturalization, call me at 617-722-0005.

"Can I apply for green card? Yes or no?"
"I just have a quick question"
"My immigration case is easy. What should I do?"

When potential immigration clients call me and ask me these sorts of questions, they want to hear my snap advice on their immigration cases. My usual answer is "it depends." And for potential immigration clients, "it depends" can be frustrating and disappointing response.

Why is it that my off-the-cuff answer to your immigration questions is "it depends"? Is this just my way of luring you into taking the time and incurring the needless expense of coming into my Boston immigration office for a full consultation. Of course not!

The truth is that immigration law is extremely complicated. And the immigration laws are constantly changing. When I say "it depends" what I mean is that your particular immigration options depend on the specific facts of your case. My job is to figuring out how the fact pattern of your case fits into the framework of U.S. immigration laws.

Let me give you an example. If someone were to say, "Hey Josh, I have just have a quick question. Can I you apply for a green card if you enter the United States without inspection?" The answer, in general, would be no. That is because under Section 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, you can't file an I-485 to apply for adjustment of status in the United States unless you can prove entry with inspection and admission.

But that quick, simple answer is misleading and inaccurate because the following 3 exceptions exist:

1. Beneficiaries of 245(i)-eligible visa petitions, i.e., I-130 or I-140 applications filed on or before April 30, 2001, may be able to file for adjustment of status even if they have no proof of how they entered the U.S.




2. Those who are applying for immigration benefits under the Violence Against Women Act or VAWA may file for adjustment of status even if they entered the U.S. without inspection.




3. If you were granted asylum, CAT (Convention Against Torture) or withholding of removal, you may be able to file an I-485 even if you initially came into the U.S. without inspection. In part, this is because asylum and asylum-related applicants apply for adjustment of status under Section 209--not Section 245--of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Would one of these specific exception apply in your immigration case and allow you to apply for a green card even if you entered the U.S. without inspection? The answer is--you guessed it--it depends! My advice would depend on a whole series of follow-up questions. I'd also want to review your passport, USCIS receipt notices and other documentation. And I wouldn't be doing my job if I were to give you legal advice about your immigration situation without asking you if you have ever been arrested or been to court for a criminal case, whether you ever overstayed a visa, given false or misleading information to USCIS, etc.

The bottom line is that if you need immigration advice, there is no such thing as a simple question or a simple immigration case. And the only way I can give you any more advice than "it depends" is if you come see me in person in my Boston office and allow me to methodically analyze your case.

If you need advice or immigration help or representation in Immigration Court in Boston or before USCIS, call me at 617-722-0005 today.

Deportation Defense Tips for Boston Immigration Court

As a deportation defense lawyer who frequently appears in Immigration Court in Boston, here are some tips that should improve your experience at your immigration hearing:

1. Attend all hearing in Immigration Court (and all other courts). If you don't go to Immigration Court for your hearing, the Immigration Judge will give you an order of removal or deportation "in absentia" and a warrant will be issued for your arrest.
   
   
2. Arrive one hour before the time of your scheduled hearing. In Boston Immigration Court, for all master calendar hearings, a sign-in sheet is placed in the waiting room. I tell my immigration clients to arrive and sign in one hour before the scheduled time of the hearing. The sooner you sign in, the sooner your immigration case will be heard by the Immigration Judge. Plus, showing up early helps ensure that you will be in Immigration Court on time. Be careful: if you are late for your immigration hearing, you could be given an order of removal or deportation.
   
   
3. Dress appropriately. Boston Immigration Court is a serious place and you want to show the Immigration Judge and the Trial Attorney that you take the proceedings seriously. Don't wear a hat inside the courtroom. Take off your jacket. Wear what you would wear to a job interview or to a wedding. Inappropriate attire includes t-shirts with questionable slogans, spandex, stiletto heels, mini skirts, do-rags, shorts--you get the idea.
   
   
4. Be respectful to the Immigration Judge and to the Trial Attorney.  Maintain a calm, polite demeanor in Immigration Court--even if things don't go your way.  Think of it this way:  deportation is bad but deportation plus being arrested and held in contempt of court is worse.
   
   
5. Do NOT bring small children to Boston Immigration Court in the hopes that it will make the Immigration Judge more sympathetic to your immigration case. Keep in mind that hearings in Immigration Court take a long time and often require lots of waiting around. Combine the boredom of waiting with the stress of the immigration hearing and you have a not-so-great environment for young children.
   
   
6. Make sure the Immigration Court has your correct address on file If you change your address, notify the Immigration Judge immediately by filing Form EOIR-33 with the appropriate proof of service.
   
   
7. Turn off your cellphone in Boston Immigration Court. Off means completely off. Don't send text messages or put your cellphone on the vibrate or silent mode.
   
   
8. If you case is based on a pending I-130 immigrant petition based on marriage to a U.S. citizen, make sure that your U.S. citizen spouse comes with you to Immigration Court for all of your master calendar hearings.
   
   
9. Do not bring a non-lawyer to Immigration Court to speak on your behalf.  In Immigration Court in Boston at master calendar hearings, I sometimes see people attempt to have their U.S. citizen spouse or family member speak on their behalf.  The Immigration Judge will not permit this.  Only lawyers licensed to practice law in the United States are authorized to appear in Immigration Court as your representative.
   
   
10. Hire the best immigration attorney you can find. In Boston Immigration Court, the Department of Homeland Security will be seeking to deport you from the US. This immigration agency will be represented by lawyers who handle countless deportation cases each week. Unlike criminal proceedings, federal immigration laws don't provide you with the right to a free lawyer. But you do have the right to be represented at your own expense by the lawyer of your choosing. In Immigration Court, you are not required to be represented by an attorney. But, in my experience, I have rarely seen anyone successful represent himself or herself in Immigration Court. You need a lawyer with substantial experience in complicated immigration issues and deportation proceedings, preferably an attorney who practices immigration law exclusively. Meet with an immigration lawyer well before your hearing to come up with a strategy to protect you from deportation.

If you have questions about Immigration Court, please call my Boston immigration law firm at 617-722-0005.  We are ready to help you come up with a strategy to help protect you from deportation.

Green Cards, Marriage and Taxes

As an immigration lawyer in Boston, I know next to nothing about accounting and tax law. But I do know a lot about how your tax return may impact your immigration case.

If you are going through any immigration process, you should expect immigration judges and officers to scrutinize your tax returns. For those who are in the process of applying for a green card through marriage to a permanent resident or to a U.S. citizen or who have filed an I-751 petition to remove the condition on permanent residency, I have 3 tips that may help you:

1. File your taxes jointly with your spouse using "married" status, if possible. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will consider a jointly filed, married tax return as evidence that your relationship to your spouse is bona fide or genuine. Of course, if you are seeking a permanent residency but don't yet have a social security number it may be impossible to file your taxes jointly with your spouse.   But it is absolutely imperative that you file a married, joint tax return if possible.  The reason that this is so important is that if you file your taxes separately or as "single" immigration authorities may get suspicious and conclude that you and your spouse have a relationship that was entered into solely for the purposes of getting a green card.  If you file "single" during a time that you are married, I suggest that you consider filing an amended tax return to fix this.  

2. Make sure that the address on your W-2s confirms that you live with your spouse. USCIS will want to see your entire tax return, including all schedules, W-2s, 1099s and other schedules.  And if your paycheck is directly deposited into your bank account, then you might not be paying close attention to the address listed on your paycheck or W-2.  But if you are trying to convince an immigration officer that you live with you spouse, you had better be sure that address on your W-2 or paycheck should reflect that you and your spouse do in fact live together.

3. Provide your IRS tax transcripts to immigration authorities.  Whether you are in Immigration Court or appearing at an interview before a USCIS immigration officer, I recommend that you bring with you your IRS-certified tax transcripts and not a copy of your tax return.  The transcripts prove that your return was actually filed and is on record with the IRS and, therefore, is stronger evidence for immigration purposes.  I've seen plenty of denial letters from USCIS that say something along the lines of "although you provided photocopies of your tax return, you did not submit IRS-certified tax transcripts."  The IRS tax transcripts are available at the IRS office in the JFK Federal Building, next to USCIS Boston District Office or can be obtained by filing Form 4506-T with IRS.

If you have more questions about taxes and immigration or any other immigration topic or if you need representation in Immigration Court or elsewhere, please call my Boston immigration law office at 617-722-005 to schedule an appointment.

In 2007, Immigration and Customs Enforcement--the agency, which handles immigration bonds and is in charge of deportation--moved its offices from the centrally-located JFK Federal Building in downtown Boston to a remote office park way out in the boonies of Burlington, Massachusetts.

In my years of experience as an immigration lawyer specializing in deportation cases, I've noticed that many of my clients don't have cars and rely on public transportation. My clients need to travel from Boston area to the Burlington, MA immigration office to post immigration bonds or to report in for orders of supervision or orders of recognizance. My immigration clients often ask me how to get to ICE's Burlington office from Boston using public transportation.

The answer is quite simple. Take the MBTA Red Line to Alewife Station. From there, take the 350 Bus to the Burlington Mall, which is located adjacent to the office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The schedule for the 350 Bus can be found here.

The address, once again, for ICE in Burlington is:

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Office of Detention and Removal Operations (DRO)
10 New England Executive Park
Burlington, Massachusetts 01803

I hope this information is helpful to you.  Should you need assistance with an immigration case, please call my office at (617) 722-0005 and schedule an immigration consultation to meet with me.

When I go to Immigration Court in Boston, my goal is to protect my clients from deportation. I work hard to explore all options, to come up with a winning strategy and to prepare my cases in a way that ensures success. Of course, I want my clients to come away with a green card.

But the sad reality is that for some people who must appear in Immigration Court, the facts of their particular cases render them ineligible for any relief from deportation. For such cases, there is simply no way under the current immigration laws to prevent deportation. And, when faced with limited options, many lawyers routinely ask the Immigration Judge for an order of voluntary departure.

Voluntary departure permits a person to leave the United States voluntary and it removes a bar to inadmissibility that would otherwise result from being deported, i.e., receiving an order of removal. The consequences of being deported are indeed severe. If you receive an order of removal, you would be inadmissible for 10 years. And this 10 year bar runs from the date that you are physically removed from the United States, not the date that the Immigration Judge ordered your removal.

Although voluntary departure may help you avoid deportation, the consequences of failing to comply with a voluntary departure order may be worse than deportation itself.  Consider that a person who is granted voluntary departure after 1996 but fails to voluntarily leave the United States may face:

• civil penalties including fines of $3,000; and
  
• a 10-year bar from important immigration options such as cancellation of removal, adjustment of status, and change of status;
  

Also, it is harder to file a motion to reopen or reconsider a voluntary departure order, although this issue has been the subject of extensive litigation and new regulations.

These stiff penalties for those who violate an order of voluntary departure do not apply to people who are given orders of removal or deportation.  And what's worse, once a person fails to voluntarily leave the U.S., the voluntary departure order then becomes an order of removal or deportation.  If such a person decides to leave the U.S. after failing to depart voluntarily as required, this later departure is considered "self-removal," which is the equivalent of deportation.

Sure, voluntary departure may sound better than deportation.  But if an Immigration Judge gives you an order of voluntary departure and you fail to depart, you may end up in a worse position than someone who simply receives an order of removal or deportation.  You should not consider voluntary departure unless you are truly prepared to leave the United States, preferably in consultation with an immigration lawyer and as part of a strategy to return to the US.  The decision becomes complicated because many people who are in deportation proceedings face additional grounds of inadmissibility for being unlawfully present in the U.S.

In short, voluntary departure is relief from deportation.  Yet given the harsh consequences, for most people, I consider voluntary departure to be a cure that is worse than the disease.

Need advice about voluntary departure in Boston Immigration Court or other immigration law issues?  Call me at (617) 722-0005 and set up an immigration consultation in my Boston law office.

If you are facing deportation or removal from the United States and have a hearing in Immigration Court in Boston or elsewhere, your fate is in the hands of an Immigration Judge who will weigh the evidence and reach a decision. Immigration lawyers refer to this process as the Court's or the Judge's discretion.

People often underestimate the power of an Immigration Judge's discretion.  So I'd like to give you three specific examples of how Immigration Judges have the discretion to decide deportation cases:

#1:  "Why did the Immigration Judge deny my case?  All of my criminal cases were dismissed!"  Imagine that you are married to a U.S. citizen and are applying for a green card.  You have a hearing before an Immigration Judge for your I-485 application to adjust your status to permanent residency.  You have been arrested several times but all of your criminal cases were dismissed.  Even though your criminal charges didn't result in a conviction, it would be a mistake to assume that the Immigration Judge will automatically approve your I-485 just because your criminal cases did not result in a conviction.  You are not necessarily entitled to a green card.  The Immigration Judge has discretion to approve or deny your green card application.  In making that decision, the Immigration Judge will want to know more about your criminal cases even if you were not convicted.  The Judge will weigh the evidence and reach a decision in their discretion.  And if you don't convince the Immigration Judge that you deserve to become a permanent resident, you are going to lose.

#2:  Immigration Bond.  If Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") arrests you and puts you in jail, you have a right to a bond hearing where you may ask an Immigration Judge to release you on an immigration bond.  The immigration regulations require the Immigration Judge to make three important discretionary decisions.  First, as a threshold matter, the Judge must decide whether you are a danger to the community.  Unless this decision is in your favor, you will not be released on bond. Second, if the Immigration Judge believes that you are not a danger to the community, the Immigration Judge will then decide whether you are likely to return to court if released.  And, third, if the Immigration Judge decides that you are not a danger to the community and that you are likely to return to Immigration Court for future hearings, the Judge will determine the cost of the bond.  The important point is that these three key decisions--dangerousness, flight-risk, and cost of bond--are all entirely within the Immigration Judge's discretion to determine as he or she sees fit.

#3 Asylum:  If you are applying for asylum in Immigration Court, you must convince an Immigration Judge that you have suffered past persecution or have a well-founded fear of returning to your home country. To prove your claim, you may testify and present evidence.  An Immigration Judge has the discretion to decide whether you are telling the truth and whether your case deserves to be approved or denied.

If you lose in Immigration Court because the Immigration Judge makes a discretionary decision that you dislike or disagree with, you do have the right to appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals.  But no matter how much you disagree with the outcome of your case, it is extremely difficult to successfully challenge an Immigration Judge's discretionary decision.  Appealing the denial of your bond is particularly difficult because you will be in jail while the appeal is pending.  The likely result of your appeal could merely prolong your time in jail.

In short, winning or losing in Immigration Court usually boils down to an Immigration Judge's discretionary decision. And my job as a deportation defense attorney is to persuade the Immigration Judge to make a discretionary decision in your favor.

If you have questions about Boston Immigration Court, bonds, hearing, trial strategy or other issues; or if you need an attorney to represent you, please call me in my Boston office at (617) 722-0005 to schedule an immigration consultation.

The K3 visa and the K-4 visa are completely useless, particularly for Massachusetts residents.  I say this with confidence as an immigration lawyer in Boston with extensive experience in marriage-based immigration.  I've prepared countless green card cases at consular posts around the world.  To explain why I believe filing a K-3 or a K-4 visa is a waste of time and money, let me first provide some background information on the K-3 and K-4 visas.

The K-3 visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows the spouse of a U.S. citizen to enter the U.S. while an immigration petition (Form I-130) is pending with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS; the immigration agency formerly known as the INS).  The I-130 is a petition that U.S. citizens with foreign spouses must have approved in order for their foreign spouse to be eligible for an immigrant visa in the United States. The K-4 visa is available for the children (unmarried and under 21) of a K-3 visa holder. Ideally, a U.S. citizen would submit the I-130, get the receipt notice shortly thereafter, and then apply for a K-3 and/or K-4 visa so the non-american citizen spouse and/or children could reside in the U.S. while the I-130 is pending.  

However, the process does not work so smoothly. If you live in Massachusetts, you can file for a K-3 or K-4 visa by filing Form I-129F with the USCIS Vermont Service Center. In order to do so, you need to have a receipt notice of your I-130 application (a document from USCIS that confirms they have received your I-130 application), which takes a minimum of 3 weeks from the date you submit your I-130. But, if you look at the current processing times for the I-130, the K-3 and the K-4 visas on the USCIS website, it currently shows it takes about 5 months to process each of those applications. In other words, it is likely that an I-130 would be approved before the K-3, or K-4 visas approved!  

Let me rephrase this because I know that what I'm saying may sound a little crazy.  But accordingly to USCIS's own website, the I-130, K-3 and K-4 visa are all processed in exactly the same estimated time frame.  Since you would have to wait about three weeks after filing an I-130 receipt to file for the K-3 or K-4 visa, and all three applications take about the same amount of time to be processed, your I-130 application will almost certainly be approved before your K-3 and K-4 visa. What this means is that if you file an I-130 immigrant petition for your husband or wife and then apply for a K-3 non-immigrant visa, it is almost certain that your I-130 will be approved before your K-3 visa.  Given these estimated processing times, why would anyone apply for a K-3 or K-4 visa?

I hope my insight saves you from needless frustration.  And if you have any further questions about consular processing, immigration through marriage or anything else.  And if you are seeking an immigration attorney, I can always be reached in my Boston office at (617) 722-0005.

In Boston, Massachusetts, I recently spoke at the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Conference on Immigration Law.  The topic was citizenship and naturalization.

Several immigration lawyers from Massachusetts have sent me follow up questions. In response, here are a few tips that will help you successfully handle an application for naturalization, N-400.

Research your client's criminal history before submitting the N-400 application for naturalization by requesting an FBI rap sheet or Interstate Identification Index ("III") and a Massachusetts CORI.  The FBI III is based on fingerprints.  My office fingerprints immigration clients in-house using this kit.  The Massachusetts CORI is based on name and date of birth, which is why it is essential to list on the form every possible spelling of your client's name, as well as aliases. Keep in mind that these records are notoriously inaccurate.  The final step is to track down criminal dispositions for all court appearances.  Remember: your job as an immigration lawyer isn't done until you have closely reviewed court-certified final criminal dispositions showing all docket sheets for each court appearance.

Selective Service and Citizenship.  For male naturalization applicants, failure to register for Selective Service for permanent residents between the age of 19 and 26 bars a finding of good moral character during the requisite three or five year period but only if the applicant knowingly or willfully failed to register.  In my experience as an immigration lawyer, many clients mistakenly believe that they forgot to register for Selective Service when, in fact, they actually did.  If your client says that he never registered with Selective Service, you should double check to make sure he's right.  You can use the Selective Service Online Registration Verification available here. If your client's Selective Service information is not found, this does not necessarily mean that he failed to register. You should then call the agency at 888-655-1825 to see if his registration is in the system. And, finally, to prepare for the naturalization interview, you should request a status of information letter from Selective Service.

Fill out the N-400 with meticulous attention to detail to avoid "false testimony."  Even the smallest mistake on the N-400 form could be used as an excuse to deny your immigration client's N-400.  As a matter of good moral character, an applicant for citizenship can be denied if, during the requisite period of time, he or she knowingly provides false or misleading information to an immigration officer for the purposes of obtaining an immigration benefit.  Using this legal standard, USCIS could construe inaccurate information on the naturalization application as a deliberate lie and, therefore, a ground for denial. This comes into play particularly when disclosing adverse information such as criminal appearances.

Good Moral Character: how to determine whether your client has met the standard.  To obtain US citizenship through the naturalization process, you ordinarily must show good moral character for 5 years or for 3 years if your claim is based on marriage to a US citizen.  If your client has a criminal conviction, it may be necessary to wait to file the N-400 until the date the offense was committed is outside the 3- or 5-year period.

Good luck.  If you need help from a Boston immigration lawyer who enjoys complex citizenship cases, call me at (617) 722-0005 or contact me anytime.

On behalf of the lawyers in my Boston immigration office, I say congratulations! You just got your green card and are now a lawful permanent resident of the United States! Below are some general tips to avoid future immigration problems and continue on a smooth path towards citizenship.

I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residency--Get Ready! If you have a two-year green card (i.e., conditional residency based on marriage), remember that 90 days before the expiration of your green card, you and your spouse, together, will need to file a petition to remove the conditions on your permanent residency. This petition is called an I-751.  In order to get your I-751 petition approved, USCIS will expect you to submit extensive documentation to show that the underlying relationship between you and your spouse has been on-going since your I-485 was approved and that you continue to share your lives together.

Prepare for citizenship by recording your trips outside the U.S. If you travel outside the U.S. after you get your green card, write down the date that you left the U.S. and the date that you returned to the U.S for every trip you take after your I-485 is approved. You will need this information when you apply for citizenship. Some of my immigration clients mistakenly believe that their passport will contain stamps that will memorialize each of their trips abroad.  This is not necessarily true. These days, passports are machine-readable, and they often are scanned rather than stamped when you leave certain airports or when you cross the border via land to Canada. Thus, because your passport may not be stamped when you leave and enter the U.S., you cannot rely on it as an accurate record of your trips abroad. Keeping a record of your trips as you take them will save you time and effort when you apply for citizenship.

Don't "abandon" your green card. As a permanent resident, you certainly are not legally required to remain within Massachusetts. In fact, one of the great benefits of being a green card holder is that you are free to travel within the U.S. and internationally. But, if you want to keep your green card, only temporary trips outside the United States are permitted. As a permanent resident, you could have future immigration problems if you travel outside the United States frequently or if the duration of your trips abroad are lengthy. From my experience working with immigration clients in Boston, the most effective way to lose your green card is to move abroad. Take a look at your green card and you will see the words permanent resident card at the top. Remember, the green card is not permanent but does require you to reside permanently in the United States.You should avoid staying outside the U.S. for more than 6 months continuously. You should not remain outside the U.S. for an extended period of time without first consulting with an immigration lawyer in Boston.

If you have a green card, you must notify the Department of Homeland Security of any changes of address. As a green card holder, it is your responsibility to notify the Department of Homeland Security of any address changes. You can do this by filing Form AR-11. I recommend that you file Form AR-11 online through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS, formerly the INS) website. Once you have submitted Form AR-11, keep a copy of it for your records. If you have a green card and also have an immigration application that is pending with USCIS, you must also separately notify USCIS of any changes of address by calling its National Customer Service Center at 800-375-5283.  As an immigration lawyer, I handle change of address notification for all of my immigration clients and maintain records of each address change.

Register for Selective Service. If you are male, living in the U.S. as a permanent resident (i.e., green card holder) and between the ages of 18 and 25, you are probably required to register with Selective Service. Failure to do so could negatively impact your chances of gaining citizenship through naturalization. Contact the Selective Service System for more information.

Don't commit crimes! (especially during the first five years after you become a permanent resident)  Of course, it's generally a pretty bad idea to break the law.  But green card holders have no room for error.  Many people are shocked to discover the incredibly harsh immigration consequences of seemingly minor criminal offenses. Shoplifting, for instance, may be considered a relatively petty misdemeanor under Massachusetts law. But, if committed within the first five years of your status as a green card holder, a Massachusetts shoplifting conviction could result in your certain deportation from the United States without any chance for relief.

If you have ever appeared in a criminal court, do not travel outside the United States without first consulting with an immigration lawyer. I constantly meet with immigration clients in Boston who have criminal convictions and who mistakenly believe that one or all of their previous criminal cases were dismissed. Keep in mind that a Massachusetts district court judge may have told you that your criminal case was dismissed, and your criminal defense lawyer may have also told your that your criminal case will not show up on your record; but for immigration purposes, you may still have a criminal conviction!  Before you book your flight abroad, call me and set up an immigration consultation in my Boston office.

Again, congratulation on becoming a permanent resident. I hope these tips help guide you towards U.S. citizenship.